New user, got some questions.

Just ordered my brand new Macbook 2.4Ghz that I was waiting for, with everything that I wanted. I can't wait to receive this beauty! (Monday can't comme fast enough!)

I'm kinda familiar with Mac OS X, used it for around 2 months now.

It'll be my first real mac, and I got a few questions:

1) I'm a semi-hardcore gamer, I don't play any recents game, but not any single one can run on Mac OS X. Conclusion: I need Windows XP (no way Vista's going on my system). It would be great to be able to run these games no matter what on the desktop of my Mac, so why not use a virtualisation tool? so here's my first question: How right does games run on VMware/Parallels/CrossOver Game? Are the performances a lot worse then playing directly in Windows?

2) I might upgrade my mac to 4GB DDR3 when they get more affordable, will it help for virtualisation?

3) I saw that you can run Half Life 2 and Sources based games with a GMA 3100X, how good do you think it'll be with the new Nvidia 9400m ?

4) I play a little Mmorpg game with some friend sometimes, so it might happen that I let my Macbook opened overnight. Would I lost connection with the servers if I close the lid (ie: put in sleep mode) during the night? If yes, is it possible to close the screen while letting the lid open?

5) Is it harmful for a Macbook to be open for a long time? Would'nt it harm the graphic card or cause a prematured dead for the system? Would it be worse if I let the lid close?

That's mostly what I can think of for the moment. Thanks in advance!

 

Oh, and I got a new question:

-Is there some kind of maintenance programs or things that I should do to preserve the life and performance of my portable?