NewerTech

Name: NewerTech Headless Mac Video Accelerator - Greatly Improves Remote Access Performance! Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt Port Version
Brand: NewerTech
SKU: NWTCBLMDPHEAD
Price: 15.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.81 (106 reviews)

Headless Mac Video Accelerator
Don't settle for poor interface performance on your headless Mac or PC.
Take back the full power of your GPU today.

Never settle for a choppy interface.

Mac computers are amazing machines, packing phenomenal power into a compact design. They're fantastic when used as headless units for high-power, whisper-quiet home or professional servers. But even with the these outstanding capabilities, when your Mac is operated without a display attached, the GPU isn't activated, meaning it's not pulling its weight. So when you access your Mac remotely, the CPU does all the work rendering the user interface. The interface lags; OS animation, cursor movement, menu navigation, and typing all suffer, making remote operations a pain.

Plug in. Restore Performance. Easy.

Now there's an easy NewerTech fix to make your remote experience smooth again. The Headless Mac Video Accelerator makes your headless Mac think it has an attached display, activating its GPU and taking full advantage of its power, so your remote interface works perfectly – exactly how you'd expect. This adapter works well with most PC computers, too! So, simply plug in a Headless Mac Video Accelerator and get back to working smoothly on your headless Mac or PC.

Display Menu for Mac

This handy third-party app allows you to quickly and easily check for available resolutions, refresh rates, or retina capability on any of your internal or externally connected displays and projectors. Adjust your machine to match the remote display resolution or switch between aspect ratios or turn on mirroring with a single click. Display Menu makes it that easy. http://displaymenu.milchimgemuesefach.de

Change Screen Resolution Remotely

In addition to the huge performance improvements an activated graphics processor provides, you can also conveniently change the screen resolution to suit your needs. For a remote Mac running OS X El Capitan or later, and for some PCs where graphics acceleration is not needed, the NewerTech HDMI Headless Video Accelerator continues to provide the ability to change the screen resolution with ease.

Gallery

OWC's A Closer Look

Take a closer look at NewerTech's
Headless Mac Video Accelerator.

INCLUDES
GALLERY
SPECS
COMPATIBILITY
REVIEWS
RATINGS

Includes

Headless Video Accelerator

Gallery

Product Specifications

Software Requirements

OS
- OS X 10.6.8 or later
- Windows 7 or later
Driver
- Driver not required for OS X
- Driver not required for Windows

Hardware Requirements

Minimum
- Mac or PC featuring Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt interface
Recommended (Best Performance
- Mac or PC featuring Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt 2 interface

Connection

mini DisplayPort

Resolution

1920x1080 @ 60Hz maximum resolution

Height

14 mm (.6 in)

Width

42 mm (1.7 in)

Length

Total: 238 mm (9.4 in)
Adapter: 45 mm (1.8 in)

Weight

30 g (1.0 oz)

Warranty

NewerTech 3 Year Limited Warranty

Manufacturer provided specifications for Newer Technology p/n CBLMDPHEADB UPC#: 811643014701

The Headless Video Accelerator is compatible with...

Mac mini (Late 2012)

(October, 2012)

Model ID: Macmini6,1 & Macmini6,2

2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, 2.6GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Late 2012 Server)

(October, 2012)

Model ID: Macmini6,2

2.3GHz, 2.6GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Mid 2011)

(July, 2011)

Model ID: Macmini5,1 & Macmini5,2

2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, 2.7GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Mid 2011 Server)

(July, 2011)

Model ID: Macmini5,3

2.0GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Mid 2010)

(June, 2010)

Model ID: Macmini4,1

2.4GHz, 2.66GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Mid 2010 Server)

(June, 2010)

Model ID: Macmini4,1

2.66GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Late 2009)

(October, 2009)

Model ID: Macmini3,1

2.26GHz, 2.53GHz, 2.66GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Late 2009 Server)

(October, 2009)

Model ID: Macmini3,1

2.53GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac mini (Early 2009)

(March, 2009)

Model ID: Macmini3,1

2.0GHz, 2.26GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 8-Core (Early 2009)

(March, 2009)

