Honestly, walking into a creative studio today feels a bit like stepping into a time capsule. You see the sleek M3 MacBooks and those tiny Mac Studio boxes tucked under desks, but then, there it is. The apple imac 27 inch. It sits there with its massive 5K display and those silver aluminum bezels that honestly look a bit "vintage" by 2026 standards. But people still love them. They won't give them up. It’s weird, right? Apple officially pulled the plug on the 27-inch model years ago, yet the secondary market for these machines is still surprisingly spicy.
Why? Because for a long time, this wasn't just a computer. It was the computer. It was the gold standard for photographers, video editors, and anyone who just wanted a giant, beautiful window into the internet without having to deal with a mess of cables.
When Apple transitioned to their own silicon, we all expected a direct replacement. We got the 24-inch iMac with its M1 chip and bright colors. It’s cute. It’s fast. But it isn't the big one. And for the power users who spent years staring at that 27-inch 5K Retina panel, "cute" just didn't cut it.
The 5K Display That Ruined Everything Else
Let’s talk about that screen. If you’ve ever used an apple imac 27 inch, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Most monitors back then—and even a lot of them now—looked "fine." But the 5K Retina display was different. It had a resolution of 5120 x 2880. That’s nearly 15 million pixels.
Everything was just... sharp. You couldn't see the pixels even if you leaned in until your nose touched the glass. For photographers using Adobe Lightroom, it was a revelation. You could see the grain in a photo or the fine details of a texture without constantly zooming in and out. It covered the P3 wide color gamut, which basically meant the reds were redder and the greens were greener than your standard cheap office monitor.
I remember talking to a graphic designer friend, Sarah, who refused to upgrade to an M2 Mac mini for two years. Her reasoning? "I can't find a monitor that looks as good as my iMac without spending $1,600 on the Studio Display." She wasn't wrong. Apple’s Studio Display is essentially the 27-inch iMac's screen in a standalone chassis, but it costs as much as a whole computer used to.
The Intel Era’s Last Stand
The final version of the 27-inch iMac, released in August 2020, was a bit of a monster. It was the peak of the Intel era. You could spec that thing out with a 10-core Intel Core i9 processor. It was loud when the fans kicked in. It got hot. It sucked back power like a vacuum. But man, it could crunch through 4K video renders like nothing else at the time.
📖 Related: Why the time on Fitbit is wrong and how to actually fix it
One thing people forget is how customizable it felt compared to what we have now. You see, the apple imac 27 inch had a little door on the back. A physical door! You could pop it open with a button and upgrade the RAM yourself. You could buy a base model with 8GB of RAM, go to a site like OWC or Crucial, buy 64GB or 128GB for a fraction of Apple’s prices, and click it in yourself.
Nowadays? Everything is soldered. If you want more RAM in a modern Mac, you have to pay the "Apple Tax" upfront. You’re locked in for life. That's why the 2020 iMac 27-inch remains a cult classic. It represents the last time an iMac felt like a "pro" machine that you could actually touch on the inside.
The T2 Chip and the Security Headache
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. The later models included the T2 Security Chip. While it made the Mac more secure and handled things like "Hey Siri" and video encoding (HEVC), it also made repairs a nightmare. If the T2 chip decided to die, your data was basically gone unless you had a backup. It was the beginning of the end for the "fixable" Mac.
What Really Happened to the 27-inch Replacement?
For years, the rumor mill was obsessed. We all thought an "iMac Pro" or a larger M-series iMac was right around the corner. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg kept dropping hints. Ming-Chi Kuo was tweeting about it. Everyone was waiting.
But then, Apple did something unexpected. They released the Mac Studio and the Studio Display.
This was a strategic shift. Apple basically said, "If you want a big, professional screen, buy our $1,599 monitor. If you want a fast computer, buy this silver box." They decoupled the display from the computer. It makes sense for the environment—why throw away a perfectly good 5K screen just because the CPU is outdated?—but it killed the "all-in-one" dream for the high-end market.
