I'm planning to buy a new pre-built computer (right now looking at Dell and HP). - this computer will have no other software, will not be used for internet, movies, pictures etc. nothing but trading. Here is what I will be using: Broker: IB Software: Multicharts (sometimes Tradestation) Data provider other than IB One monitor / possibly add another 2 Strategies My trading style is a split between intra-day and swing. RTM. I take a lot of trades around the open and close. Automated. Is there anything I really need like SSD, a lot of RAM etc? I'm thinking of getting a basic desktop like the Dell XPS 8300 for $899 w/ Monitor. Why are people paying 2k+ for high end XPS or Alienware-type machines... Am I missing something? I don't mind paying more but don't want to pay for something fancy I don't need. Thanks so much for any advice. Hope I gave enough specifics and made sense as I'm not very tech-orientated.
The "Automated" and "a lot of trades" are a wild card. Only you know how much computing power you may need and it can vary quite a bit. I do think that your reasoning is sound. That a XPS 8300 may just be what you need (sounds like a good deal). Dell's website said: i5-2400 has a Passmark rank of 6000+, which is about the same as an i7-930 processor. (In layman terms: very good speed). If you think you may need more number crunching power, select the i7-2600 processor, which has a Passmark score near 9000 (about 40% faster). HOWEVER... there was a thread in this forum saying there were some issues with this i7-2600 processor (codename Sandy Bridge). I have no first hand experience so I don't know what the status is. Dell gives you 8GB RAM. For general usage that's plenty. But if you have sophisticated programs with tons of variables and array elements, that's a different story.
That problem has been fixed with new chipsets and mobos. Most makers are including "B3" in their model number to indicate "this mobo includes the fix".
If you're planning to run only 1-2 monitors, just about any computer is OK.. including the XPS 8300. If you think you might want to run 3 or more monitors in the future, you should consider getting a computer with 2 or 3 PCIEx16 slots. (The XPS 8300 has only 1). You might consider Dell Outlet for a Precision T3500. They currently have one with W3530 CPU for $779... not quite as powerful as the new Sandy Bridge ones, but still very good. And with the Precision Line, you get a better mobo and better support.