KMC Forums - Can anyone recommend...

(I apoligise both for the elipsis and the possibility this is in the wrong forum in adv.)

Wondering if anyone can recommend a good Science-Fiction/Space Opera RPG on the PC for me. Reason is, I bought Mass Effect after hearing so much about it from a friend who works in a games store, but then found out my GFX card cannot support Pixel Shader 3.0 (which is required to run it.)

I'm currently on a laptop because I travel alot, so I cannot upgrade, but I've been able to run Oblivion, Medieval: TW on it with only a bit of lag. (EDIT: Thought I'd include what games I've already had in case they're mentioned)
- SW: Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2
- Freelancer

Thing is, the notion of a brilliant story driven RPG sitting on my desk uselessly is driving me a tad nuts. I'm just looking for a hidden classic I've missed, something like Mass Effect perhaps, yet without all the shiny graphics.

Any help would be appreciated.