It fixes a problem you probably didn’t even know you had – unlocking the full potential of your graphics card hardware.

By simulating the presence of an attached display, Headless Ghost allows you to use all of the power and available resolutions locked away inside your graphics hardware, which might otherwise be disabled when there is no screen available.

What does it do?

When attached, a Headless Ghost emulates the presences of a high resolution display, this enables the GPU hardware and unlocks a range of resolutions to work with. The Headless Ghost fits directly into an HDMI socket and will work with mini HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI outputs using readily available adaptors. NB: Some passive DisplayPort adapters do not the full range of HG resolutions.

Great! Why would I want that?

Many computer systems do not enable their GPU hardware when there is no display attached; a well documented issue amongst the Mac Mini and Intel HD graphics user bases. Having a dummy plug like the Headless Ghost attached fully enables the GPU which allows for:

Hardware accelerated remote desktop access at high resolutions
Running software which requires the presence of a graphics card without a display
Fully utilizing GPU hardware for GPGPU tasks such as crypto currency mining, rendering and simulations
Ensuring the correct display mode on a media centre PC when used with a AV receiver or switch that doesn’t pass EDID correctly
Taking screenshots at resolutions not support by your real monitor (e.g. Retina or 4K)

Specification

Supports resolutions from 800×600 all the way up to 4096×2160 (4K!)
Operating system and software agnostic – works with Windows, OSX, Linux and just about anything else
Requires no drivers, configuration or power supply – just set it and forget it
Manufactured on black PCBs, with a gold corrosion resistant finish, in the UK
Appears as a headless ghost display in the OS graphics properties window for easy identification amongst other displays
Programming port – exposed programming pins on the board allow for new EDID data to be easily downloaded into the Ghost’s memory
Open source – design files for the Headless Ghost will be available after the Kickstarter has ended

For more detail: Headless Ghost – HDMI emulator

About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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