How Does The 2017 27" 5K iMac Perform in 2023
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ม.ค. 2023
- How does the 2017 27 inch iMac perform in 2023? In this video we review the 2017 27" 5K iMac to see if this Apple computer still performs good today.
Will this 6 year plus computer be able to handle all of today's Mac computer tasks? If you are thinking about buying a 2017 iMac, but are not sure, then watch this video to help you out with your decision.
In this video we show you the real world performance of the 2017 27" 5K iMac (with SSD) including the 2017 iMac specifications, boot up time, applications performance, and video render speed tests in both 1080p and 4K editing. The 2017 5K iMac is still a great computer and we show you exactly how this performs with daily tasks.
In this video here are a few markers:
Intro to iMac video:
0:16 - Intro to 2017 27 Inch 5K iMac
2:34 - 2017 iMac Boot Up Time
2:47 - How Applications Run on 2017 iMac
7:05 - 1080P Video Render Test 2017 iMac
9:20 - 4K Video Render Test 2017 iMac
12:05 - TH-cam 4K Playback Test 2017 iMac
12:57 - Closing Comments on 2017 5K iMac
So if you are interested in older iMacs and are not a benchmark person, then watch this video to see how this older 2017 5K iMac performs
2017 27" 5K iMac - amzn.to/3J3W3Y7
2017 iMac - amzn.to/3ZQgUEt
Watch our last video on the 2017 iMac - • Should You Buy a 2017 ...
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I've just bought mine. Thank you very much for showing me that I`ve made a good choice.
Yes with an SSD they work great. If you didn't get SSD then boot off external SSD for best speeds.
Where have you got it?
@@burundipixelproduction3326 Tiendamia website
I bought my 2017 iMac 27" in 2018. I have always loved it. I use it for work every day. I did upgrade the ram to 40gb and I replaced the hybrid drive with an Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB drive. The upgrade did help for larger files but it didnt make a huge difference, just better than it was. I do have an external 8TB drive for extra storage because I like to save my movie DVD/Bluray collection to a HD. My iMac is currently running Ventura 13.2 with no issues. I use my iMac wirelessly and Remote Desktop to several other computers wireless when I"m working and I never have had any issues. Before I bought this iMac I was constantly on my 2014 MacBook Pro for personal use. I still use my 2014 MacBook Pro when I want a laptop but the iMac is my favorite place to work and relax. The 27" screen is awesome. Also I used to be only a Windows guy....but once I started using the MacBook Pro and the iMac my Dell computer does not get used anymore. I still remote to windows pc's for work. The iMac just gives me the best experience.
Thanks for sharing. That sounds like all the reasons I love my 2017 27" iMac. Once you just use it with the screen it's hard to go back to anything else and they are fast enough for almost every task unless you are doing 10 Bit 4K edits on a daily basis.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!!! love to see the real world, like you did. not the geekbench charts.
Thanks for feedback and watching.
Thanks for your performance reports Craig, they're pretty impressive for an external drive.
Yes, it still works as if brand new. I use my M1 also but just love the larger screen and so far I have not noticed any slow down. Just a small tiny bit when upgrading to Ventura.
i was waiting for this video finally :D thank u 2017 27" 5K iMac
in 2023
Thanks for the feedback.
Great job on your very informative article.
Thanks for the feedback... appreciate it
I have this iMac. The screen is just beautiful and the performance is still really superb for me, as a graphic designer. I upgraded it to 64b ram. I'm just gutted this iMac doesn't support Target Display Mode, as I would love to hard-wired-connect my new MacBook Pro to this and use it as a second screen.
I agree and if it had that then you wouldn't find a used one of these anywhere on the planet since people would get them instead of the Studio Display. I love mine and they are super nice for graphics and video. Thanks for posting.
You sure can.
You can using the HD60s
Can you upgrade past 64 gb? Like 128 gb with two 64 gb modules?
thanks for the video
Thanks for watching.
Good job, I suddenly fall in love with iMac
Try it out
Yesterday I was thinking about what "new" Mac to buy for my dad (he is in his 80s). He's still working with an iMac 21.5 from 2009. I was thinking of the iMac 27 2017 and now I come across your video. Thanks a lot for this. Now I know this is the right Mac.
Thanks for watching. Just make sure you get one with an SSD as that is key. The ram can easily be upgraded at any time on these systems which is a plus.
@@craigneidel That's a good point. Thanks.
Thanks.
