Question on graphic settings and "Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects"

Since downloading the latest version of SL, I'm having trouble with low FPS and my Macbook freezing/locking up. I have moved my draw distance down, taken off basic shaders, disabled anisotropic filtering, etc., but I'm still having issues with freezing up. My video card drivers are up to date... not sure what the cause is.

In checking my settings one more time, I'm curious as to what exactly the "Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer objects" in hardware options does. Should this be checked or unchecked and how does it affect my SL viewing experience?

Thanks for any and all help!

In short, VBO's are a method of storing certain graphical data directly in video memory, so that it doesn't have to be resent to the video card every frame. Properly implemented, this cuts down dramatically on CPU cycles and data traffic. For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertex_Buffer_Object and/or http://www.spec.org/gwpg/gpc.static/vbo_whitepaper.html.

If your video card can handle VBO's, they should increase, not decrease, performance. But not all cards can. ATI cards have all kinds of problems with them, for example, primarily because ATI consistently refuses to follow established OpenGL standards. nVidia cards usually have no problem with them, as long as you've got a decent amount of video memory.

Thank you so much for the info!!