Here's a comparison that might be useful. My computer is fairly outdated so it may be close to your laptop.
Call of Duty 2: Runs fine on my machine. I don't have the highest settings, but enough for it to look good. I get some slowdown when there is extreme action.
Far Cry: No problems with fairly high settings.
Battlestations: Midway: Had no problems at all at high settings.
SHIII (stock): No gameplay problems in normal conditions. Some lag in ports.
SHIII (GWX2.0 mod): No gameplay problems in normal conditons. Bad lag in ports unless I use the Lite Harbor Traffic mod. Some lag during aircraft strafing attacks.
Conclusion: If your laptop would have problems with any of the first three games then SHIII might be a bit of a stretch.
So I take it your Inspiron actually runs. Mine would randomly, and instantly, power off. Of course this behaviour started after the warranty expired.
Tony