I just finished another play through of Mass Effect for different character options into ME2. I definitely did not experience the frame rate issues that you are talking about. Of course, the Pop in does occur, but really was not enough to bother me.
I avoided the mineral finding on the mako. So yeah, I agree mineral finding is pretty boring in the mako. I did have fun killing threshers / geth circle strafing in the mako thou.
I did a pretty quick trip through Tau - Noveria - Feros - Vym - Ilos. I still found the game to be fun. Combat in Mass Effect 1 is a little too easy. Mass Effect 2 is much better of course, but for a three year old game Mass Effect has held up pretty well.