Over the years, at work and at home, I've owned a 2009 24", a 2013 27", a 2017 27", 2019 27", and now a 2020 27", and the 2017 still is totally usable for everyday things like web-browsing, watching video, and Office work. I did have to start running it off an SSD because the Fusion drive was failing (those things were dogs). The 2017 had Thunderbolt 3, BTW.
Thanks for posting and watching the channel. You have had quite a few systems for sure.
My 2019 27” with the I9 and Vega 48 is an absolute beast still in 2024. Got it for $750 not long ago like new, one of the best deals I have gotten in a while.
Yeah, I love the 27" iMacs and still use a 2017 to edit 4k videos.
Mine performs just great..thank you!
They are great machines.
Hi your videos are amazing full of detail was just wondering if a 2014 imac 5k would be any good in 2023 would be using SketchUp mostly
Hi and thank you. I don't use stetchup so not sure about that but overall if you get one with an SSD, or boot of external SSD, and have 16gb ram most likely. They still work good for basic tasks including 1080p video editing, light 4k, and photo work. If priced good the are worth it with 5k screens but just need ssds to run fast.
Excellent video…
Thanks again Eduardo. I am still using it so figured I would provide an update after upgrading to Ventura.
I just purchased a Apple iMac Slim 2017 21.5” 2.3GHz i5 16GB RAM 256GB SSD MacOS Ventura 13.2.1 with keyboard and mouse for $420 bucks. It’s going to be our family desktop in the family room. I feel like I got a great deal and I’ve watched your videos to help me make this decision.
Good luck with everything. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this Video, I'm loonking for something like this! 🙏🏻
I'm thinking of studying digital drawing and I was looking for a computer to run programs like Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. Do you think this computer is a good buy for using these programs?
If you get one with an SSD (not HDD) it should run those fine but maybe look at the 2020 model also or just the 24" M1 iMac if you need it for future work etc. and want a bit more power.
The company I work at provided a full spec iMac 2017.. was shocked of how big the screen is and totally love working at it.. I make mobile apps with flutter
Yes, they are great machines for sure and once you use that screen it's hard to go back.
I'm on a 2012 27" iMac. It's been great for what I do (write & self-publish novels). It's done well for a decade. Hard to know what to get next.
24" M3 iMacs will be coming soon. Maybe wait for those or get a good monitor like the studio display with the M2 Mac mini.
One of the honest reviewers and the guy who's opinion matters
Thanks for the nice words and for watching the video. Appreciate it.
Craig Neidel Thanks Much !
Thanks to your advice I just bought a 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, Radeon Pro 580 8 GB, 32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, 2TB which was in immaculate condition. I bought from a professional photographer who needed to upgrade due to the software he uses not working on Ventura. He upgraded the specs on this iMac from new as well. I installed Sonoma this morning which took about an hour to complete all the tasks that need doing to install it. I paid £500 for it and I think it's a bargain. iMac is super fast.
Yes, I do love the 27" iMacs and with those specs it should be a fast one. Thanks for watching and sharing. That is a great price.
Thanks for sharing Craig. I have a similar set up and needed advice. This is not a major issue but it takes about 55 secs to boot. There are no log in items and my RAM is 8GB. Do you think it's worth downgrading from OS X Ventura to Monterey. Possibly that's causing slow start up?
Not 100 percent sure but Ventura does slow down boot time. You should only be rebooting once in while so I think newer os might be worth it.
@@craigneidel Thank you! I appreciate the suggestion.
Hi Craig, I love your videos, Thanks for sharing this! I have also mine Imac 2017 5k, 3.4 GHz with 40gb ram and Radeon Pro 570 4 GB. I am planning to upgrade the fusion drive to SSD. I already bought a kingstone KC 600 SSD, 1TB with 15x faster. here's my question? is it better to use an external SSD as a bootable drive with new Mac OS and work there for graphic design? or change the Fusion Drive to SSD as an internal drive? which one is better? I worked as motion graphic designer and I'm using adobe apps, especially After Effects. I'm also hesitant to update my OS coz it might be getting slow that's why I'm still using old version MacOS Catalina. if I upgrade my RAM to 64gb and SSD with a new MacOS is it slightly faster? especially when I use it for video editing and graphic designing? thank you!
Thanks for the feedback. It's always better to have the SSD installed internally (some overhead with an external enclosure), but with that said it's risky in some cases. You need to take the screen off and feel confident that you can mount the drive correctly etc. It's not hard but anything can happen when you root around in the Mac. So booting off an external SSD is a good way to get a speed increase without those risks. But, is one better than the other, it depends on your own risk level and what you want to do. The internal SSD will be a bit faster with everything else the same. I run my 2017 off an external SSD and have done that for 5 years with no issues. My SSD is a simple Samsung 2.5" 500 MB/s SSD and it works pretty good. The external SSD (booting off it) is a very easy thing to do so you can try that first and if you need it faster install internally. There is some overhead with the external SSD as stated above.
