[clamherst]

I have a 21.5 in. iMac mfg. mid-2011, running the most up-to-date version of mountain lion. Is there a way to use the iMac as a monitor for a pc?
Searching the forum the most recent info I found on this was from 2008.
Searching on google I could only find info for this in regards for a 27 in iMac.

I would only need to use the pc every so often and I would rather not use Bootcamp.
Are there any other options?

thanks.

[P]

It is actually possible if your PC will output the display signal over Thunderbolt, but very very few PCs have Thunderbolt yet. 27" iMacs from Late 2009 or Mid 2010 could also act as a monitor over DisplayPort, which is reasonably common, but Apple decided to remove that when they added Thunderbolt.

It depends on what you will use the PC for, but running Windows in virtualization (using Parallels or VMware Fusion) is one option. Works for just about everything except when you need to really tax the GPU (ie 3D games from the last two years or so).

[clamherst]

Thanks for the info P. Won't be using it for gaming so I'll look into the virtualization. Of course I could just put the pc in the basement in range of the wifi and use it there when the need arises.

clam

[AimeBlockless]

If you purchased an iMac, you might find the display so pleasant to use you may decide to use it as an external monitor for your Windows-based PC...

[BLAZE_MkIV]

The mac remote desktop client Microsoft provides, still works even though it says it doesn't support the latest OS X versions.