QoS I suppose isn't a deal-breaker because I have a couple of options. One would be possibly use my existing WRT54G set up between the APE and Modem doing only QoS duty. Optionally I could buy another dedicated device for this purpose, such as Hawking Tech's Broadband Booster

The APE isn't cheap, but compared to other devices that offer its benefits, it's not too bad (such as Linksys' 600-somethingN product that supports multi-frequency)

P.S. Don't tell my wife about the MBP purchase...