Looking for inexpensive laptop.

[Squeegie]

find one with a larger SSD.  You will really want the extra space and they don't cost that much more.

I ALWAYS buy my own or my clients laptops based on the CPU, and the OS, and the screen.
Other than that the hard drive size and the amount of RAM is irrelevant to me as I will replace them.

I just purchased a new HP 17.3"  laptop yesterday that has an i7 (highly recommend over the i3 or i5) and Win 7 64 pro.
The system only came with 6 GB of memory and a 1 TB 5400 rpm HDD. 
The price on the laptop was $599.
I purchased a 16 GB memory kit for $50 and I have a 480GB Mushkin SSD that I paid $99 for.
Total cost with shipping $748.
If you price a laptop with the same CPU, RAM, and SSD you will be in the $900 to $1100 range.
I feel like this was the best bang for the buck I could find a the time.
So I recommend searching for a laptop based on the criteria mentioned above and buy memory and an SSD to suit your needs... much cheaper.

[mimosatexas]

I'd argue the i5 on a laptop is superior for any size that is designed with mobility in mind.  17" is a huge laptop (I have one), and really it is more like a desktop you can move around occasionally than a true take home everyday kind of laptop in my opinion.  The i5 will use quite a bit less battery than the i7 and not get as hot when using it away from a desk.

As for swapping components, I think that is fine for some people, but I'm not sure how comfortable Prosperitee is going to be doing that stuff.