iMac ordered, now what?

[laryenhilllvr]

So I placed my order for my very first imac a week ago! Coming from mbps i've been thinking what should i get to go along with it. Obviously an external disc drive is a must, i'm still debating on whether to just order two amazon basics or one superdrive from apple.

I've read that an UPS is important as well. Are there any suggestions, I'd like one at a minimum to run 5-10 minutes allowing me enough time to shut down my computer and definitely one that will autoshut down if i'm not around when the power goes out. On the other hand it would be nice to be able to run it for a like 30-60 minutes if power does go out (i liked the idea of having a mbp because power outages were of little concern when i had an internal battery). Also if it is a must that it not require downloading installation software or anything like that. I'm considering this one, but i'm not sure and i'm working with a budget of $150: http://www.amazon.com/APC-Power-Savi...I30U0ZCKPQVPV6

On anther note I'm also excited to have much better graphics than my 2010 mbp, so i've ordered the movie fantasia (i haven't seen it and i think it would be cool to watch on the new screen). Are there any movies or games that are a must? I should also add that I'm not a huge gamer, but I love the sims 3 so obviously i'm excited to be able to play that on max graphics (hopefully with no lag) and when i get back to the states i think i'll return to wow. Are there any games out there with cool graphics (or are just plain fun to play) that do not require the internet (as I wont have internet running to my computer...oh the joys of deployments lol)...i already made the mistake of buying civilization 5 thinking it didn't require internet only to find out i have to log into steam to register the game.

oh, one last thing. I ordered this ram from amazon for my mid 2012 mbp (which crashed before i even recieved the ram) and i'm wondering if it will work in my imac: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Memory Modules For Mac CT2C8G3S160BM

[cloudyo]

If the previous iMacs are any indication the audio quality of the integrated sound card will probably be pretty bad. Meaning: when the sound stops you will hear some static noise for about 2 seconds until the output switches off. The noise is there 100% of the time and it is only drowned out by the music or whatever you are hearing. It's especially annoying if you use decent headphones or low volume since you can make it out pretty clearly.

The solution is an external sound card or an audio interface which plugs into the Mac via USB and uses its own circuitry to create the sound. The best one is the Apogee Duet 2 obviously but pretty much everything you can buy will sound better than the integrated Audio solution the iMac (or any Mac for that matter) offers.

[dearlaserworks]

We've had better results with CyberPower.

http://www.amazon.com/Cyberpower-CP8...qid=1357409517

[laryenhilllvr]

Originally Posted by cloudyo

If the previous iMacs are any indication the audio quality of the integrated sound card will probably be pretty bad. Meaning: when the sound stops you will hear some static noise for about 2 seconds until the output switches off. The noise is there 100% of the time and it is only drowned out by the music or whatever you are hearing. It's especially annoying if you use decent headphones or low volume since you can make it out pretty clearly.

The solution is an external sound card or an audio interface which plugs into the Mac via USB and uses its own circuitry to create the sound. The best one is the Apogee Duet 2 obviously but pretty much everything you can buy will sound better than the integrated Audio solution the iMac (or any Mac for that matter) offers.

i keep getting mixed reviews on the speakers. i'm thinking of getting a set of external speakers or something down the road. i looked up the apogee 2 and it seems to be very good, except i'm not really sure what it does...so that makes it a bit difficult to justify the price tag. realistically i would prefer something in the 200-40 range although i could always rationalize the cost of those if need be lol.

[MeFromHere]

Here's a better UPS for less money:
http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1...rds=cyberpower

CyberPower seems more reliable than APC in my experience. This UPS has more capacity (1000VA vs. 750VA) so you'd get longer runtime when the power fails. I have this UPS and it hasn't given me any trouble.

[sounddesigner]

+1 for cyber power above that's the one I use

[cloudyo]

Originally Posted by laryenhilllvr

i keep getting mixed reviews on the speakers. i'm thinking of getting a set of external speakers or something down the road. i looked up the apogee 2 and it seems to be very good, except i'm not really sure what it does...so that makes it a bit difficult to justify the price tag. realistically i would prefer something in the 200-40 range although i could always rationalize the cost of those if need be lol.

