Apple iMac Certified Refurbished 27" Silver 2017 Review

The refurbished 27-inch iMac 5K is a budget-friendly way to get Apple's legendary all-in-one design and stunning Retina display. Its 2017-era Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM are slow by modern standards, but for basic tasks, it's a reliable machine with an unbeatable screen for the money.

Looking at a refurbished 27-inch iMac 5K? This 2017 model is a classic, and at around $490, it's a very specific kind of deal. You're getting that legendary 27-inch Retina 5K display and the iconic all-in-one design, but it's powered by older Intel hardware: a 7th Gen Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon Pro 570 GPU. It's not for everyone, but if you need a big, beautiful screen for basic tasks and you're locked into the Apple ecosystem, this price is hard to ignore. We see a lot of searches for 'cheap iMac' or 'refurbished iMac for office work,' and this fits that bill perfectly.

Let's be real about the performance. The quad-core Intel i5 and 8GB of RAM are fine for web browsing, office apps, and light photo editing, but they're not fast by today's standards. Our data puts the CPU in the 28th percentile, which means it falls behind most modern desktops. The Radeon Pro 570 GPU is about average (53rd percentile), so don't expect to do serious video editing or gaming. The real star is the storage setup. You get a 1TB Fusion Drive, which combines a small SSD with a large hard drive. It's not as snappy as a pure SSD, but for the price, having over a terabyte of total space is a solid deal. This machine is built for reliability, not speed, and our data backs that up with a 99th percentile score for dependability.

At $490, this iMac is a steal for one thing: that screen. You simply cannot buy a new 5K display, let alone a whole computer with one, for anywhere near this price. The catch is the aging internals. For the same money, you could build or buy a Windows PC with a much faster modern CPU, more RAM, and a pure SSD. But if you need macOS, love the all-in-one form factor, and just want a gorgeous monitor that happens to run apps, this is a unique value proposition. It's a niche pick, but a compelling one at this price point.

Compared to other desktops near $500, the trade-offs are clear. A budget Windows all-in-one like the HP OmniDesk will likely have a newer CPU and more RAM, but its display won't touch the iMac's 5K panel. A compact mini-PC like the Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q offers modern performance and tiny size, but you'd need to supply your own monitor, keyboard, and mouse, blowing past the iMac's total cost. For gaming, the MSI Codex or iBUYPOWER Slate towers will run circles around this iMac's graphics. This iMac wins on display quality and simplicity, but loses on raw computing power and future-proofing against every one of those competitors.

Skip this iMac if you need speed for video editing, coding, gaming, or heavy multitasking. The older CPU and limited RAM will hold you back. Also, avoid it if you want a portable or compact setup—this thing is a tank. If you're in either of those camps, look at a Mac mini with an M-series chip or a modern Windows desktop. Power users and anyone who gets frustrated with slow load times should look elsewhere.

Should you buy this? Only if you have very specific needs. Buy this refurbished iMac if you're a casual user, a student, or someone in a home office who prioritizes screen quality over processing speed, and you want the macOS experience without spending four figures. It's a fantastic secondary computer or a dedicated display-first workstation. For everyone else—especially if you edit video, run heavy software, or want a computer to last another 5+ years—look at a newer Mac mini or a Windows alternative. This iMac is a beautiful relic sold at a very attractive price.