"Must Have" list for iMacs?

[kildraik]

Are there any must-have desk accesories that fellow iMac users can't live without?

My new i7 comes in Tuesday, and so far I have:
- Magic Trackpad
- Battery Charger
- Remote

I know there are stands, drives, speakers, and other gizmos out there, but I haven't a clue what's really worked for others. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Spike88]

To me, a DATA backup solution is mandatory. Just like the mouse and keyboard are obtained even before turning the iMac system ON.

For my mid-2010 iMac, I bought the My Book Studio 1 TB and connected via FW800 port. With Mac OS Time Machine program, my iMac's internal HDD was synchronized faster then I could inspect its screen. Well, almost. re: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=756

Seriously, the first thing I would get for your new iMac would be Backup solution - either direct connect or Network based. To me, backup is established before any iStat Nano or other widgets are loaded.

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The 2nd item I sould get is Backup UPS unit. Probably a 1200-1500VA range unit. And, unsure the Backup UPS delivers Waveform Type "SINE Wave" power (NOT Stepped power) output. I hear the APC SMART UPS backup devices are iMac friendly. re: http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA1500JB&total_watts=50

For me, these are the "must haves" for a new iMac.

.

 

[MacRodster]

+1 for UPS Block

and don't forget about Software Apps, here's a link I recommend: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/796263/

 

[4492874]

I switched from PC to Mac recently and I transferred my data using my Seagate 500GB HD, I then thought to myself - I can just format this for Time Machine as it'll back up the same data plus the rest of my system. And the best part was that the HD was only £20 on sale.

So definitely think about getting an external drive for backups.

 

[kildraik]

I was actually in microcenter yesterday and saw some power backups, and now I'm really tempted to buy (especially since I'm actually going to be doing intensive graphics work).

Now when it comes to a drive just for backup, what would a good size be? A full clone (1TB?) or woukd 320-500GB even suffice? Wouldn't USB 2.0 work well enough just for backing up? I already have a 2-drive docking station with 2.5TB, but won't use that for Time Machine (plus it's going to be clogging up the only FW800 port I have).

Thanks for the help so far!

 

[webpoet73]

I use a combination of clone backups/time machine backups. I take my cloned drive off-site just in-case of disaster.

I use Carbon Copy Cloner for my cloning needs. It's free. Super Duper is pretty good, too and may get more votes than CCC...