Just ordered vostro 1700 -- query RE graphics card (for graphic/CAD use, not gaming)

Hi,
just ordered a Dell vostro 1700 last night, and, inevitably (!) I'm now having second thoughts about something...
specifications:
CORE 2 DUO T7500 2.20GHz,800,4M
17" WXGA+ (1440 x 900)
3072 MB 667 MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (1x1024 MB + 1x2048)
Hard Drive 200GB FFS Serial ATA (7200RPM)
128 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Vista Ultimate (32Bit OS)

I wonder whether I should upgrade the graphics card (if that's still possible) to the256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT. At the moment I use Adobe photoshop elements, Windows moviemaker, photostory and I'm soon to start with Adobe Premier elements. However, these are just hobbies and my current graphics card on my ancient Sony VAIO PCG-FX 802 doesn't seem to have posed any problems.
There is a slight possibility I may be wanting to use a CAD program in a few years time -- for garden design work. However, I don't know whether this will happen, and whether I will need a better/new laptop by then anyway...
The upgrade would cost me about £65 GBP. I don't have money to throw around, but equally, I don't want to have to buy a new laptop simply because I didn't spend money on the graphics card now. Would it make much difference? I do absolutely no gaming.
Could I update the graphics card if and when I need it?

Thanks for any advice you can give.
Sophie

 

If you don't plan on doing any CAD work for a few years yet, I wouldn't even worry about an upgrade. Even so, CAD work is more processor intensive than GPU intensive anyway.

Also, in a few years time, the power that laptops will have will be probably be INSANE compared to what we have now - just think, quad-core, windows/mac/linux at full 64 bit, 8gb of ram and maybe even those new 20hr batteries people are talking about.

I'd be perfectly content with a setup like that.

 

With your type of usage, 8400M GS should be perfectly fine, but I'd seriously consider upgrading to WUXGA (1920x1200). The clarity is phenomenal.

As to the video card, I agree with the previous posters. And yea, you maybe would be able to upgrade yourself to a 8600M GT but nothing else (that's the only other thing Vostro 1700 supports).

 

Thanks to you both -- I think I'll stick with what I've ordered. Thanks for the suggestion, but I really don't want to upgrade the resolution. I don't want a glossy screen, and I want the font size to be readable!!

 

You're very welcome!
Regarding glossy, aren't they all glossy (except some HP screens)?
Regarding readable, I was somewhat worried about that, but I couldn't believe how much more readable the small text is on my Samsung WUXGA that it is on my very high-end 19" 1600x1200 CRT Hitachi. The CRT has slightly larger dot pitch (distance between pixels / pixel size), but it's obviously less focused (even though it's about as good as CRTs ever got), so the end result is quite amazing. But anyway, I hope you'll be happy with your WXGA+ (I like all the rest of your system's specs!). Take care!

 

Thanks again.
No, they're not all glossy -- but you have to search quite hard to find one that isn't.
Regarding readable, I have to have my laptop a fair distance away from my eyes, and I've already sent one back because I just couldn't make the fonts work on a couple of my favourite web sites. I did tinker with the DPI and the resolution size and the fonts/icon size, but it didn't make enough of the difference and it was a nightmare.
Thanks for wishing me the best with my new machine -- which has just arrived, and I'm itching/terrified to get it up and running...