Just bought my first imac!

Hello all,
I just purchased my first imac. I got the higher end 27" iMac. I'm a little nervous about even opening the box lol, because it is bigger than it appears to be! I'm afraid that it might not fit on my desk. I am not totally new to Mac I work on them at school, but this is my first time owning one so I will be jumping in with both feet. I have a few questions please.
First off I have been searching for a good first time imac owner group or blog but can't find anything current. Can anyone point me to something in this regard? My experience with iMacs are basically turning them one and opening an app to work in. Also, how sturdy are these computers? I want to put it in my bedroom as I have four little ones running around the house and I don't want them knocking it over. I just have a little desk that we had in my son's room for his laptop and im not sure if it will be a good fit. Third I only got the 8g ram with it. I plan to be running Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator. Will the 8g be enough to run these programs or should I plan on getting more?
Thanks and I'm real excited to be owning an iMac of my own! Been wanting one for years and finally got it!
gmdoggies

Hi gmdoggies & welcome to the ASC.
I'm no expert, but I can tell you this. Unless someone with a higher level rating (than that of yours truly) tells you otherwise... you WILL be needing more RAM if you plan on using Photoshop.
It's a catch-22 situation as you could add more RAM yourself later, but that would void your warrantee w/Apple. If I were you I would refrain from adding anything (3rd party software; confidential personal information; etc... to your new machine until you speak w/ an Apple Store Representative regarding the matter of having Apple installing more RAM for you so as to NOT void your warranty. There may be a certain window of time for you to consider the options available to you... I can't speak for Apple. I'm only a volunteer as we all are here. If I remember correctly, Apple used to have a policy that you could upgrade a basic warranty within a certain period of time to an extended warranty (3 years). I would imagine that an "Apple-sanctioned" memory upgrade may well be a considerably shorter period of time. Don't worry as others here will chime in here to help you. I'm sure that they are typing away as I type away. It's all good.
Yes, Apple has a high profit margin; notably on their RAM. But if you wait till the warranty runs out (as I did) and added more RAM yourself (as I did) you would be saving a good chunk of money. The rather ominous caveat here is that to void your warranty is a risk; a big risk. If Apple allows you to bring your machine in (within a certain amount of time) & have them upgrade the RAM contingent on their willingness to do so whereby you keep your warranty intact then I would seriously consider that alternative considering your wish to use Adobe Photoshop (versus Adobe Photoshop Elements). As far as using Illustrator, I cannot speak to that as I have no experience w/that or with Photoshop. It is well known that Adobe Photoshop needs plenty of RAM. I'm sure that someone here within ASC can chime in on that.
Now, there are two levels of warranties available. The basic warranty and the extended warranty. I have no idea which one that you have. I did not spring for the extended warranty with my iMac which continues to work fine for 6 years now. I quadrupled my RAM about two years ago without a hitch. Whoa! What a difference that made; it was like I bought a new machine!
Then again, when I was in college I got an awesome Apple G3 Tower with an extended warrantee and it needed a new motherboard within a few months. Yikes! That took an Apple Store about 3-4 weeks to replace (the motherboard, not the machine). So actually the extended warranty meant nothing but peace of mind for the next 2.5 years. But then again, I needed that peace of mind at the time.
A rule of thumb for many people re: warranties vs. extended warranties is if the machine in question works fine for a reasonable length of time, then you probably have a dependable machine. What is a reasonable length of time? You have to determine that yourself using due diligence & absorbing feedback from others. Much like any investment you need to weigh the risks.
The good news is there are lots of helpful, knowledgable & experienced members here in the ASC to get feedback from.
Best Regards,
mm~

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