Help need in buying a 2017 or 2018 iMac

[wilfy1979]

Hi, I'm from and I am looking to buy a refurbished iMac 2017 or higher but would prefer retina 5k I have been told this is a good time to get one as they still hold their own in 2022.

So has anyone any website links that are trustworthy?

is this site any good?

Cheap Refurbished Apple Macs & Gaming Systems UK | Tech Trade

At Tech Trade we offer a wide range of refurbished MacBooks, iMacs and more for customers across the UK. See our latest deals and discounts here.

tech.trade

Apple iMac with Retina 5K display - Intel Core i7 4.0GHz - 16GB - 3TB Fusion - LED 27" - O/S Catalina 10.15 - English- Bronze Grade Refurbished - 6 Months Return To Base Warranty

 

[gilby101]

I'm from and I am looking to buy a refurbished iMac 2017 or higher but would prefer retina 5k I have been told this is a good time to get one as they still hold their own in 2022.

"Hold their own". I have some doubts about this lasting much longer. I expect that more iMacs will drop off the macOS supported list with macOS 14 (due in October). I have seen it suggested that both the iMac 2017 27" and iMac 2019 27" may well not be supported by macOS 14. It is assumed that macOS 13 (supported by iMacs from 2017 and newer) will receive security bug fixes for a further 2 years, but not other bug fixes. So I consider that "holding their own" is about to be false.

Nothing wrong the hardware, so long as they have internal SSD (512GB or more) and not Fusion Drive or small SSD.

Edit:
Looking at @basdeninard reply (and again at your post), the 4.0 GHz i7 makes it a 2014 or 2015 iMac. Not supported by current macOS 13. I would be wary of the Fusion Drive - from both performance and longevity.

I hope you have read https://tech.trade/grading-info-2 and noted what to expect from a bronze grade Mac. Potentially pretty bad.

If it is this one https://tech.trade/apple-imac-with-...b-3-tb-fusion-led-27-bronze-grade-refurbished it is a 2014 iMac due to the M290X GPU and will only run macOS 11 (2 versions behind current macOS 13).

 

[wilfy1979]

As long as it runs the latest IOS. When I say to hold their own in terms of specs and features, ports etc. I want it for making music and £600 £700, and it's a nice item to have.

I have a laptop but the features with an IMac 2017/18/19 maybe with a 27" 5k screen some help would be really appreciated, the plug-and-play with my music equipment and Garageband is well worth it.512GB SSD and I'll grab an external.

My laptop has a discrete Geforce 3070 backed up with its dual graphics with a Radeon 16 core AMD 7 Ryzen 5800HGood for gaming and power but Windows is obnoxious.

£3900 for a M1 Ultra which is as powerful as my laptop doesn't make sense.​

 

[wilfy1979]

Hi, do you know what year this one is?

iMac 27" widescreen

Brand	Apple
Model Type	iMac
Processor Type	Intel Core i7
Processor Speed	3.40GHZ
Solid State Drive SSD	512GB
RAM	16GB
Optical Drive	None
Operating System	Mac OS Catalina
Warranty	1 Year Warranty (T&C applies)
Wireless	WIFI enabled for Wireless Broadband
Screen Size	27" WideScreen (Slim)
Webcam	HD FaceTime Cam
Free Software	Open Office Suite, Video Editor, Image Editor & 5GB Cloud Storage (downloadable links given upon request).

 

[basdeninard]

Apple iMac with Retina 5K display - Intel Core i7 4.0GHz - 16GB - 3TB Fusion - LED 27" - O/S Catalina 10.15 - English- Bronze Grade Refurbished - 6 Months Return To Base Warranty

Based on the description, it is likely to be either a Late 2014 or Late 2015 iMac, but this is just a guess. You need to contact the retailer / seller and ask them directly.

For mid / late 2014 iMac systems, and mid 2015 iMac systems, the last supported release is Big Sur (macOS 11).

