I just recently bought a Dell Inspiron 600m to replace my old and dying desktop and I'm loving it! Though it doesn't have the 17in screen that you want (not many laptops I know do), it does offer a very powerful 1.6-2.0GHz Pentium M processor . You can upgrade to an 80GB hard drive, 2GB of memory, DVD/CD-ROM/Burner, and other nice bells and whistles for well under $2000.
Like you, I was looking for a desktop "replacement" and I found this particular model to have the right combination of performance and compact design that I wanted. It weights a mere 4.98lbs...which would not break your back if you bring it to class everyday. Sure there are other bigger and more powerful laptops out there, but this was the right one for me. I think it's at least worth a look. Good luck with your search!
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