8540p/w vs 8560p vs 4530s vs 6560b (need a 15in bizbook)

My dad is looking for a new 15 in laptop for forex/day trading activities during retirement (current machine = toshiba qosmio F25) - see wtb thread here.
We had decided on an 8540w we'd found for $832- but he decided that he did not want a high resolution screen, b/c of weak eyes and the fact that it will be hooked up to external monitors most of the time.

So- that opens up more options- but what to choose? We would like to keep the purchase at around $1000- but also want a 3 year warranty. We have been looking at i5s, but could we get away with an i3? not sure. We would much prefer to go with a sandybridge machine, for the sake of future-proofing- or perhaps that isn't important? However, my dad doesn't want to wait for prices to go down (weve already made him wait since december for the new machines to come out) and would "prefer" something that isn't outdated....but are the new models overpriced?

any thoughts/advice? How does the quality of the probooks compare to the elitebooks? (Im a total novice) thanks!

ps- are dedicated graphics a must for our purposes w/ sandybridge? what about w/o?


choice list so far:

8560p (XU061UT) $972- perhaps too much to pay for a machine with standard resolution?
Intel® Core™ i5-2410M (2.30 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache), 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3, 500 GB 7200 rpm SATA II, DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe, 15.6" diagonal LED-backlit HD anti-glare (1366 x 768), AMD Radeon HD 6470M with 1 GB dedicated DDR3 video memory, Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Battery Type: 6-cell (62 WHr) Li-Ion battery

6560b (XU053UT) $837.14
Intel® Core™ i5-2410M (2.30 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache), 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 320 GB 7200 rpm SATA II, DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe, 15.6" diagonal LED-backlit HD anti-glare (1366 x 768), Intel® HD Graphics 3000, Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n, Battery Type: 6-cell (55 WHr) Li-Ion

4530s (XU018UT) $705
Intel® Core™ i5-2410M (2.30 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache), 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3, 500 GB 7200 rpm SATA II, DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe, 15.6" diagonal LED-backlit HD anti-glare (1366 x 768), Intel® HD Graphics 3000, Atheros 802.11b/g/n WiFi (1 x 1) and Bluetooth 3.0 + HS Combo, Battery Type: 6-cell (47 WHr) Li-Ion

 

I say go tried and true...you made the right decision by sticking with previous gen...

don't go with an IGP since it can't handle many monitors with flashing stock quotes...that would kill it I would think...

 

Yeah, i should have had this thread deleted- my dad decided he would be ok with a high res screen after all- which is why we went with the 8540w

However, I did find out about some differences b/w the new probook b and s series that may help others

-the B series can be attached to a typical docking station, while the s series can only be connected to a usb port replicator
-there is no discrete graphics option on the s series
-the hinge design on the b series is the same as on the new elitebook, but the s series hinge design is different (my dad didnt like it)
-3 year warranties are no longer a given on the new elitebooks (8x60p)