Model ID: MacPro4,1

2.26GHz, 2.66GHz, 2.93GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 4-Core (Early 2009)

(March, 2009)

Model ID: MacPro4,1

2.66GHz, 2.93GHz, 3.33GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 12-Core (Mid 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.4GHz, 2.66GHz, 3.06GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 6-Core (Mid 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

3.33GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 4-Core (Mid 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

3.2GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 12-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.66GHz, 2.93GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 8-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.4GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 6-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

3.33GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 4-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.8GHz, 3.2GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro

(December, 2013)

Model ID: MacPro6,1

2.7GHz 3.0GHz, 3.5GHz, 3.7GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook (Mid 2010)

(May, 2010)

Model ID: MacBook7,1

2.4GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook (Late 2009)

(October, 2009)

Model ID: MacBook6,1

2.26Ghz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook (Late 2008)

(October, 2008)

Model ID: MacBook5,1

2.0GHz, 2.4GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina display Mid 2015)

(May, 2015)

Model ID: MacBookPro11,4; MacBookPro11,5

2.2GHz, 2.5GHz, 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina display Early 2015)

(March, 2015)

Model ID: MacBookPro12,1

2.7GHz, 2.9GHz, 3.1GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2014)

(July, 2014)

Model ID: MacBookPro11,2

2.2GHz, 2.5GHz, 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina Display 2014)

(July, 2014)

Model ID: MacBookPro11,1

2.6GHz, 2.8GHz, 3.0GHz

Detailed specs

MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2013)

(January, 2013)

Model ID: MacBookPro10,1

2.4GHz, 2.7GHz, 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina Display 2013)

(January, 2013)

Model ID: MacBookPro10,2

2.5GHz, 2.6GHz, 2.9GHz, 3.0GHz

Detailed specs

MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacBookPro10,1

2.3GHz, 2.6GHz, 2.7GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina Display 2012-2013)

(October, 2012)

Model ID: MacBookPro10,2

2.5GHz, 2.9GHz

Detailed specs

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacBookPro9,1

2.3GHz, 2.6GHz, 2.7GHz

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (13-inch 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacBookPro9,2

2.5GHz, 2.9GHz

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (17-inch 2011)

(October, 2011)

Model ID: MacBookPro8,3

2.4GHz, 2.5GHz

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2011)

(October, 2011)

Model ID: MacBookPro8,2

2.2GHz, 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (13-inch 2011)

(October, 2011)

Model ID: MacBookPro8,1

2.4GHz, 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (17-inch Mid 2010)

(April, 2010)

Model ID: MacBookPro6,1

2.53GHz, 2.66GHz, 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2010)

(April, 2010)

Model ID: MacBookPro6,2

2.4GHz, 2.53GHz, 2.66GHz, 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2010)

(April, 2010)

Model ID: MacBookPro7,1

2.4GHz, 2.66GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (17-inch Mid 2009)

(June, 2009)

Model ID: MacBookPro5,2

2.8GHz, 3.06GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2009)

(June, 2009)

Model ID: MacBookPro5,4

2.53GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2009)

(June, 2009)

Model ID: MacBookPro5,3

2.66GHz, 2.8GHz, 3.06GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2009)

(June, 2009)

Model ID: MacBookPro5,5

2.26GHz, 2.53GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2009)

(January, 2009)

Model ID: MacBookPro5,2

2.66GHz, 2.93GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2008)

(October, 2008)

Model ID: MacBookPro5,1

2.4GHz, 2.53GHz, 2.66GHz 2.8GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

PC Desktops

Compatible with Intel / AMD Process based PCs capable with the specifications listed above. Memory complies with JEDEC Specifications, document JESD79-3B.

PC Laptops

Compatible with Intel / AMD Process based PCs capable with the specifications listed above. Memory complies with JEDEC Specifications, document JESD79-3B.