You can pick up a used 2017 iMac Pro for pretty cheap these days I have two. One is a top spec 18 core with Vega 64X model and it’s blazing fast.
Thanks for sharing. Nothing beats that 5k screen. The studio displays is the same but for the money the older iMacs with 5k are great values.
Thank you for the useful video. I have 5k iMac 2017 and its too slow now. It takes 1 minute to open Chrome :(
I want to know which is better solution-
1. Booting up from external ssd. In this case, where are the macos updates are installed?
2. Adding up extra RAM modules of 32GB.
Also, I use Adobe photoshop, Lightroom and Davinci Resolve heavily. Which is the ideal solution for me?
I would add ram and boot off external. It will make huge difference. I'm now using 48 GB from owc and it flys. Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much :)!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
The SSD you showed in the video is the Worse SSD you can get for this system. You Should Checkout 870 Evo with DRAM (Not QVO) .or even better or for best Result you can pickup TB3 Enclosure with NVME drive Like I am using. with that 2017 5K iMac is working far better than base M1 / M2 s. Cheers for the Video
Thanks. I boot off all types and boot off nvme drive too. The qvo is what I used in example and still works great. That's for watching.
@@craigneidel Nowadays, I'ld always go for TLC flash as QLC is usually slower (and maybe also less reliable/durable). QLC is maybe good if you want a lot of flash for the lowest price, but TLC prices also have come down a lot recently.
I’m using a mid ‘11 21.5” and it’s still running well. Trying to upgrade to bigsur as many programs don’t support high sierra anymore.
Thanks. Unless you use something like Open Core you really can't upgrade to Big Sur on a 2011 machine. Good luck with everything and thanks for watching.
@@craigneidel thank you. I’m attempting that with open core. Will advise how it goes.
@@ravgup1 good luck with everything.
Hey Craig!
Love the video! but I have a specific question:
Does this work well with premiere pro? (1080p and special effects)
I have a Mac mini 2014, and its beginning to let me down... Taking so much time to render, and some effects got messed up...
What would you do? Go for the iMac 2017, or save money for later, and invest in other ways?
Sorry for any grammatical mistake. English is not my first language.
Sorry, but I don't use Premier Pro so I can't answer that. I'm guessing it will work better with iMovie or FCP since they are optimized for Apple systems. If you do a bunch of editing work you might look at something like an M1 iMac or the new Mac mini M2 for $599 if you have a monitor. The 2017 is a great system but if you are doing a ton of work you might want to go with a slightly newer system - even the 2020 27". Thanks for watching.
@@craigneidel Hey man! Thanks for replying!
Alright! Gonna check your recommendations, and keep following your videos in here.
Thank you.
Hey, i am looking for a cheap option for my study. I need to run logic pro for some classes and I'm wondering if there is a cheaper option then a brandnew macbook pro. 😅
I would just pick up m1 air for 799 as it has a great cpu and is a great system
This video is tailor made for me. I inherited a brand new (never turned on) 2017 27” with 4.2 i7 w/ 3TB Fus. Only 8G, but also received a 32GB Crucial kit. I was going to sell it on eBay, but after watching this video I’ll put it in service to replace my 2009 iMac. This will buy me bandwidth for Apple to release a new iMac with M3 chip (late 2024?). I primarily do photo editing along with normal day to day stuff. Do you or does anyone have a good video on how to install the RAM kit properly?
Thanks for watching and the feedback. yes, that will be a nice system for sure. I don't have a video on replacing ram but there are a ton out there and it takes about 20 seconds so very easy.
2023, got a 2014 5k i7-4Ghz imac. Change the nvme drive (used by Fusion). Change Fusion drive to ssd. The thing is a blast to use, smooth, the screen I mean. On Ventura running, waiting for Sonoma. It is still faster than my win 11 machine (same spec). I have another one, a late 2011, i7-2.93Ghz 2K, ssd, running Ventura, still usable, yep! Love them.
They are great for sure. How did you run Ventura on it? Did you use open core etc.? Thanks.
opencore is actually easy to do. Lots of video on youtube. It's easier than we think.@@craigneidel
Yes, I have used it many times. It's not hard and I plan on doing videos someday on that.
