MBP and gaming and questions

hello all. been reading a lot of posts on the board this last 2 weeks cause I am planing to get a laptop ( will be my first new laptop, ya all don't want to know how many used and outdated laptops I have owned )

any ways I have a few questions

first a statement so no one misunderstands where I am coming from.
I really like OSX and plan to use it all the time for everything but gaming. and if more games supported OSX in a way that doesn't lower the quality / fps I would be happy just using OSX.

but to my questions.

1. I have read that XP and Vista work on the MBP through Bootcamp with some small issues, like bad mouse pad support and weird keyboard layout. I don't mind either of those cause the only time I will be in a MS OS is for gaming and I will have a external mouse, and could care less about pg dn and what not needing the FN key since most of the keys I will be using can be remapped in all games....

but is there any thing else to worry about. are there critical things that wont work 100% and affect gaming, how does wireless work, can it connect to a normal g router np?

2. how does it perform when booted in to windows. is there mac software running in the background that affects performance?
also does any one have a 3dmark06 score from a MBP running Windows?
in effect, will it run windows just like a windows laptop, i.e. no extra programs required just to be in windows it self.

3. this will be my first mac I have owned, how is support from them? will they freak out if I have a MS OS installed if I take it in for repairs?

4. I hear the battery life is 5 hours ish in OSX, how bout when playing dvd's, or playing avi files ( will admit it I am a torrent/anime eps freak ) in other words is that 5 hours assuming that I am sitting staring at the desktop and moving the mouse every 10 mins to keep it out of sleep mode.

5. what type of military discount do they have ( cant find any info on there site, and if I buy it through aafes it is only 10 dollars cheaper, but the student discount is quite large )

6. how does it handle abuse, desert conditions ect...

7. what is the common problems people have with them, not just repair style problems but functionality issues?


and.... I think that is it for now, might come up with more questions as I see some responses


Thanks
Bob

 

1. Wireless and gaming will work fine under windows.

2. When you use BootCamp, you are Dual Booting. When the computer starts, you hold the option key and choose to start OSX or XP (or Vista, if you installed that). Nothing related to OSX will load, you will essentially be turning your MBP into a PC. Its not running through a virtual machine or anything, its 100% pure Windows running on Intel hardware. 3D Mark 06 scores range from 3400-4300 (differences due to testing resolution, 128 v 256 model, and drivers). You are getting a great GPU with a MBP, its the GDDR3 8600m GT. Not all PC users were lucky enough to get the GDDR3 model (mourns some poor dell buyers). After installing BootCamp and getting it all set up, try installing some of the drivers on LaptopVideo2Go.com because some users have noticed increases in performance using the 162.18 drivers, for instance. By the time your MBP arrives there will probably be even newer ones.

3. Apple has pretty strong support, especially if you get Applecare. Apple buyers can be notorious perfectionists, so they are used to making sure everything is just right.

4. Battery life is VERY strong in OSX, it can run about 5 hours out of sleep mode if you turn the brightness down a bit (we're talking about the 15.4" here). All I know is that it has enough battery for a feature length DVD, I don't know how much more than that it has. In Windows, battery life is not nearly as robust, going down to about 2-3 hours.

5. I haven't seen any military discount, just student. You might just call them and ask, I've had good experiences with phone support.

6. Get a decent case or padded bag for it while moving it around. Otherwise, its fairly tough (its essentially encased in machine grade aluminum anyway). Well, I live in Las Vegas, its pretty deserty here. The decrease in moisture is a GOOD thing for laptops while the increase in dust is a BAD thing. Just make sure you don't dump sand on the thing.

7. The worst issues (although I haven't heard about these lately, people talked about them more right when the MBPs were released, maybe they were fixed) were a yellowed bottom 1/3 of the screen, overheating issues (due to sloppy thermal paste application), slightly tweaked lids (much more rare), a slight hiss when using headphones, and I can't think of anything else. No functionality issues really, except for the overheating.

If you really like high Frames per Second, I wouldn't recommend getting the 1920x1200 resolution 17" display unless you are ok playing games at non-native resolutions.

I'll be able to tell you more when my MBP arrives next week. (Crosses fingers)

 

thanks for the info, that is exactly what I needed, however I came up with another question

how hard / warranty legal is it for me to upgrade components on my own,
hdd, ram, cpu, I hope ram and hdd are user replaceable but the cpu I can live with out being allowed to change.

 

You can only upgrade the ram in the MBP without voiding the warranty.

 

umm dang it, so I need to get there best hdd at the start then ?

 

1. The graphics drivers for XP on a MBP don't get updated that often, but they seem stable to me so not much to worry about. The current model uses NVidia graphics and hasn't been out for all that long so the drivers shouldn't be an issue right now.

2. It performs like any PC laptop - when you use Boot Camp, it runs Windows natively. There is no translation layer or Apple software other than the drivers for the hardware.

3. Support is good, I'll recommend getting an AppleCare Protection Plan to give you 3 years support and hardware cover. As far as having Windows installed goes, Apple has no support for Windows obviously, but other than that it doesn't really matter - as long as you still have OS X on there as well.

4. I get about 3 hours when sitting in the living room surfing. This is with wireless active.

I don't usually watch movies on battery so can't really help you there, sorry.

5. No idea, that sounds like an American thing.

6. Well, I wouldn't use any computer in desert conditions really That said, I don't know how a MBP would work or how it would compare to others.

7. The heat is what I have heard most complain about, but that subsided after the first revision.

8. CPU and HDD are not user-replaceable. RAM is. Changing hard drive you could do through an authorized service provider (or Apple Store) without voiding the warranty, changing cpu however would require changing the entire motherboard. So yes, get the hard drive you want with the computer unless you want to risk voiding the warranty.

 

Its best to get the best hard drive, yes. It is possible to upgrade, but it will void your warranty and it requires opening up your case and messing with parts. Its not as easy as with a PC laptop.

The CPU and GPU are soldered into the motherboard (called a Logic Board by Apple). Thus, it is VERY hard to upgrade them (virtually impossible). Ram is generally MUCH cheaper to buy through a company like NewEgg if you want 4GB. Apple (And most other companies) charge an insane amount of money (like 600-700 dollars) for the 4GB RAM upgrade. You can get 4GB of DDR2-667 notebook ram for a much cheaper 200-300 dollars off of NewEgg and upgrade it yourself.