I have only one experience with MMORPG's and that was 2 years of Lineage II. (See Spotlight Article for more info) I think when whether you have fun or not playing one of these types of games all depends on your attitude going into it.
Alzapa seems like he already has some friends that play the game and that may help alot. If you go into not caring about being the high level uber PvP character, and grind, grind, grind all day, then I think you can have fun no matter which MMO you are playing.
I realized early on that I would never be able to commit enough time to become the elite high level character that I dreamt of from time to time, so I had fun with partying with friends, role-playing with Clan members, and site seeing, looking for that elusive cool item drop from a new mob you haven't seen yet. Oh, and you can always harrass all of the Money Farmers that don't speak a lick of english.
Just have fun with it in your own way, but don't take it so seriously that it takes over your real life. Just like anything, play it in increments and take breaks when you feel overwhelmed or stressed out. That is what is nice about playing console games and pc games, you can mix and match.
Bah, I sound like a dad now, but anyway, I would think your laptop could play WoW, but you may have to turn off some effects and such or it may be a little laggy. And definitely go pick up the 14 day trial disc at your local store to try it out first. Free trials are always nice before committing to a game this massive.