For late 2015 iMac systems, the last supported release is Monterey (macOS 12).

For 2017 iMac systems, the current release is supported (macOS 13). We don't know if this will be the last supported release.

Just to clarify, no iMac models were released in 2018. If you don't want to purchase a 2017 iMac model, you would need to consider a 2019 iMac or newer.

 

[ovbacon]

Hi, I'm from and I am looking to buy a refurbished iMac 2017 or higher but would prefer retina 5k I have been told this is a good time to get one as they still hold their own in 2022.

So has anyone any website links that are trustworthy?

is this site any good?

Cheap Refurbished Apple Macs & Gaming Systems UK | Tech Trade

At Tech Trade we offer a wide range of refurbished MacBooks, iMacs and more for customers across the UK. See our latest deals and discounts here.

tech.trade

Apple iMac with Retina 5K display - Intel Core i7 4.0GHz - 16GB - 3TB Fusion - LED 27" - O/S Catalina 10.15 - English- Bronze Grade Refurbished - 6 Months Return To Base Warranty

I would absolutely not do that... I just created a external ssd boot drive for my late 2017 iMac 5K because the fusiondrive was about to die.

And I would most definitely not ever buy something that they call "bronze" grade.... seems like "this is kinda crappy".

Buy something that can run the latest OS and preferably something that most likely will run the next OS. Get a mini with an external screen and don't worry about storage because you can always get cheap external ssd storage.

 

[curnalpanic]

they still hold their own in 2022.

It's 2023.

 

[Hat Tric]

is this site any good?

Cheap Refurbished Apple Macs & Gaming Systems UK | Tech Trade

At Tech Trade we offer a wide range of refurbished MacBooks, iMacs and more for customers across the UK. See our latest deals and discounts here.

tech.trade

I would expect this site to be upfront with the models' year of release. This info is nowhere to be found, so it's not a good site.

When macOS 14 will be introduced in two weeks time, you'll know whether a 2017 iMac will still be supported.

The 5K display is amazing. But in my opinion if you want to get a mac, just get an M1 or M2 Mac Mini and start with a cheaper 3rd party display.

 

[rpmurray]

Hi, do you know what year this one is?

iMac 27" widescreen

Brand	Apple
Model Type	iMac
Processor Type	Intel Core i7
Processor Speed	3.40GHZ
Solid State Drive SSD	512GB
RAM	16GB
Optical Drive	None
Operating System	Mac OS Catalina
Warranty	1 Year Warranty (T&C applies)
Wireless	WIFI enabled for Wireless Broadband
Screen Size	27" WideScreen (Slim)
Webcam	HD FaceTime Cam
Free Software	Open Office Suite, Video Editor, Image Editor & 5GB Cloud Storage (downloadable links given upon request).

This is a 2012, according to everymac.com.

 

[rpmurray]

So has anyone any website links that are trustworthy?

Refurbished Mac

 

[Fishrrman]

I wouldn't buy even a late-model Intel iMac now.
I'd buy a new or Apple-refurbished m-series Mac Mini instead, and use it with a 27" 4k display.

However...

If you're intent on buying a used iMac.
Be aware that there is no "2018" 27" 5k model.
They were released in 2017, 2019, and 2020.

WARNING WARNING WARNING
DO NOT buy an iMac with a fusion drive inside.
DO NOT DO THIS!
They are destined to fail early.
The 3tb fusion drives were especially susceptible (often the 3tb HDD portion of the fusion drive fails).

You should buy one ONLY if it has an SSD inside.
NOTHING ELSE.

Or, be prepared to boot and run it from an external USB3 SSD.

Again, I would discourage you from spending money on anything older than, say, 2017. These were the first iMacs with USBc ports (and also USBa ports).

And again... you'd do much better to get a new/refurbished m-series Mini (so long as it has 16gb of RAM), and a 27" display.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

Does it have to be an iMac?
Because otherwise, as @Fishrrman mentioned, I'd would also suggest a Mac mini and then getting the display separately.

