After a few years my old comp acted up during a pretty big trade yesterday. It's time for a whole new system. What are your thoughts on the newer computers? Quad Core i7, Ram, Hard Drive space, etc.
Definitely go with I7 as the processor, RAM and disk space depends on your needs, everything is so cheap now its better to overbuild a system.
What would you suggest? I'm trying to balance a serious computer with a reliable computer. I'm leaning towards a Dell in the $700-1000 range.
I disagree although a vague term like "trading app" leaves a lot of wiggle room. I would love to hear what you believe is the most used/important PC component for a trading app.
Probably RAM. Most trading apps run out of that... and once they trading apps are loaded, the CPU mostly sits idle all day long. A few apps use the CPU more... hopefully you'd know that if yours do... and tick charts. CPU often used more if multiple tick charts are open... hard to follow multiple tick charts, though.
I like Dell's Precision line. They have C2Ds @ 2.66Ghz (on x38 mobos) all the way up to dual quad Xenons on x58 mobos.
Well if you are concerned about RAM performance then you need to pick a processor/chipset that supports the latest/fastest RAM (DDR3)...guess what, you're back to I7. RAM is dirt cheap so getting plenty on a new rig is a no-brainer. I also don't think a typical trading app uses a lot of memory, I'm talking GBs. With all due respect, you don't seem to have much of a grasp about how computers work.
I believe I do. Check your CPU usage when your trading apps are running. (Exit such things as DVD player, DVD burner, TV Tuner, etc.. they can use some CPU.) Fastest RAM not necessary for trading. How many GB/s does DDR3 process? Most trading apps will utilize only about 4-6GB/MONTH of data. Oh, and there's the biological aspect... average neuromuscloresponse time is about 700ms. Even takes about 300ms for execution in non-response situation... bottom line is that any modern computer is waaayyyy faster than you can react to, so why pay for overkill?
You don't need to exit other applications to see how much cpu your trading app is using. (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx) Uh, you are the one that said RAM is the most important component. Make up your mind. The incremental cost of a fast machine vs a mediocre machine is minimal. Your trading app isnt the only thing consuming cpu cycles. If you want snappy performance its worth it to pay a few hundred extra bucks....especially if you have real money on the line.