Reviews

"A small investment that pays off again and again in improved performance and response time." — Michael Kleper, The Kleper Report

Customer Ratings

Write a Review 4.8 / 5 102 out of 106 (96%) reviewers would recommend this product

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: JayT Location: USA Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Had to Change One Setting March 16, 2018 I was only getting 800 x 600 from the headless system. After some poking around I figured out that on the remote headless system, in the System Settings / Displays panel to click the "Resolution" radio button to set the option to "Scaled". Once I did this I had a bunch of resolutions to pick from.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: partman1969 Location: Youngstown, OH Age: 45-54 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 A Necessity (and blessing) June 16, 2017 The headless Mac Mini music server would be so tedious to control without GPU acceleration active. I am now able to use my iPad or or MacBook Pro as a wireless shared screen for controlling my mini without lag, and we all know how horrible to nearly impossible scrolling through large data bases (such as music) without video acceleration (via an attached monitor) can be. As an added benefit I am also able to eliminate potential electrical noise from an unneeded monitor into my high definition stereo sound system.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Indianapolis Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: over 6 months

Rating: 5/5 Love this adapter May 15, 2016 We have been running a Mac mini as a server for years using screen sharing. Not having an attached monitor was a drag. This adapter has eased my life mutely.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer Top 100 Contributor

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Florida Age: Over 65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Works great! February 26, 2016 Attached to a Mac Mint that is used as a PLEX Media Server. Works great. Makes remote access smoother.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Fort Worth, Texas Age: Over 65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 WELL WORTH THE MONEY February 9, 2016 I often use my iPad Pro to access a headless Mac mini. It worked okay but the graphics response lag was annoying and sometimes caused me to make an error. With the Headless Mac Video Accelerator installed the response is almost as good as using an attached keyboard and monitor.

I would have preferred the smaller size of the HDMI accelerator but the Mac mini is out of sight in a cabinet so it really doesn't matter.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Not as small as HDMI version January 9, 2016 HDMI versions of this type of device are much smaller, but since this requires more electronics to fool the computer, I'm fine with it.

Works as expected - I have my mac mini connected to an HDMI switch for occasional use with my TV so I needed to use a display port option instead. Greatly improves responsiveness of mini when using Remote Access tools.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Sweden Age: 55-65 Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Great gadget! April 14, 2015 Just works, perfect for my needs.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Saint Louis, MO Age: Over 65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 An amazing gadget March 5, 2015 I manage a MacMini-based server for my home-business. Once I updated its software to Mavericks, it became frustrating to manage via screen sharing (it is a headless server) because the cursor lagged the mouse pretty badly. I heard about this product from a friend and tried it. Just plugged it in. Problem solved. Amazing!

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: TX Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Easy fix for an annoying problem February 14, 2015 I have a 2011 model server and a 2010 model with DVD drive, they live together in a RackMac mini rack mount enclosure. I access them via ARD and I was always wondering why the old G4 Xserves they replaced had better video over remote desktop than they did. Getting a pair of these sure fixed that problem up. That said, it is a downer with the 2011 box since it uses the Thunderbolt port. I'm eyeing a Thunderbolt to USB 3.0/eSATA adapter that has no pass through, so if I were to get one of those to cure the lack of 3.0 and add eSATA on this box, I could no longer use the accelerator. NewerTech would be wise to put out a HDMI version as can be found on the interweb. After all HDMI isn't worth a hill of beans on a rack mounted mini while the Thunderbolt port is quite useful. For the time being though I am quite pleased with the results.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer Top 100 Contributor

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Denton, TX Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 NewerTech Headless Mac Video Accelerator Just Works January 5, 2015 Most of the time, my 2012 Mac Mini hosts several backup applications supporting several other computers, including some remote ones. It's easy to manage with Apple Remote Desktop, so running it headless was preferable to me. With this headless Mac Video Accelerator connected, responsiveness via ARD is much faster than with the monitor simply disconnected. For those occasions when I need the monitor, I can reconnect the monitor in seconds for local keyboard access. Sweet. Previously, I'd tried an HDMI headless adapter, but it occasionally left me with a remote black screen when connecting via ARD. This does not happen with the NewerTech Headless Mac Video Accelerator, at least not so far. I recommend this product. It just works.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Derry, NH Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 This product is absolutely Wonderful November 21, 2014 Being an experience Electrical Engineer for 35+ years I was very skeptical that this dongle would do any better than the simple 10 cent resistor between 2 pins of the DVI converter plug as promoted on a relatively obscure Apple site for the FIX for a Headless Mac-Mini! For the record, I only bought it to prevent future issues with my wife using my system when I am gone...

