If you are getting a laptop for 3d dev, I'd recommend that you at least get a one with a GeForce 7400 or ATI HD3200. Those are still quite cheap and have sufficient power to run ShaderModel 3.0 shaders. I myself have some experience of a GeForce 7400 which is a bit weaker than HD3200. It ran F.E.A.R. quite well on low settings and a simple HDR demo with about 8fps.