For those of you who've had experience with macs...?

Okay, I have finally been convinced to buy a mac from a store. Yes, it's expensive, but I've heard way too many times that it is unbelievably good. So if you have any experience with a mac, please, answer the following questions. No bad remarks, please. Stories about your experiences with an Apple are always welcome. Thanks!



1) Is an iMac good enough for daily usage, like typing, homework, studying, internet, emails, downloading (like songs and games), listening to music, etc?



2) Should I get an iMac, a macbook, or a mac mini?



3) Can you play old games (like Medal of Honor) on the mac with good graphics, frames per second, and no freezing?



4) Is there much of a difference between a 1 gig RAM mac and a 2 gig RAM mac?



5) How fast and reliable is a mac on the internet? I mean, like, can you connect it to the internet and modem fast? Can you use the internet fast?



You do not have to answer everything, but just try to. Thank you so much!For those of you who've had experience with macs...?
1) All of the Macs work FANTASTIC for this. Their iWork Office suite is only $80, and it looks GREAT! It just lacks a few key features that Microsoft Office has, but if you're only using it for homework, and not proffesional presentations, you'll do great. You could also download a number of free office apps that may require X11 from your Mac install disc, such as Open Office.



2) The iMac gives you more bang for your buck, with higher quality internal parts.



3) You'll want a new iMac for playing ANY games. The last generation Intel iMacs will work fine as well, if you want to save some cash. (Definately recommend buying new, though)



4) Mac OS X will run great with a low amount of RAM, but if you want to run high-end apps like games and photo/movie editors, you'll want more, especially if you're going to be dual-booting Windows XP or Vista.



5) Internet Connectivity generally has nothing to do with what computer you're using. They do however have internal wireless cards running the new "N" wireless frequency, which isn't in much use, but they can also use the older a/b/g networks until N receives more use (The Apple Airport Extreme Base Station broadcasts N, FYI) or you could use the wired ethernet ports.For those of you who've had experience with macs...?
1. Yes, it is great for homework etc. You will need to add a better word processor than the TextEdit that comes with it. You can add iWorks 08 for under $80 or Neo Office or Open Office for free. Emails work fine with the Apple Mail application, it's easy to set up, most spam gets blocked. Ichat and the webcam work fine.



2. If you plan on carrying it around, get a MacBook, if you plan on leaving it on a desk, get the iMac.



3. Not sure, the iMac has better graphics.



4. Only if you are doing intensive Photoshop work or plan on installing Windows Vista. Then you would need it.



5. The internet is very fast. Both come with type "n" wireless cards in them. Both also have ethernet ports. I tried my MacBook against my brother in laws new Dell, it downloaded webpages twice as fast. If a webpage won't open correctly with Safari, it usually does with Firefox.



I have both a MacBook and an iMac. The best part, I don't worry about the 115,000 Windows viruses.For those of you who've had experience with macs...?
You can use the internet just fine on a mac. As far as which one you should get it all depends on you. A mac mini is great if you have no space on your desk, but the new iMac is simply a monitor and keyboard which is great, too.



You can buy Microsoft office for Mac for all your word, powerpoint, excel needs. You'll have iTunes or Quicktime for music but you can also download realplayer or WMP for a mac. Most things will have a mac download available.



I'm not so sure about playing old games though. You'll have to look at the label to see what kind of computer requirements are necessary. But a 2 gig Ram will run faster if you need more space. You really shouldn't drop below 2.



I love my iBook even though it's outdated. I've never had a virus problem in the past 2 yrs or it breaking down. Definately invest in the Apple Care program. If you're gonna pay that much, protect it.