I have a 21.5 2017 iMac with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536. I recently upgraded the HDD to an SSD Samsung T7 and it’s significantly faster. I was wondering if I could upgrade it even more with an eGPU? Thanks
You might be able to use an eGPU but I never really got into that since when you start adding all of that the cost adds up and then you are getting closer to just buying the $599 or $499 M2 Mac mini which is great. But let me know if you do that and how it goes.
Hi Craig, between 2019 iMac and 2020 iMac, which one would you recommend? I'm more inclined towards the 2019 iMac because it allows SATA SSD to be installed internally.
What models are you looking at? You said 2019 and 2020 but what models specifically?
@@craigneidel imac 27 inch for both 2019 and 2020
@@retrovox I think those are identical besides true tone display and CPUs.
I just started watching your videos and subscribed, love the content! Question for you.. will this 2017 iMac 27 support two external displays? I have two apple 27" displays I want to connect to it.
NVM... One of them is the original thunderbolt and I see the 2017 doesn't even have one of those ports
Thanks for the sub. Here is what a 2017 27" iMac can handle but make sure the type of connections work:
iMac 27”, Retina 5K, 2019 - 2015 can take 2 🖥 🖥 Up to two external 4k displays (4096 by 2304) at 60Hz
@@craigneidel thanks! I'll probably buy one now! One of my apple displays is thunderbolt 1 and the other is thunderbolt 2. I read online that getting a thunderbolt to thunderbolt 3 would work.. any insight?
@@craigneidel my older Cinema display is actually display port...
Ok, if the connections fit then it should work out. Let me know how everything goes.
Hi Craig. My understanding is that Venture wouldn’t run on the 2017 iMac. Did you do anything special to get the beta running? Do you know what will be required to get the final version running? Thanks
Ventura works fine on 2017 iMacs. It's fully compatible.
@@craigneidel my apologies I was thinking of Sonoma which I believe has stopped supporting the 2017 iMac
@@markscheiner3952 yes I don't think that will be supported.
What about the fan? Can you hear it when you're recording vocals for more than an hour?
I mean I don't really hear it but every setup is different. I don't think it would be an issue.
what software did you use for screen recording Craig?
I just use QuickTime for screen recordings on Macs
What’s the max ram for this model. Wondering if I can upgrade to 128 gb with two 64 gb modules from owc?
I think on paper it's 64 GB but I have heard 128 can work. I would look that up on Reddit or somewhere to see if somebody got 128 to work.
I'm looking to pick up a 2014 5k imac. is there any difference between 2014 compared to the models that came out after? thanks
Yes, not so much with the screen but with the CPU etc. for sure and graphics. Just make sure you get one with an SSD drive or boot off external SSD and it will be very fast.
You also get more OS updates on the newer models of course.
Hello Craig
I am about to buy an iMac 2017 4k 21.5 inch
3.4 GHz quad core intel core i5
radeon pro 560 4 gb
32 gb 2400 mhz ddr4
ventura 13.0.1
so is it good for video editing and can it handle all the editing software programs..
Thanks a lot in advance
What is the hard drive. It needs to be SSD.
@craigneidel It has 2 drives the first one is 121 flash storage and the second one is 1 TB sata disk
as long as you are booting off the flash SSD then you should be fine. If you are booting off the SATA then the system will really slow down.
how do you know if your still secured? what if you dont have the latest update
You should always update to the newest security update. After that it won't update any longer so you may not be as secure as the newest updates but it still carries older security etc. up till the date you upgraded to.
still recommend for 2024? i need it for editing 1080p mp4 videos
As long as you have an SSD and ram (you can upgrade it yourself for very cheap) this will work with 1080P very easily. I still edit my 4K videos, even my last video on my channel on my 2017 iMac (so check out that video). I have 48 GB of ram which you can get for about $80.
Computers will perform better when you upgrade them, obvious. I did it with mine. I upgraded the hard drive to SSD, added Ram memory and it my iMac 27" 5K flies. I'm a photographer and some photos ca be very large files. Software also demands it
Good luck with everything
After upgrading to a Samsung 860 Evo SATA SSD my 2011 iMac is running perfectly fine....
Amazing they still work great 12 years later.
Do you need to upgrade ram AND ssd for maximum function and speed?
Yes, upgrading ram is cheap and I recommend 48 GB or at least 32. Also an SSD the key to speed.
I wonder if it would do good for music production
It works fine and unless you need like 150 tracks all at once it can handle it.
Are perfomance any better than on tje 2017 iMac 4k quad core i5
Same I'm guessing
I purchased a IMAC 21'5 inch late 2017 from BackMarket 4k retina 1000 SSD but I think it is a 1TB storage instead of SSD
Go into disk utility and see if SSD or HDD. If just a normal HDD it will be quite slow.
