Only if he's going to use things like Renderman and 3d modeling do you need a higher end video card. P4's seems to do well on the 3DStudio Max / Maya end of the spectrum. Athlons rock for 2D Wire modeling in ACAD. Video card will dictate redraw, so you'll want a early Quadro (GF2) or better. RAM and a strong FPU are required otherwise.
DC