1. OA
2. I've tried pretty much everything I can think of and it barely makes a difference
3. Firstly, this is a laptop. 9600M GT is the mobile version of the 9600GT and is actually a fair bit weaker...also means I can't really upgrade much.
Overclocking is something to consider, though I needed to get an external fan to get the thing to run at an acceptable temperature -without- overclocking, so I probably wouldn't be able to do too much in that regard.