What to expect while expecting an R2

Afternoon folks,



I will be the very proud owner of an M11x R2 i5, 8GB RAM, 320GB HDD in a few short days. I've been a console gamer all my life, so this is truly my first foray into PC gaming. This machine will probably end up being my new all around everyday workhorse, with my 5 year old HP being relegated to media warehouse - which is about all it's good for, hence the M11x This board in large part helped my make my decision. So thanks to all.



I'm really only interested in games like Civ 5, The Witcher, KOTOR, Amnesia etc.; strategy and adventure/RPG games almost exclusively. That's why I think this machine is a good choice for me. I won't be going to any LAN parties or running Crysis or the inevitable Modern Warefare 8, but it nice knowing I can if I wanted to.



My question is, are there steps I should be taking initially in preparation? I'm aware of Throttlestop and immediate overclocking, but aside from that, are there any sort of pre-steps to get my machine game ready, so to speak, or is it more of a case by case basis?



Sorry for the long windedness, but I'm completely new to this universe and very excited for this machine!



Thanks for all the help you all have to this point unwittingly provided, and I look forward to being a part of this community!