New laptop advice needed

My Dell Inspiron 8600 finally crapped out after almost 4 years. It displays a garbled screen that is about only +25% visible while the rest is filled with lines. I've tried rolling back the drivers, opening it up to reseat components, changing settings, etc. I even hooked it up to an external monitor and tv, both display the same garbled image.

I want to get the best bang for the buck and a quality PC laptop that won't have problems. I am on a budget of around $1,500 (spending less would be better ). I need a laptop that will meet or exceed the requirements for an upcoming Graphic Designs course that I am taking. Here are the requirements given by my degree adviser. Thanks.
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15in MACBook Pro
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1440 x 900 pixels
2GB memory
200GB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce 8600m gt graphics with 256MB SDRAM
Applecare 3yr warranty auto-enroll

17in MACBook PRO
2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1680 x 1050 pixels
2GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 8600m GT graphics with 512MB SDRAM
Applecare 3yr warranty auto-enroll
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