Are there any major drawbacks to trading all day with a laptop as your primary execution machine ? I 've never had a laptop but if I get one will set it up as a desktop; external keyboard, mouse , additional monitor(s) using Matrox Triple Head 2Go . On very busy days I would still run a Win 2K machine as backup and for extra charts . The laptop wil run on XP Pro and it's not a high end model, regular stuff Intel Core 2Duo, 2 GB RAM, Intel X3100. (I am not sure yet if I should opt for an external GPU instead of Intel integrated GPU, I read starting with 945 chipset it supports extended desktop mode, but I have been told even the current Intel GPU with 965 chipset may be tricky with the Matrox Triple Head 2Go box.) Aside from the graphic card issue is this a wise choice for serious trading compared to a 3-monitor desktop ? I am willing to sacrifice just a little bit of reliability for the convenience of mobility and versatility, I don't use leverage and don't day trade so not too worried about positions jeopardizing equity before I can fire up the back up machine or call .
I've ben using my laptops as trading platforms for years. I'm more of a short term trader. I've traded on my Dell Latitude C610 and my C840 regularly, wirelessly. You can have multi-monitors there also. I haven't had any drawbacks either.
I've traded on laptops, wifi, PDAs, and net cafes in 3rd world countries. Not had a problem generally. Obviously do not go maximum long on leverage if your connection & gear is not as reliable as normal. If you can't survive your trading access being down for the 5 mins it takes to call up and pull all your orders, then you are probably taking way too much risk anyway.
the only problem i have with the laptop is constantly hopping from screen to screen instead of having 3 monitors to glance at
Your proposed set-up is fine so long as you realise TripleHead2Go can be unstable. If you have back up on a PC then there's no problem.
I have been trading with a Dell laptop for the past 3 years. Works fine for me trading the ES and YM. In my case I only need 2 monitors so I dont even use the laptop screen but just 2 external monitors (the laptop has 2 outputs, vga and dvi) when trading at home. When I am on the road I take the laptop and a smaller monitor with me, both of which fit in my carryon baggage. here is a picture of my setup at home. The laptop is on the top of the desk and it is closed. http://24.16.158.153/desktop.jpg and here is the setup in a hotel room where i use the laptop as my main screen. same info just smaller but i dont need to change modes. http://24.16.158.153/hotelsetup.jpg
Will the Intel X3100 GPU work fine for extended desktop with another monitor or is it necessary to have an external graphic card ? And with Triple Head2Go, is an integrated card fine ? Another thing is that I heard ATI tends to be less stable than Nvidia with Matrox TripleHead 2Go .
Vista is pnp for adding a monitor to your laptop without ext graphics card. Don't see X3100 as a problem. I use Nvidia integrated for the TripleHead2Go. Go to the Matrox site and download their tool to check the compatability of your card.