Apple iMac 5K
Ranked 2 of 3 all-in-one desktops by recommenders
People recommend the used 5K iMac as an external display for its sharp, beautiful screen and good value for the money.
People recommend the used 5K iMac as an external display for its sharp, beautiful screen and good value for the money.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sharp, beautiful 5K display
“I went from a 27" 4k display to my 5k iMac I converted to work as an external display. You can definitely see the difference, especially with text.”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “OLED Not for Me” “For a few hundred bucks you get a wicked 5k screen”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Apple Introduces MacBook Pro with All‑New M5 Pro and M5 Max” “The display on the iMac 5K was amazing.”
Comment from 27 Oct 2026 in “New iMac with M6” - Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”
- Comment from 28 Jul 2026 in “I'd not buy a LG monitor”
Good value for the money
“For a few hundred bucks you get a wicked 5k screen”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Apple Introduces MacBook Pro with All‑New M5 Pro and M5 Max” “Glossy display, and bang for buck!”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “OLED Not for Me” Reuse of old iMacs
“One of the best things I've done for my setup is convert old 5k iMacs to work as external display.”
Comment from 5 Nov 2025 on Hacker News “At least an old school 5K iMac can have some secondary use case”
Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “OLED Not for Me”
Other all-in-one desktops people recommend
The two most recommended other all-in-one desktops, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iMac | 118 | 80 | 60% | 12 | 8 yrs22 owners | — |
| Apple iMac 5KThis page | 6 | 2 | 75% | 5 | — | — |
| iMac Pro | 5 | 2 | 71% | 5 | 9 yrs5 owners | — |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“there was no good reason for leaving display target mode out”
“The display on the iMac 5K was amazing.”
“Such a beautiful display.”
“For a few hundred bucks you get a wicked 5k screen”
“I was thrilled with that display”
“would with 50% probability wake up seconds after clicking "Sleep"”
“At least an old school 5K iMac can have some secondary use case”
“I went from a 27" 4k display to my 5k iMac I converted to work as an external display. You can definitely see the difference, especially with text.”
“Glossy display, and bang for buck!”
“If you aim for a 2017+ year model, you'll have a pretty reliable display.”
“One of the best things I've done for my setup is convert old 5k iMacs to work as external display.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.