About to pull the trigger on my first Mac, but I have questions...

Hi,

I'm a loooongtime PC user and I'm about to take a plunge into owning a Mac. I'm sorry to pull the newb question thread, but I've lurked here and a dozen other sites for weeks and can't quite intuit the answers to a last few questions.

I'm going to try and go total desktop replacement with a MacBook White. I know they just updated the specs, but I'm hoping someone has enough recent experience to know what I can expect. My plan is to use BootCamp and install either Vista or XP for pretty much just gaming. I'll definitely upgrade to 4GB RAM.

I know this thing won't be a serious graphics horse, but I'm not looking to have the latest and greatest sail (Can it run Crysis? Sorry - jk. The question seemed mandatory). I'm thinking just WOW, Team Fortress 2, etc. Will this system handle medium performance ok? (e.g., not fly on high settings, but not choke on low/medium) I know games coming out in the next couple years will probably make the 9400M cry, but if I like what I see in the next year, I'll undoubtedly go to a Pro within 18 months.

Couple other things: Can it output nicely to a larger monitor, like between 19-22"? And completely random, but does anyone know if the Airport/Airport Express can support a USB Hub so we can share more than 1 item to the network?

Thanks so much for your help in advance.

 

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses.

Yeah, it's kind of a catch 22. I'll upgrade if I like mac, which I know will be overkill in such a short period of time, but I don't want to throw all my chips in on a system that I am not 100% convinced of yet. I'd hate to throw away $2300 for a decently equipped Pro and not like the switch. This is just to test the water, and $1000 seems alot more reasonable.

First and foremost, I'm a grad student. Otherwise, I'm not what I'd call the classic hardcore gamer. I play games a lot, but I've never felt comfortable throwing down large wads on high-end gaming rigs. I usually go a little over baseline and content myself with setting graphics sliders a couple notches down. I'm just trying to get rid of this two computer thing. I'm tired of having two systems that have so much redundancy.

I really don't expect the MacBook White to be a graphics slaughterhouse. I just want to know it's moderately capable. Besides, the best laid plans and all that. I might want to replace the MB in 1.5 years, but I'll probably string it out longer.

Bad Paper, the only reason us Windows people replace more often is if we're gamers. I've had several systems that work long beyond they're no longer graphically viable. A Gateway laptop we got in 1999 still runs somewhat well, and did a lot of work for us until 07.

EDIT: I'm still interested in any feedback anyone has. Another thought: Would jumping up to the Aluminum be any better, with the faster RAM. I wouldn't think so... not for 300 more...

 

Thanks everyone for the info! I think I'm gonna go with the White for now. Just seems to be my best balance of intro/performance/budget. Thanks especially, illegallydead, for the comparison to Portal. Love that game.

Think I'll be ordering it tonight! Thanks again!