PS. Don't forget to get some powerful CPU(with high per core frequencies. 3.2+)
Yeah, sometimes you get a lemon. Though to be fair, I am using a laptop from 2006 that's using a single core Pentium M and a scaled down X600. My performance with the default engine (even on high-ploy scenes) is pretty good. The high end shaders are a problem, but it wasn't purchased as a gaming laptop to begin with.
I don't think I'll have a problem with the new box though, even with GodRays. A QX9650 with a 8800GT, and 2GB low-latency RAM. Only thing left to pick up is a decent power supply, HDD and Windows 7.
Still, I'm getting a bit off-topic here. I have a new MGE problem with water on maps disappearing and leaving behind a black zone where it once was, but I already posted the info to the main MGE thread for help. I don't really want to uninstall it as I've been having good luck with a Bloom shader and a few MGE-based game plugins, but...
LordHaHa