Oh, where to begin?

I just bought a new 27 inch iMac. I LOVE IT! But I just feel that I am not getting all out of it that I shoud be. So a few questions....

1. How do I add a clock thats larger than the one that is on the above status bar?
2. It feels HOT! Its well ventilated, and I have read that the aluminum acts as heat sink, but I am a worry wart.
3. Are there any applications that you would recommend for keeping speeds up?
4. How do I upgrade RAM in the future?
5. Special features that you would recommend to utilize this amazing machine?

THANKS!!

1.) Other than the ones in widgets not sure.
2.) It has thermal switches that will shut it down before damage is done.
3.)Not really an issue if you don't try to qpen a ton of apps and leave them open.
4.)Trap door in the bottom and i believe Apple has a tutorial.
5.) Thats user preference it sure won't be limited by power and screen real estate.

Rdurr1414 said:

I just bought a new 27 inch iMac. I LOVE IT! But I just feel that I am not getting all out of it that I shoud be. So a few questions....

1. How do I add a clock thats larger than the one that is on the above status bar?
2. It feels HOT! Its well ventilated, and I have read that the aluminum acts as heat sink, but I am a worry wart.
3. Are there any applications that you would recommend for keeping speeds up?
4. How do I upgrade RAM in the future?
5. Special features that you would recommend to utilize this amazing machine?

THANKS!!

Click to expand...

1. Lots of APPs - do a search and you will probably find a clock APP. I'd start at the Mac APP Store

2. Temp is fine - quit worrying
3. Onyx (free download) - stay far away from any other package without checking the forum first, this applies to MacKeeper and many others.
4. Easy to do, check ifixit.com for detailed instruction
5. The first special feature I would suggest is to read the stickies in each sub forum on this site, then use the search feature to look for topics of interest. If you can't find the answer that way, post a specific question and we will be glad to help.

Welcom to the forum BTW

1. Check this out: http://www.vladstudio.com/wallpaperclock/ -- that should solve the problem!

2. It SHOULD feel hot at the top. It uses convection cooling (aka "heat rises") and only uses fans when needed (which is why its so amazingly quiet). That's all perfectly normal, don't worry about it.

3. OnyX or Maintenance (both made by the same company, Maintenance a bit more user-friendly). Be sure to get the version for your operating system. Run it maybe once every three months -- Macs just don't need a lot of maintenance (but they do need a bit every now and again). The other "big tip" for keeping the machine running smoothly is "don't fill up the hard drive" -- Macs need LOTS of temp space, so always leave at least 20GB or more free at all times.

4. What Razormac said.

5. What he said again, but I will add one tip: download and install Flip4Mac WMV Player and Perian (both free) to give your Mac the ability to play nearly any video codec out there.

2. It SHOULD feel hot at the top. It uses convection cooling (aka "heat rises") and only uses fans when needed (which is why its so amazingly quiet). That's all perfectly normal, don't worry about it.

Click to expand...

The fans in an iMac are always spinning (there are three) and will adjust RPM according to temperature. The three fans are for the CPU, Hard Drive, and Optical drive.

All in all, an iMac runs much cooler than a MacBook or MacBook Pro because of the convection process you mentioned.

chscag said:

The fans in an iMac are always spinning (there are three) and will adjust RPM according to temperature. The three fans are for the CPU, Hard Drive, and Optical drive.

Click to expand...

Not to be picky, but there ARE times when the fans aren't running at all. Like in sleep.

But yes, chscag is right -- it's just that the fans are speed-controlled and so don't need to run very fast at all most of the time, which is why the iMac is so quiet. I should have been more specific.