The Apogee Duet is an audio interface. It can convert analog audio to digital and digital audio to analog. Both in very high quality. You can hook up a microphone or headphones for example. It's primarily meant for semi professional music creation.

If you are not planning on using headphones often you will probably never notice the low audio quality though.

[laryenhilllvr]

so it seems cyberpower is the top choice. are there any suggestions on offline games or great movies to take advantage of the screen?

[Johnf1285]

Originally Posted by laryenhilllvr

So I placed my order for my very first imac a week ago! Coming from mbps i've been thinking what should i get to go along with it. Obviously an external disc drive is a must, i'm still debating on whether to just order two amazon basics or one superdrive from apple.

I've read that an UPS is important as well. Are there any suggestions, I'd like one at a minimum to run 5-10 minutes allowing me enough time to shut down my computer and definitely one that will autoshut down if i'm not around when the power goes out. On the other hand it would be nice to be able to run it for a like 30-60 minutes if power does go out (i liked the idea of having a mbp because power outages were of little concern when i had an internal battery). Also if it is a must that it not require downloading installation software or anything like that. I'm considering this one, but i'm not sure and i'm working with a budget of $150: http://www.amazon.com/APC-Power-Savi...I30U0ZCKPQVPV6

On anther note I'm also excited to have much better graphics than my 2010 mbp, so i've ordered the movie fantasia (i haven't seen it and i think it would be cool to watch on the new screen). Are there any movies or games that are a must? I should also add that I'm not a huge gamer, but I love the sims 3 so obviously i'm excited to be able to play that on max graphics (hopefully with no lag) and when i get back to the states i think i'll return to wow. Are there any games out there with cool graphics (or are just plain fun to play) that do not require the internet (as I wont have internet running to my computer...oh the joys of deployments lol)...i already made the mistake of buying civilization 5 thinking it didn't require internet only to find out i have to log into steam to register the game.

oh, one last thing. I ordered this ram from amazon for my mid 2012 mbp (which crashed before i even recieved the ram) and i'm wondering if it will work in my imac: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 SODIMM 204-Pin 1.35V/1.5V Memory Modules For Mac CT2C8G3S160BM

I decided to do a UPS this time around. I got this model - http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-W...ywords=apc+700

It has a USB connection to take advantage of the additional power settings available. Mine came through last night. At like 2am the power went out for 10 minutes (pretty rare this time of year in my area). I had left my computer on overnight, so the UPS kicked right in. I have it set to automatically shut down the computer when there is a certain amount of time left on the battery. Plus the little LCD screen is nice.

[spinstorm]

Back to the speakers - they are good enough but the sounds is hard to get right.

I have boom and I'm yet to find an audio profile that sounds good at everything without changing it all the time.

There's less bass and more treble than the previous iMacs which means music sounds harsh and so does speech. Turning up the bass doesn't reduce the treble either I guess I should reduce the treble...

[FFabian]

I've read that an UPS is important as well.

Why is that? Here where I live there had been exactly one power outage in the whole year (which lasted for 8 min) 2012. Are Blackouts or Brownouts really so common in the US or is there another reason why one would need an UPS? Time Machine has hourly backups if something happens.

[laryenhilllvr]

Originally Posted by Johnf1285

I decided to do a UPS this time around. I got this model - http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-W...ywords=apc+700

It has a USB connection to take advantage of the additional power settings available. Mine came through last night. At like 2am the power went out for 10 minutes (pretty rare this time of year in my area). I had left my computer on overnight, so the UPS kicked right in. I have it set to automatically shut down the computer when there is a certain amount of time left on the battery. Plus the little LCD screen is nice.

i went to amazon to read customer reviews of the one i posted because everyone seemed to favor cyberpower more and it seems as if apc doesn't support macs the way cyberpower does. i always hate reading those things because they put so many doubts in my head. hopefully by the time my imac ships i'll have made a decision.

