Separating functions onto two machines is a very good idea for obvious reasons. If you were to choose the 2-machine route, suggest getting your trading machine first. Try backtesting on it and see if it's adequate before getting a more powerful rig. (Like many others, I split trading/general computing functions by using 2 machines. Both of mine are "medium power" and overkill for sure. However, I bought them as used workstations for about $450 each.... Xeon W3570 CPU on X58 mobo.)
correct... and like @Scataphagos said, it is a good idea to get your trading one first... but mostly because backtesting is all about how quickly you want those answers, that determines how much "power" you need... if you are impatient, get the most power you can, if you can wait a day or two, then something medium.. but again, my simplest point that I cant stress enough: if you can get the best for $500-600, just do it... here... look at this site when comparing CPU's in terms of what "work" they can do.. http://www.cpubenchmark.net ... it will help you a bit, but dont just focus on that... remember that a system is a combination of things... you can have a great engine in a car, but crappy tires... and while your engine can go at 150MPH without issues, your tires will give out @ 80MPH... so your SSD's, memory @ 1600MHZ, right amount of memory (8GB at least), being 64bit will all be things you want to keep in mind... and go refurb!... I dont think we can stress that enough... you get a year warranty for the most part on desktops, but that is really all you need... I dont think I've ever called support on my desktops (laptops and monitors is another thing)... and here... email this person and ask her for the latest deals on HP refurb.. I dont have any association, I am merely subscribed to their mailing list... Ronnie Carrell SMB Inside Sales Representative Hewlett-Packard Company Main 1-855-707-0279 Fax 1-505 796-5316 ronnie.gai.carrell@hp.com and I just went to their site and you can also find the list here.. http://h71016.www7.hp.com/html/hpremarketing/daily.asp oh, and at the risk getting flamed...stay away from AMD... they used to have the lead... they lost it a long, long time ago once Intel started losing market share... that is reality... nothing wrong with their CPU's... am sure, just that all my experience has been with Intel with a brief stay with AMD (less than 2 years)...
Also consider Dell Outlet and Dell Financial Services. At Dell Outlet, you get the same warranty as new... Their best quality machines are in the Precision Line. Tech Support on the Precision line is EXCELLENT! I don't know if HP has the equivalent of Dell Outlet. However, when comparing HP vs Dell on new workstations, Dell has always been around $400 less for basically the same machine. (Both have Foxconn make their OEM mobos... wouldn't be surprised to find out their mobos are exactly the same for equivalent models.)
I agree... so make sure to compare feature and costs... you get 15 mins on each cart anyhow.. so you can place things there.. and then compare.. and decide.. http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...earch.aspx?brandid=2803&c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb oh, and do check the server side as well... sometimes you get better deals there .. just make sure it is a tower and for kicks, look at lenovo as well.. http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrar...:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Portals/Outlet I always pick HP because I rather call one hotline for everything (but my laptops, those are lenovos)... so my monitors are HP ZR2740w's and my desktop are HP 600 line and 8300 line... and servers are the DL1xx line...