My laptop tends to run jme apps really slow - I think it's issues with ati video + ubuntu drivers since everything runs smooth as glass on my xp desktop + nvidia cards, but I just want to double check. Can anyone provide a specific app, and approximate framerates I should get with an Mobility Radeon X300 (64mb)?
I would appreciate it 
Kid, Ubuntu + ATi is NOT a good combination.
Lets start off with some simple things. First, did you install the ATi proprietary drivers on Ubuntu? There used to be some application called "Envy" that would get the appropriate drivers for your card and install them.
What Ubuntu version are you using?
However, imo, even if your Ubuntu is running your ATi to it's max. potential (which I severly doubt), 64MB of memory won't be able to handle anything but the most basic applications. It's like asking a 5 year old to lift 150 pounds.
I know, when i compare the performance in WoW on ubuntu with fglrx to the performance on the same machine with XP there is a huge difference in speed. (most detail settings on with xp, most off with ubuntu for same performance) That still doesn't give me a good idea of how high of framerates I should be getting.
I would like to make my jme apps accessible to almost everyone, but 15fps or less just won't cut it. (smooth as glass on the desktop, but it's a much stronger machine). I just want to make sure it is actually a driver issue, and not me throwing too much detail at the card. (the WoW issues make me think it probably is a driver problem)
Edit: Hardy Heron btw
I'm amazed you could even get WoW to play on Ubuntu, especially on a 64mb laptop. I had Hardy Heron on my desktop and it's got a dual-core with a 512 video card. It couldn't run WoW properly at all.
Anyway, I know of no benchmark application you could use. Perhaps you could run some of the tests and compare them to screenshots of people around the forum–then you'll know how your FPS compares to their machines. If you have a specific test in mind I'd be happy to send you the results from my Toshiba (which is currently running Ubuntu) Satellite so you can compare and see if it is indeed your application.
Aside from that idea, I see no way to tell the difference from Driver vs. Application issues. Try running it on a crappy XP?
With a dual core and 512 vid card Wow should be running at max fps on max settings I have have a low end duel core, 2 gigs ram, and a 256 mb vid card and wow runs perfectly at max settings for me, but 64 mb is pretty low.
Water always kicks your FPS down a good 40. my game runs at like 60-70 FPS around water and like 120 around land.
Keep in mind when you're around water, it's reflecting the skybox and scene, so it's like rendering the terrain and skybox twice. Once for the terrain/skybox, and once for the reflection thereof.
Try using CLOD and Backface Culling.
I realize that, I just don't understand why every once in a while a render cycle takes 2-4 times as long as normal.
maybe its the garbage collector who does his job, once in a while.
a good profiler can tell you there things i guess