Folks, I have absolutely no idea of what anyone has to complain about!

With this adapter, the system response using screen sharing is absolutely amazing in terms of display resolution, response to simple mouse movement and overall performance! Frankly, what I am getting using this dongle is the absolute same as having a direct monitor, keyboard and mouse connected although only screen shared to a near vintage MacBook Pro 17 inch laptop 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Core screen sharing from a Mid 2010 Mac-Mini 8GB ram used as a Music Server system! Both not the speediest Apple makes.

The difference WITH THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM required to fully utilize it is absolutely amazing in performance! Hey, its only $18 and the absolute best money I have ever spent, PERIOD! Try it for yourself and compare the 1 resistor dongle which you can build from Radio Shack parts for close to the same dollars to this dongle and you too will be amazed if it works in your system as it does in mine!

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Washington, DC Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Wow! Just wow. November 17, 2014 I was HIGHLY skeptical of this device, but two factors made me decide to buy it. First, I run a headless Mac Mini server that I access remotely several times each day via Screen Sharing. Performance is mediocre at best, so anything that promised to improve this woeful situation, even if what it promised was alchemy-like, was worth a try. Second, it was only $17, so if it did not work, at least I would not fret about wasting my money. I have a Mac Mini mid-2011. After plugging in the Headless Mac Video Accelerator, went to my MacBook Pro, started Screen Sharing, and pulled up the Mac Mini. My jaw dropped--the video performance was improved many times over. No more clicking on Safari on the server and waiting while the whole thing went fuzzy, then came back into focus. No more waiting on fuzzy-to-focus every time I clicked from one message to another in Mail. The performance of the Mac Mini via Screen Sharing is equal in speed to launching the program on my local Mac. I am a convert. Now can I send you some time and have you convert it to gold?

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Sydney, Australia Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Noob Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 1/5 It only comes with thunderbolt connection not with HDMI video connection like Apple original video October 26, 2014 It only comes with thunderbolt connection not with HDMI video connection like Apple original video, so you loose a important thunderbolt port and the HDMI stays empty. Not proper advertised!!!

Response from OWC, Marketing February 4, 2015 This product is listed as compatible with 2009 and later Mac mini models. As listed and shown, this product connects to the Apple mini-Displayport or, on 2011 and later models, via the Thunderbolt port which also doubles as a mini-Display port. This product has never been listed/shown to connect to an HDMI port and as listed requires connection via an available Apple mini-Displayport connection to operate. This device works without issue at the end of a Thunderbolt Daisy-Chain without the need to monopolize a TB port, no different than where a mini-Displayport display or adapter would be utilized in a Thunderbolt Chain. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Anonymous

Rating: 4/5 Works like a charm October 4, 2014 Apple Remote Access was lagging really bad, but since I attached this little beauty it screams again ;-)

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Reviewer: Anonymous Location: Charlotte, NC Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Works Well August 16, 2014 I was a bit skeptical about whether there would be any significant performance increase but I was very pleasantly surprised: UI lag is completely eliminated with the headless accelerator plugged in. I tested screen sharing across both a wired and wifi network and performance was great in both cases.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

NewerTech Headless Mac Video Accelerator Mfr P/N: CBLMDPHEADB OWC SKU: NWTCBLMDPHEAD Makes remotely accessed computer interfaces exponentially more responsive. 3 Year Newer Technology Limited Warranty

Reviews (106)

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NewerTech

Headless Mac Video Accelerator Don't settle for poor interface performance on your headless Mac or PC.Take back the full power of your GPU today.

Includes

Gallery

Product Specifications

Software Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Connection

Resolution

Height

Width

Length

Weight

Warranty

Reviews

Customer Ratings

Headless Mac Video Accelerator
Don't settle for poor interface performance on your headless Mac or PC.
Take back the full power of your GPU today.