Graphic Expectations???

I am a web developer who finally has decided to take the plunge and switch from Windows to a Apple MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz Laptop Computer with these specs (although I will still keep Vista on Boot Camp as I am scared to jump without a rope):

# 15-inch display (diag.)
# 1440 x 900 resolution, TFT LED backlit widescreen supports multiple resolutions
# 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed
# 2GB (two SO-DIMMs) of PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SDRAM memory; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB
# NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor with dual-link DVI support, 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM

My concern is the video card. I am much more of a console gamer but I do like to PC game in my leisure from time to time. Nothing to intense, mostly Civ 4, some Tiger Woods 08, lots of strategy games, and the very occasional First Person Shooter. My current notebook has the Nvidia GeForce Go 7600.

I was just concerned before I purchase if I should expect drop or increase in gaming performance or roughly the same? Any insight would be appreciated.

The 8600M is a step up from the 7600, so you'll experience slightly improved graphics with the Macbook Pro's video card than you do on your current notebook.

You know what, when i asked that i didn't even see the forest through the trees. Of course an nvidia 8600 would be better than a 7600. I should have known that.

Unless, what do you think, 7600 has 256 and the 8600 has 128, does that make it a wash?

Nope. Memory on video cards only makes a difference for the higher end models. For low to midrange, it's simply a number, not a factor.

And with the step up to the 8600, you'll get 128 of DDR3, which will be faster access anyway. If you're really worried, you could step up to the 2.4 that has 256 VM, but like they said, it won't make a tremendous difference.

No, I feel good about moving ahead. Well, here it goes, i hope this transition is easy. I have been debating it for years.

go johnny go go go!

good luck and can I say its a decision well made. As like many I have went from a windows machine to a mac and for me it has been two years of bliss!

action0335, just before you make that leap, what are the specs on your current machine? There is more than just the video card to consider in overall system performance.