I had the opportunity this weekend to put a value laptop with the Nvidia 8200M embedded GPU through some tests.
Details are: AMD Ql-62 64 x2 2GHz, 2GB DDR2 667, 250 GB HD. Re-certified, $399 from Newegg. Complete specs are here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834107028
I loaded XP PRO 32 bit. ( The Vista Home version does not impress me, especially with only 2GB RAM)
Compaq does not support XP for this system, so I had to go hunting a bit for drivers.
Anyway, I loaded the latest SL client, and proceeded to run some basic tests:
Graphics Setting - mid
Framerate at my island (light video load) - 38 FPS, movement is smooth, response is immediate.
Framerate at Bare Rose (Prim Heavy environment) - 28 FPS, movement is laggy, but not jerky, response is laggy.
Not bad for a value laptop, if your SL requirements are reasonably light, as mine are for the most part.