Considering a MBP for engineering

I have an iBook G4 and it has served me well for the past 2 years. However, it doesn't cut it when it comes to cad programs; plus Autocad isn't available for the Mac platform. It wasn't that big of a problem because I lived 5 walking minutes away from the school's lab and used their dells. I moved off campus this summer and I think it's time to upgrade to something that's capable of running the programs I use, namely Autocad, Solidworks, Inventor, and such.

I hear that although the MBP runs those programs with no problem, it's still better to get a PC for the money because the MBP has a so-so graphics card. Well, I'm eyeing the 15" 2.2 Ghz MBP and I was wondering what you guys think about it. Is it still a good buy for engineers even with the graphics card? Thanks

Reni