👉 See also: Why Backgrounds Blue and Black are Taking Over Our Digital Screens
Currently, the only iMac you can buy new is the 24-inch model. It’s powered by the M3 chip now, and it’s undeniably faster than the old Intel apple imac 27 inch in almost every task. It stays cool. It’s silent. But for those of us who grew up on the 27-inch real estate, the 24-inch feels cramped. It’s like moving from a three-bedroom house into a studio apartment. It’s a very nice apartment, but where do I put my stuff?
Living With an Older iMac in 2026
Can you still use one today? Totally. If you find a 2019 or 2020 model on eBay or Swappa, it’s still a viable machine for a lot of people.
Here is the reality of using an Intel-based apple imac 27 inch right now:
- Software Support: macOS Sequoia and whatever comes next will eventually drop Intel support. We’re in the sunset years. You might get another year or two of major OS updates, then it’s security patches only.
- The Speed Gap: If you’re just browsing the web or doing office work, the Intel i5 or i7 is plenty. But if you try to edit 8K video or do heavy AI processing, an M2 or M3 chip will absolutely lap it. The "Apple Silicon" transition wasn't just a small step; it was a leap off a cliff.
- The "Target Display Mode" Myth: I get asked this all the time: "Can I use my old 27-inch iMac as a monitor for my new MacBook?" The short answer is: No. Not officially. Apple killed Target Display Mode years ago. There are workarounds like Luna Display or Duet Display, but they aren't perfect. It's a tragedy that these beautiful 5K panels are being sent to landfills because the computer inside is slow.
The Specifics: What to Look For
If you are hunting for one of these, don't just buy the first one you see. There are traps.
Avoid the models with "Fusion Drives." A Fusion Drive was Apple’s way of saying "a tiny bit of SSD and a whole lot of slow, spinning hard drive." They were okay in 2015. In 2026, they are painfully slow. They make the computer feel broken. You want a model with a pure SSD.
Also, check the screen for "ghosting" or "pink edges." Some of the older LG-made panels used in these iMacs started to develop a pinkish hue around the borders as they aged. It’s subtle at first, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
✨ Don't miss: The iPhone 5c Release Date: What Most People Get Wrong
Making the Most of Your Setup
If you’re currently rocking an apple imac 27 inch, you don't necessarily need to rush out and buy a new Mac Studio. There are ways to keep it feeling fresh.
First, max out that RAM. If you're still on 8GB, you're choking the poor thing. Jumping to 32GB or even 64GB will make multitasking feel smooth again. Second, keep the dust out. These machines pull in a lot of air through the bottom and the back. A quick blast of compressed air every few months can prevent the thermal throttling that makes Intel Macs feel sluggish.
Ultimately, the 27-inch iMac was the end of an era. It was the peak of the "everything in one box" philosophy before Apple decided that "Pro" meant "Modular." It’s a design icon that still holds its own on a desk, even if it’s no longer the fastest kid on the block.
Practical Next Steps for Owners and Buyers
If you own an Intel 27-inch iMac and it's starting to feel slow, don't assume you need a new computer immediately. Try a clean install of macOS first. Often, years of system junk weigh down these Intel chips more than the modern software does. If the hard drive is the bottleneck, look into booting from an external Thunderbolt 3 SSD. It’s a "hacky" solution, but it can breathe 2-3 years of extra life into a machine with a slow internal drive.
For those looking to buy, aim specifically for the 2020 model with the 10th-generation Intel chips. It’s the only one that feels truly "modern" in its port selection and processing power. Avoid anything pre-2017 unless you are just looking for a very expensive way to check your email. The technology has moved on, but the aesthetic and that glorious 5K view remain unmatched for the price.
Check your current RAM usage in Activity Monitor. If the "Memory Pressure" graph is yellow or red, spend the $80 on a DIY RAM upgrade kit. It is the single most impactful thing you can do to keep a 27-inch iMac relevant in a world dominated by Apple Silicon. For everyone else, keep an eye on the used market—sometimes the best monitor for your new Mac is actually an old iMac you’ve gutted and converted with a third-party controller board. It's a project, but for that 5K glass, it’s worth it.