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Originally Posted by spinstorm

Back to the speakers - they are good enough but the sounds is hard to get right.

I have boom and I'm yet to find an audio profile that sounds good at everything without changing it all the time.

There's less bass and more treble than the previous iMacs which means music sounds harsh and so does speech. Turning up the bass doesn't reduce the treble either I guess I should reduce the treble...

ugh, this makes me want to get some external speakers immediately. well, how does the sound compare to the nonretina display mbps...i'm most familiar with those...

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Originally Posted by FFabian

Why is that? Here where I live there had been exactly one power outage in the whole year (which lasted for 8 min) 2012. Are Blackouts or Brownouts really so common in the US or is there another reason why one would need an UPS? Time Machine has hourly backups if something happens.

well where i'm at we tend to have a lot of power outages due to the fact that we are using generator (i'm deployed). however in the states i would still get one because unlike mbp which has an internal battery and is relatively unaffected by power outages, an imac losing power will (from my understanding and i'm hoping someone more knowledgeable will correct me if i'm wrong) crash causing you to potentially lose any unsaved data or it could negatively impact the hardware.

[laryenhilllvr]

anyone know if the ram i mentioned earlier will work? i would rather go ahead and order the appropriate ram if not so hopefully by the time the ram gets to me so will the computer.

[FFabian]

I would say yes. To be sure try the Crucial Memory Adviser Tool http://www.crucial.com/store/drammemory.aspx

[Bear]

Originally Posted by laryenhilllvr

...
I've read that an UPS is important as well. Are there any suggestions, I'd like one at a minimum to run 5-10 minutes allowing me enough time to shut down my computer and definitely one that will autoshut down if i'm not around when the power goes out. On the other hand it would be nice to be able to run it for a like 30-60 minutes if power does go out (i liked the idea of having a mbp because power outages were of little concern when i had an internal battery). Also if it is a must that it not require downloading installation software or anything like that. I'm considering this one, but i'm not sure and i'm working with a budget of $150: http://www.amazon.com/APC-Power-Savi...I30U0ZCKPQVPV6
...

Try APC BE750G It appears to be the same unit but sold by Amazon with no shipping charge.

I have pretty much exclusively used APC UPS's for years now. The ones I've used have a USB cable to attach to the computer and OS X automatically recognizes there's a UPS attached and you can tweak settings for shutdown and such in the Energy Saver preferences.

[laryenhilllvr]

Originally Posted by Bear

Try APC BE750G It appears to be the same unit but sold by Amazon with no shipping charge.

I have pretty much exclusively used APC UPS's for years now. The ones I've used have a USB cable to attach to the computer and OS X automatically recognizes there's a UPS attached and you can tweak settings for shutdown and such in the Energy Saver preferences.

i htink i'm going to give cyberpower a try. it seems as if it's gotten the most votes so far.

[laryenhilllvr]

so i ordered this ups, i hope it works well

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o01_s00_i01

[Bear]

Originally Posted by FFabian

Why is that? Here where I live there had been exactly one power outage in the whole year (which lasted for 8 min) 2012. Are Blackouts or Brownouts really so common in the US or is there another reason why one would need an UPS? Time Machine has hourly backups if something happens.

Blackouts depends on the part of the US. Brownouts depends upon the summer weather. However you also get short power dips and such that would bring down a computer. And a host of issues when your powerlines are above ground.

And remember a UPS will also protect a computer from power spikes, including those caused by lightning.

With above ground power lines there's also the chance of something taking down a utility pole and taking out the power.

Also, depending on what you are doing when a power situation would down your computer, being able to finish what you are working on could save a lot of time after power is back to normal.

Does everyone need a UPS? not necessarily, however, it's insurance against something bad happening. And mine has already paid for itself.

[laryenhilllvr]

thank you everyone for your suggestions! I received my computer yesterday and i love it. unfortunately i think i'm experiencing problems with the UPS i bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o01_s00_i01


every 15 minutes or so it says i'm running on the UPS, but the goes away in 30 secs or so. It's a bit annoying. Does anyone know why this could be?