  The Ce$_2$Fe$_{17}$ intermetallic compound has been studied intensely for
several decades; its low-temperature state is reported experimentally either as
ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic by different authors, with a measured
ordering temperature ranging within a hundred Kelvin. The existing theoretical
investigations overestimate the experimental total magnetic moment of
Ce$_2$Fe$_{17}$ by 20-40 % and predict a ferromagnetic ground state. By means
of first-principle electronic structure calculations, we show that the total
magnetic moment of Ce$_2$Fe$_{17}$ can be reproduced within the Local Density
Approximation while functionals based on the Generalized Gradient Approximation
fail. Atomistic spin dynamics simulations are shown to capture the change in
the magnetic state of Ce$_2$Fe$_{17}$ with temperature, and closely replicate
the reported helical structure that appears in some of the experimental
investigations.
