General

I'm no expert, but I think you'd just need something like this to connect a hdmi monitor to this iMac
https://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&lo... $18

This one would let you connect an old-style usb connector (for keyboard) to the usb-c port:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&lo... $10

The dock would give you more spare ports. $200 seems over-priced to me.

Apple sells this one https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MUF82AM/A/usb-c... gives you HDMI & USB & USB C (so you still will have 2 spare usb-c ports, nice) $80

Here's a cheap one on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&lo... $15

I'm not sure the iMac's OS would support three monitors, but just buying another 3-way adapter should allow that too.

I don't have an iMac but I have an iPad Pro that I've connected to an adapter and it all worked well (mine did HDMI, ethernet, and charging).

Thanks @bill , those look like much better options then the $200 anker docking station. For some reason I was thinking the thunderbolt was like the apple lightning plug and didn't know it was like the USB-C. I might end up going with a mac mini m2 since it's newer, faster and cheaper. For the $1299 of the Mac 24" I can get a mac mini m2 for $600, a magic keyboard with touch sensor & number pad (gotta have it for work) for $180, a magic mouse for $80, and then about $440 for a sweet monitor and a cheap connector. The Mac mini m2 has 2 thunderbolt ports, 2 USB a ports, and an hdmi port.

That sounds like a better number of ports to work with.

I like Apple stuff, but it can be absurdly expensive too. So, I like finding cheaper options when I can.

At work for fun once I connected a 3rd (Apple) monitor to my laptop, it can be done. But you can only daisy chain 2 monitors (monitor 2 goes into monitor 1 which goes into a USB-c port) and then monitor 3 needed to use a second USB-c port. It was such overkill that I went back to 2 displays though.

Unless you really need your stuff to match I would advise against the keyboard and especially the magic mouse (I hate these things!). Having the touch ID sensor on the keyboard is really nice but not sure that's worth 1/3rd the cost of the actual mac mini. You can get some really nice keyboards and mice for half the price.

@Anxiouz , I did end up going in a different direction after I saw in person how small and flat the apple keyboard is. I’d rather have a comfortable keyboard over the touch sensor. So instead I bought a Logitech mx master 3s mouse and mx keys keyboard. Best Buy had a deal where if you buy a computer you get 25% off Logitech stuff so the mouse was $75 (orig $100), and keyboard $90 (orig $120). For a monitor, I ended up getting a 32” samsung, to go with my 24” lg. not nearly the picture of an apple screen but I like the real estate I have to work with now.

As a Mac noob I’m messing around with my new computer, setting up browsers, email and stuff, and I wondered two things. Why do I have to quit apps instead of X’ing out of them, and why do these windows have red yellow & green dots??? I was quite pleased when I figured out what those color dots were. Lolololololol.