Just be careful to pull straight out with the wire strippers. I believe 22-24awg should work fine. Snipping a few strands shouldn't matter.
You will need a lighter to melt the enamel from the wire so it's suitable for soldering.
The green wire is typically the ground or negative channel in this case.
Pinout below:
1 - left channel +
2 - left channel -
3 - right channel +
4 - right channel -
My point was to make sure there's a good support in the area. Kind of like having a foreign car in the deep South.
That being said, I have had zero issues with mine, while my parents have had two issues with theirs.
Just make sure you have a local service tech. Parts are also expensive. My parents have had to deal with those frustrations a few times.
I have a Miele and really like it. It is been going strong for 3+ years now.
M500 or Samsung EVO should be more than adequate.
The jump to 8GB is a very good idea too, especially if you are running Win 7 or later.
I personally run a 128GB Sammy 840 Pro SSD in my laptop along with 8GB of RAM.
Just as an FYI... there is significant clipping/static/popping when using USB audio devices on the new iMac with Fusion drives.
Some have had success in eliminating the issue by breaking up the drive group, however this then defeats the purpose of buying the drive.
I recommend avoiding the iMac if you intend on using USB DACs until this issue is resolved.