MacBook Pro - A good config for me?

Hi,
I'm looking to buy a laptop, and the feeling I'm getting after a good deal of product research, forum-lurking and question-asking is that the MacBook Pro might be a wise choice for me. Some people have suggested that I simply go with a MacBook, but I really like the idea of having some extra "oomph."
So I'll ask you guys, you seem to know your stuff.
My needs aren't too hefty I guess, the most I can think of that I'll be doing is using Creative Suite to make graphics and design a webpage or two (I'm also planning to go into Graphic Design and Computer Science eventually). What I'm looking for is something that'll suite my needs and go fast, very fast! I've rather outgrown my old Dell desktop. (By the way, yes, I'm looking to "make the switch," I'll be totally new to Mac ownership; the most I've ever done is go to my local Apple Store a few times and play about. And I must say, I'm looking forward to the experience. ;))
I don't think I need too much RAM, I'm not wanting to use my Mac for a full-fledged profession (at least not yet). So I want to avoid overkill, but I'd prefer some room to breathe, too.
I heard about buying RAM from third party suppliers to save money, but the idea makes me a little uneasy. How reliable are their products? And, is buying from them going to void my warranty?
I know about Rosetta and how Photoshop and such won't perform too great on the new Intel Macs until Adobe releases the universal CS3, hopefully sometime next year. And fortunately for me, I'm still in the process of saving my money, so perhaps by the time I have enough to purchase my Mac, CS3 will be available and I won't have to worry about whether or not Creative Suite will run well.
Basically my main question is (and I apologize for sharing my life story ;)), what might you all suggest to be a good configuration for me? 1 GB of RAM? More than that? I'd like the breathing room of a 100 GB hard drive...oh, and is there a major difference in 2.0 GHz and 2.16GHz? Which should I go with?
I'm trying to not spend too much money, but I'm willing to save as long as I need to (with the exception of a year from now; I'd like to have a laptop by college time) if it means getting myself an amazing computer!
Dell   Windows XP  

The MacBook Pro forums are here…
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=190

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