1520 Graphics card decision?

So I am getting ready to pull the trigger and buy a 1520 laptop. One of my few remaining questions is which graphics card to get. Right now I am leaning towards the 128 MB 8400 GS. But I am worried I will regret not getting the 256 MB 8600 GT. I will almost certainly not be playing any of the newest games on the computer, but I will be using it for 3D solid modeling programs (Pro/Engineer and Unigraphics) for my engineering curriculum. Will upgrading the graphics card give me a marked increase in performance or am I fine sticking with the 8400 GS?

Thanks everyone!

 

Hmm...whats the rest of the system looked like? And you have tried the similiar customization with the Votros? You might be able to get the higher video card for the price of the 1520 now.

 

Hi Methodis, the rest of the system looks like this:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache)
Genuine Windows ® Vista Home Premium Edition
Jet Black
FREE! 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1440x900)
128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8400M GS
FREE! 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
High Definition Audio 2.0
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
DellCare Value Warranty
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)

And I have looked at the Vostro but when I get the same configuration and warranty it ends up being more expensive than the 1520 with my University discounts. At least it was yesterday when I looked, Dell's pricing seems to change by the minute.

 

Heh yeah Dell's pricing is messed up. As for the system...Hmm..It's really up to you. If you get the better video card you'll be future proofing yourself, but if you're like me and don't play many 3D orientated games then you should be fine with the 128. I know there's some 3D Engineers who browse the "What Kind of Laptop Should I Get" (or w/e it's called) forum, so try posting this over there too with the title of "3D Engineer" or w/e, heh. You'll get a better answer!

 

The 8400GS would be fine, but if you don't really have much of a budget of course choose the 8600GT...but the 8400GS is perfectly fine for that solution...

 

The upgrade from the 8400m to the 8600m isn't all that much. The growing room that it gives you in terms of games and other multimedia will be huge.

I think if you go with the lower end card, you'll eventually realize that your system is getting outdated faster than you'd expected. Why not just go for the upgrade...the price/value tradeoff is huge.