New rMBP - A few questions?

[Mark0]

Hi, first post after viewing the forums for a little while.

I received my first ever Mac yesterday and I love it already. Coming as a long time Windows user, I thought I'd change for the all in one power package of the rMBP. I built my in 2006 to a pretty high spec for it's time but it had been aging and needed replaced.
I am not sure if this is the place to ask but I'm hoping to see a few suggestions from users regarding the following questions:

1) I need MS Office for work. I can get it heavily discounted through my job, but it's the 2011 version. Are there any newer versions around or is this one the most up to date? My workplace uses Windows 7 PCs.

2) Are there any anti-virus / malware programs that are discreet and don't slow my machine down? I was an AVG user on PC since it's earliest days and liked it - but I found as the years went on it became bloatware with lots of stuff I didn't need - toolbars and things like that. I'd like to avoid the same again!

3) What good apps are available that can monitor system temperatures and things like that? I've seen people talk about them on here but don't know where to start.


Thanks in advance, I'm loving my MacBook Pro. It's great loading up Photoshop and Lightroom in less than 2 seconds, compared to 20+ I can't wait to scan and work with my photography projects from my Fuji GX617. I'm looking forward to scanning the huge slides at deep resolutions that won't cripple my computer!

Regards,

Mark

 

[Greg1fraser]

Hey

WELCOME to Apple.

Microsoft office released Microsoft 365 which is the monthly subscription or annually, Microsoft 2011 is the most upto date software tat you can buy outright.

I have never used any antivirus on my macs personally i don't think its required.

In terms of monitoring system temps check out istat menus 5 runs in you task bar along the top can customise it and provides so much data


Anything else drop me a message happy to help


Greg

 

[Mark0]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I will probably just buy the discounted 2011 version of Office through my work - I've just checked and it's only £9. We normally get upgrades as well as the years go on so should be cheaper than a 365 subscription.

I was aware that Macs don't really require AV software, I guess I'll leave it as it is for now.

Thanks for the iStat recommendation, I'll give it a shot.

 

[nexus4life]

I highly recommend you make sure iWork Suite does not meet your needs, because I find that it works significantly better than Microsoft Office.

 

[Bending Pixels]

Microslurp hasn't announced an update to Office for Mac yet. By most accounts, it's overdue.

Unless you're doing heavy Excel work, or need the heavy handed editing of Word, Pages and Numbers will do fine.

Don't waste your money on any sort of antivirus program. It'll only slow down your MBP and it's really unneeded.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about system temperature, unless you're playing GPU demanding games in the middle of Death Valley during the heat of summer.

 

[Mark0]

Haha, fair enough!

I bought the Office bundle today, not bad for a £10!

 

[GGJstudios]

2) Are there any anti-virus / malware programs that are discreet and don't slow my machine down? I was an AVG user on PC since it's earliest days and liked it - but I found as the years went on it became bloatware with lots of stuff I didn't need - toolbars and things like that. I'd like to avoid the same again!

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 12 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.

​

Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

3) What good apps are available that can monitor system temperatures and things like that? I've seen people talk about them on here but don't know where to start.

If you're not already doing so, use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of temperatures, fan speeds, battery info, uptime and current performance indicators, among many other things. A forum member has posted a copy of iStat Pro that has been "tweaked" to enhance compatibility with Mountain Lion. You can download it here.

 

[Freyqq]

Hi, first post after viewing the forums for a little while.

I received my first ever Mac yesterday and I love it already. Coming as a long time Windows user, I thought I'd change for the all in one power package of the rMBP. I built my in 2006 to a pretty high spec for it's time but it had been aging and needed replaced.
I am not sure if this is the place to ask but I'm hoping to see a few suggestions from users regarding the following questions:

1) I need MS Office for work. I can get it heavily discounted through my job, but it's the 2011 version. Are there any newer versions around or is this one the most up to date? My workplace uses Windows 7 PCs.

2) Are there any anti-virus / malware programs that are discreet and don't slow my machine down? I was an AVG user on PC since it's earliest days and liked it - but I found as the years went on it became bloatware with lots of stuff I didn't need - toolbars and things like that. I'd like to avoid the same again!

3) What good apps are available that can monitor system temperatures and things like that? I've seen people talk about them on here but don't know where to start.


Thanks in advance, I'm loving my MacBook Pro. It's great loading up Photoshop and Lightroom in less than 2 seconds, compared to 20+ I can't wait to scan and work with my photography projects from my Fuji GX617. I'm looking forward to scanning the huge slides at deep resolutions that won't cripple my computer!

Regards,

Mark

1. 2011 is the newest osx version
2. not worth using them for osx
3. istat menus and macfancontrol are good options