Buying CR-10 , need help!

I'm buying this guy today.

So I have to make a decision, so based on the ~$530 price, large print size, good reviews, I am going to pull the trigger on a Hictop CR-10 from Amazon. I'm sure there are better options for one reason or another, but if I don't make a decision now, I never will and will end up backing out.

My question for all of you helpful experts...what else do I need to get immediately? IIRC the Simply 3D software is highly recommended and costs $150. Or there's free software available also I think. So what software direction does everyone recommend? Running Windows 10 Pro.

Filament? Do I just start with a couple of rolls of PLA from Hictop, or get somewhere else, or get ABS immediately also, another type?

What about the plate? I also remember reading about a special plate / glass that seems like it would help tremendously with print adhesion. Advice, specifics?

Any other little things I'm missing? I'd hate to jump into working on this when it arrives only to find out I have to wait another several days to get more stuff in. I hate it when that happens ;-)

Also, on a side note, a question about an enclosure. I've read that this thing heats up a room quite a bit due to size. I've also read that fully enclosed printers work better. Would it be possible / advisable to build a big acrylic box to put over the top of this thing to retain heat? It seems like an easy solution but I haven't seen it suggested so it might not be a good idea for some reason or another.

Thanks in advance!

abs not necessary - so enclosing is kind of optional.
Flashforge filament is good stuff, cheap and reliable.

What print surface does the machine come with ?
I'd be inclined to try that first.

I'll always recommend printbite - costs more than glass. But then you never need to spray it or worry about removing prints.
Pretty much just works.
Pva - cheap buckstore glue sticks also make a decent printing surface.

I'd avoid blue tape - tends to stick to the print and can be a right bastard to remove.

As far as filament goes - Start with pla, for 99.99% of things it's better than abs, for the rest there's pet-g and a whole slew of next generation pla polymers, not to mention a whole new branch of non-pla based filanments.
Abs is a right bastard to print with, stinks and shrinks and you end up breathing in a fair amount of acetone.
And without a heated enclosure the layer adhesion is crap so the prints tend to be weak and brittle.

You can smooth it for a shiny appearance - that's pretty much it's only good point :-)

Thanks so much to both of you for the advice! I was hoping you'd chime in...been reading quite a few of your posts and you both certainly seem to know your stuff ;-)

Got it. Thanks all. Also got PLA filaments, HICTOP black, 3D Mars white, Ziro Marble and Worksteel wood. So we'll see how those work out. Everything came from Amazon so had to take what was available.

Thanks for the discount method, but this one will be here Monday or Tuesday with free shipping. I'm too impatient to wait for longer ship times ;-)

So what software do you recommend that I DL at a minimum? I'd like to design from scratch as well as print already designed items.