Nvidia 8600MGS for CAD?

Hi, i'm looking at a barebones laptop right now which includes the 8600mgs graphics card. I'm aware that the 8600m gt is far more powerful, but the gs version is within my price range. The question i am wondering is whether the gpu will be ok for autocad usage as well as other similar software? I don't do any gaming at the minute but may be tempted by COD4 if i had a reasonable machine to play it on. The other thing is that the laptop needs to last for at least 2years, so will the 8600mgs still be suitable for using the latest cad software in 2 years time?
Cheers,
Dan

P.s i have read the FAQ but just wanted to get some other experiences more related to design packages.

 

Actually, getting autocad to recognize any graphics card other than a workstation card is a pain.. It isn't very GPU dependent, even for rendering 3D models.. I have used Autocad 2007, but nothing after that.
I recommend getting the most powerful CPU possible, if CAD/CAM is your major work.

As for games, the 8600GS is going to be good for current games at mediumm settings.. COD4 would be doable.

 

I use CAD and I have one of the fastest mobile processor available, its very smooth, although I am not rendering too much so far. like he said focus on the CPU, a [powerful GPU would def be an asset though

 

I used autocad on a dell x300 ultra portable laptop with integrated graphics and it ran perfectly smooth. Unless you are modeling the space ship, you dont need much at all in terms of power.