Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I think the 17" with the i7 CPU, 8GB RAM and the SSD will barely be sufficient for your needs.
I have a 12 core Mac Pro (can be used as laptop) and it barely runs Farmville.
 
1. What would be doing with the MacBook Pro? Web/email? Software development? Games?

2. You should be posting a question like this in the MacBook Pro section. This forum is for Mac Pro workstations.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.