@@craigneidel Thank you, I will do that to see.
@@LadyEssence what did you find out? Currently about to purchase from Backmarket.
As long as you have powerful Gpu in your iMac it’s fine
Yes, they still work pretty good even today.
I have a 2017 iMac with 1TB SSD and 40GB of ram. Zero chance I'm "upgrading" to a 2023 iMac that maxes out at 24GB ram (that you must buy from Apple at it's crazy memory prices and can't increase memory amount after purchase) and comes with a 24-inch screen. F.O. Apple!
Yes 27 inch iMacs are great values. Thanks
Can I connect iMac 5K 2017 to my macbook m1pro as second display?
Not really unless you use something like Luna Display. It's not perfect but using something like Luna Display you can use it as a second display. I might do a video on that in the future.
Thank you for your answer. Is Luna Display enough for video editing? Is it work via the internet or via Thunderbol?
Luna can work using a Ethernet cable, wireless, or I think they just added usb-C. I will be testing it in the next month I think (maybe 1.5 months) to see just that. I know it will have about 8 MS latency or could be more or less but I'm not sure yet if it would be a great editing machine or not. I know it's great as just a second screen without tons of high end work but hopefully I can try that out.
I can't setup the machine. How does it work?
I'm not sure what you are asking but there should be setup videos on TH-cam for sure.
What's the best macOS version for a 2017 iMac?
The latest OS you can update till will be the best for security.
Last officially supported one is Ventura. More recent might be possible using OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
Wouldn't it get slow? @@ThomasWaldmann
@@leofg11I run my iMac 27" 2017 i5 24GB RAM with an external USB-C attached 1TB NVME SSD with Ventura and it doesn't feel slow. But I didn't do any benchmarks. Using it for Python SW development with PyCharm, Web Browsing.
My Late 2013 iMac loads within 23 seconds (reaching Login screen)
That's fast for an older system. They still work great with the SSDs in them.
i am between the 2020 27 imac and the 24 M1 one, it seems everyone thing the older imac is a bad buy, personally i found older imacs look nicer but do not want to make a mistake. thanks for these videos
The 2020 is a good deal if you can get it for the right price. I have seen those for around $999 at times on sale but I would not spend $1,800 for one. It will come down to price/performance etc. The safe bet is the M1 but the 2020 27" iMacs will still be good for a number of years and then you can sell them and get some money back. But it's really up the the individual for sure.
Can it run Xcode
It did before so it can now. Just depends on how fast etc. as the M chips will be a little quicker is all.
Why 2017? Is a 2019-20 27" just as good?
I know nothing about computers and just want one for music production
Yes, if you can get a good deal then the 2019 and 2020 iMacs would be better for sure. Make sure it is a 27" (not the 21.5") since you can easily add ram to the 27" and load it up. You also can run a newer OS with the 2020 for a few more years so if you find a good deal on a 2020 that is the one to get. The video is just about the 2017 but I would get the 2020 over that.
@@craigneidel thankyou buddy. appreciate your help 👊
Your Welcome and thanks for watching.
Hi Craig! Not sure where to ask you this, but I thought I would weigh in with my Q here: (Heart) your channel, esp when you give love to older Apple devices (aka, the ones I can afford ).
But there is something about Le Apple I have wondered about for years:
No company, outside of maybe the Office of the President U.S., Inc. is the beneficiary/victim of leaks more than Apple. Here's the question: Is Apple in on it? Do they secretly welcome, even plant rumors cause it keeps their name/brand top of line?
Remember that dude who years ago left behind an iPhone prototype at a Starbucks (was it the 5?). Normally you'd think he would be fired ASAP, but the conspiracy-minded might believe he was promoted after that stunt.
They might but not sure because Apple does like to keep things locked down and have strict penalties if you get caught. I think it's just hard to keep this under wraps when people are most likely paying Apple employees for the info (just an opinion). Thanks for watching.
meh.. while I appreciate the review, my 2015 computer with gen 4 Intel loaded websites just as fast, that's not a test of anything useful.
People like to see real use vs benchmarks. If not for you that's fine.
Thank you for all the good info. Do you think this is a good deal for normal everyday use; no gaming or editing.
iMac 27 inch Retina 5k i7 4.2GHz 16GB RAM 256/512/1T SSD Radeon Pro 575 4GB 2017
electro_outlet 97.6% Positive feedback
electro_outlet (1047)
97.6% positive feedback
$585.00/ea
If 2017 pretty good deal. Just confirm SSD and not fusion.
Still good price. That screen is incredible
Yes. Thank you!
Thanks.