I was wondering what types of computer set-ups those traders who set their own workstations up have .... specifically what types of machines, special video cards, motherboards etc that were purchased specifically for trading and monitors (number and type. I have heard that Alienware http://www.alienware.com/ makes a very nice machine that is excellent for trading (Area 51 and Aurora models.
alienware makes great computers. i think a $400 pc at dell is fine too. then just add more ram and better video cards to it.
Alienware makes top-of-the-line computers for top-dollar.... waaay more horsepower that is generally needed for trading. Better suited to high-power gaming.
I have bought many $400 computers from dell...and I don't have many good things to say about them...The video cards suck, the system runs slow, even with 1gb of memory. My suggestion is to pay up for a good machine for trading. My personal machines are built locally by my computer guy...I insist that he uses top quality components. I pay around $900 for the machines, but they outperform the dells, and I know that when the market starts to move my machines won't be the reason for delays and slowness. Good trading to all! Mike
You can get a actual dell workstation for 800 bucks. Compaq/hp for a little more. They both work fine. I have not had any problems with either. Some traders swear by the cheap systems. Some dont. I personally do not care as long as they do what they are suppose to.
Yes, Alienware and Falcon Northwest (their main competitor) make high end gaming systems, but you're paying what is IMO a ridiculous premium versus building your own rig or just going with Dell/Gateway. I'm on an Alienware right now, and probably overpaid $1500 for it versus getting a high-end machine from Dell. Sure I've got some fancy looking tower with a souped up power supply and cooling fans, but is $1500 worth squeaking out a tiny bit of performance on computer games? Also FWIW the motherboard on my computer fried about a year and a half past purchase and was left in the dark since I only purchased a one year warranty. Tech support was pretty hideous, and while not outsourced to Pakistan (yet) is handled by very English-challenged natives in Miami. If I had money to spew I'd go with Falcon Northwest; but I think there's no rational reason to pay the premium in the first place unless you're a serious video game junkie.
if you are automated trader with a software placing orders & analyizing trend real time, you'll need some horse power. a 400$ dell will get the job done if ure just looking at charts & place orders manually. make sure to buy more memory locally, dell charges alot for "additional components" i run charts on an amd xp2000, its 2 1/2 years old. it was very close to the bottom of the line when i bought it. with 1gb of memory. the only new addition i have is a fx5200 dvi/vga video card to drive 2 LCD's i run windows xp pro on memory only, i dont have any page files.
I looked into their pc's about 2 years ago and read alot of mixed reviews. IMO, the previous poster said it right, you pay a HUGE premium for their product. I have had pc's built by several of the other custom builders and find this to be a good solution if you want to use other manufacturers that DELL does not offer. Good experience with Spartan Technologies. They have many of the high end video cards, cases, motherboards, etc. Have used Monarch as well, and that was alright.