Biransider

Q: Need Help with moving to an iMac.

Hey,


right now I'm writing from my old PC, I've orderd the new iMac 5K with upgrades like 16 GB ram' 3TB fusion drive and intel i7 so it means it takes more time.


I've never had a Mac and I actually bearly used one, but since for the past 4.5 years I've been using iPhone and 2 years iPad and I really enjoy Apple's eco system and contuity feature I decided to make the switch.


but because I don't have a lot of friends with Macs and I never used one I have some questions:


1.) Can 'pages' show me a .docx files without make them look wierd as it does so on the iPad?


2.) I saw a lot of ways to move my files (which I really need since I'm a student) to the Mac but I'm really not sure which one is the best for me. I need to move a full iTunes library, word and powerpoint docs, photos, movies and my Explorer 'Favorites'.


3.) In my past computer (not these one the one before) I had a lot (a lot) of viruses so now I have East Nod32 8 and its protecting my computer fully. should I buy a liecence for the Mac or as I saw posts online Mac don't need an anti virus?


4.) I heard that there's going to be 'office 2016' for OS X so I really thinking about purchesing it when it'll come. is office for mac works ok or it is a waste of money?


5.) I would like to use 'BootCamp' to have windows since some of my software doesn't support OS X, how much space should I give it?


6.) As I wrote here above I've never had a Mac before, what should I know about the software and the iMac 5K hardware?


(sorry if my question is too long...)

iMac with Retina 5K display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), New to the Mac

Posted on May 1, 2015 7:04 AM

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Q: Need Help with moving to an iMac.

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  • by John0001,

    John0001 John0001 May 1, 2015 10:59 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 2 (340 points)
    May 1, 2015 10:59 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    Biransider,

    you're too much like me... I have these exact same concerns when getting a new computer and do not want to transfer "all" my old junk over just using some "user easy" assistant, but i bet rkautmann8 is right here.

     

    YES, you can copy your Winders stuff to that external HDD you have and you can copy it from there to the Mac. It's likely formatted in NTFS, so you will not be able to write to it from the mac, but at least you can get your files over.

     

    Further, go ahead and try the migration assistant. If you dont like the outcome, just restore to factory settings; its not like you'll lose anything the first few days you have it. Apple restore is simple, but to wipe to factory setting you do need to erase the HDD manually (not the recovery partition!) while in the recovery system; dont assume it does it like a Winders box does. Further, if you have a small HDD sitting around, do an Apple backup using Time Machine; worlds easiest backup system and works very well to my standards.

  • by Biransider,

    Biransider Biransider May 1, 2015 11:02 AM in response to John0001
    Level 1 (17 points)
    May 1, 2015 11:02 AM in response to John0001

    OK, and what about the GPU? Is the standrd is really not enough because there was a message about it here and it was making me nervous I'm planing to stay with the iMac 5K Retina for a long long time…

  • by John0001,

    John0001 John0001 May 1, 2015 12:16 PM in response to Biransider
    Level 2 (340 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:16 PM in response to Biransider

    So I’m a “GPU guy” and have been for many years; over clock, benchmark the daylights out of them, etc. You are aware that, like almost all PC all-in-ones, the iMac uses a mobile GPU and not the desktop version, which are inherently weaker than their desktop counterparts. The iMac does use the desktop CPUs.

     

    Anyway, if you’re really not going to be gaming you should be okay with the standard GPU. The real question will show itself when we can finally get some 4k content over the internet to see how it will render on our 5k Macs.

     

    To directly answer your question, I like to use benchmarks. Notebookcheck.net is the master of mobile GPU benchmarks.

     

    M290X (standard GPU)

    http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-R9-M290X.108643.0.html

    • - Scroll down to 3DMark 11 – Performance GPU, you see it has a median score of 6817, which is pretty good. It also has a nice quick reference on where this GPU stands with others out there similar. However, in the comparison list, they do throw desktop GPUs in there, so don’t let that get you confused.

     

    M295X (upgraded GPU)

    • - Again to 3DMark11 – Performance GPU – 9467! That’s up there with the BEST of them. Only Nvidia’s latest single mobile GPU beats it. It’s also a 38% increase from the M290X.

     

    So again, if you’re not gaming, you don’t “need” it. I cannot find any 4K content that can be played on a Mac right now, that would be my only concern but would be surprised if it “needed” more than the M290X.

     

    I game like crazy on the iMac, right now mostly through bootcamp but my MMO has a Mac client coming next month! When gaming, while not necessarily at 5K (that’s insane, and you can’t see things that small lol), but 2.5K with high settings the M295X just purrs along; love it!

  • by Biransider,

    Biransider Biransider May 1, 2015 12:25 PM in response to John0001
    Level 1 (17 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:25 PM in response to John0001

    Well then thats fine, 4K videos I'll see sometimes but I think Apple is smart enough to give a standard that gives enough to a regular user… I bought the 5K for a few reasons: 1. I use my computer to watch Tv Shows. 2. I wanted the newest and best Mac and there are few more but those two are the main the only games I might use works fine even on my 1 GB GPU and doesn't really use a very high resolution also if I'm editing a movie it's only on iMovie so there won't be a problem with those right?

  • by John0001,

    John0001 John0001 May 1, 2015 12:39 PM in response to Biransider
    Level 2 (340 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:39 PM in response to Biransider

    Not with ~1080p video using iMovie, but i only say that because iMovie is not an "advanced" movie editor so you should be fine.

    I dont want to talk you into anything, but as an IT professional, i can assure you, that you, and the rest of common users out there are not going to use close to 16GB of memory. Having that much memory does not make your computer "faster" it would only go faster if you were actually using that much memory. you'd have to have 2-3 4k TV shows running at the same time, with a full fledged modern 3D game running to even come close. I'm a developer (for now) and have multiple VM instances of Linux running, let alone JBoss running locally and don't even hit 8GB. I personally feel companies are taking advantage of non computer savy folks with these silly amounts of memory. Plus, you can always upgrade the memory later; institutions here: iMac: How to remove or install memory - Apple Support

     

    Again, i'm definitely biased to the GPU, but you're like me and want to keep this for awhile, not a 2-3 year throw away like Winders. I'd invest that extra $200 to the GPU and you always have to option to install more memory later. You cant upgrade the GPU

  • by Biransider,

    Biransider Biransider May 1, 2015 12:43 PM in response to John0001
    Level 1 (17 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:43 PM in response to John0001

    I Understand tha but I've already ordered it so I can't change the order now… Is that something I'll feel in my uses?

  • by John0001,

    John0001 John0001 May 1, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Biransider
    Level 2 (340 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Biransider

    you should be able to change the order. didn't you just order it today? you can cancel all the way up until they actually start the custom build, and i know there is an "Change Order" option

     

    https://store.apple.com/orderstatus

     

    I dont think it will matter for you in the near future no, its the 3-4+ years down the line, when 4K is popular etc that "maybe" you'll be pushing it, espically if we start editing 4K video, or even 2.5k ourselves. Again, my main point is you cant upgrade that later. Regardless, you're getting one outstanding mac!!!

  • by Biransider,

    Biransider Biransider May 1, 2015 1:01 PM in response to John0001
    Level 1 (17 points)
    May 1, 2015 1:01 PM in response to John0001

    I orderd it a week ago… it's too complicated by now… I thought about it and you know… if Apple chose somethink it means it's good enough and if really in 4 years it'll be slow and I'll feel like I feel it a lot I'll replace it… but I think for know what I've order fits everything I need at least for the next 4 years…

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