I was torn between getting the 24" M1 iMac and getting an M1 mini with a 27" 4k display (I got a reasonably priced Philips one with good color accuracy while it was on sale somewhere) and I didn't regret it at all.

 

[padams35]

Hi, I'm from and I am looking to buy a refurbished iMac 2017 or higher but would prefer retina 5k I have been told this is a good time to get one as they still hold their own in 2022.

Say rather they have aged well and have recently become available cheap. They're often a good value proposition for:
a) Causal home office users wanting a 27" retina display who
b) Accept they soon won't be able to update to the absolute latest versions of Apple software.

What has aged the most is the CPU. I don't think GarageBand is particularly CPU intensive, but by mid 2019 entry level 13" MBPs had faster processors than the entry 2017 5K. (The 3.4GHz is the entry level 2017 5K).

 

[rpmurray]

b) Except they soon won't be able to update to the absolute latest versions of Apple software.

OCLP is a thing. I have a 2011 27 inch iMac that's running the absolute latest version of macOS.

 

[gilby101]

OCLP is a thing. I have a 2011 27 inch iMac that's running the absolute latest version of macOS.

But not for someone who want a Mac that "just works". It really is only for someone who has decent macOS skills and knows how to recover from any disaster.
I have OCLP on my 2016 MacBook, but I am not looking forward to having to use it on my 2019 iMac for macOS 14 (guessing that all non-T2 Intel Macs will be unsupported).

And again... you'd do much better to get a new/refurbished m-series Mini (so long as it has 16gb of RAM), and a 27" display.

Absolutely. We are all saying this. Even a free old iMac with a Fusion Drive is just waiting to go wrong.

 

[wilfy1979]

Say rather they have aged well and have recently become available cheap. They're often a good value proposition for:
a) Causal home office users wanting a 27" retina display who
b) Accept they soon won't be able to update to the absolute latest versions of Apple software.

What has aged the most is the CPU. I don't think GarageBand is particularly CPU intensive, but by mid 2019 entry level 13" MBPs had faster processors than the entry 2017 5K. (The 3.4GHz is the entry level 2017 5K).

Hi I want it for music making as windows is useless, my eyes are crap so the 5k screen will be needed. Garageband will it be ok on this you think?


Apple iMac 8-Core M1, 7-core GPU 24" (2021) 8GB 256GB Silver

Apple iMac 8-Core M1, 7-core GPU 24" (2021) 8GB 256GB Silver - musicMagpie Store

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[Fishrrman]

"Garageband will it be ok on this you think?
Apple iMac 8-Core M1, 7-core GPU 24" (2021) 8GB 256GB Silver"

8gb of RAM IS NOT going to be "enough".
DO NOT get ANY m-series Mac with only 8gb.
16 is "your minimum".

Consider yourself as having been duly warned in advance by reading this post.

For music making, a 256gb SSD could rapidly become "too little", as well.
512gb should be the minimum.

Again, I recommend an M2 Mini with a 27" 4k display.
I'll guess you're in the UK.
Apple has just released the M2 Minis on their Apple-refurbished page today.
Not sure if they have that in the UK.

 

[padams35]

I would strongly recommend 16GB+ RAM for Garageband music. Since the 24" does not have upgradable RAM I would not recommend buying a 24" M1 with only 8GB RAM.

5-minute research (anyone with actual experience please trump me) suggests Garageband does best with:
a) a 2015 or newer i7 (quad-cores)
b) a 2019 or newer i5 (6+ cores)
c) M1/M2 apple silicon with 16GB+ RAM

I would also not use that ourdeal site (or any other site that doesn't show the year). I was wrong when I said that 3.4GHz model was an entry level 2017. The entry level 2017s are i5s. What that link is actually trying to sell you is an ancient 2012 non-retina 1440p 3.4GHz i7.