In theory yes, but in practice, no. In the real world high end graphics power means an exponential increase in energy waste. 7600FT = 51 watts full throttle, 24 watts at idle 8800 Ultra = 193 watts full throttle, 89 watts at idle ... and the kicker is, although the 8800 Ultra consumes almost 4 times the energy it does not provide 4 times the graphic performance of a 7600 GT. If the extra energy doesn't go to extra graphics performance, where does it go? It goes to heat your room. There's a reason the high end cards come with huge copper heat sinks and massive fans. If the original poster's computer use is going to be limited to trading, web surfing, spreadsheets, etc., and doesn't include high-end games, then I would get a lower-end card. There are dual DVI 8600GT's supporting 2560x1600 out there for less than $75.
Probably the best video card for a professional trading system: Gigabyte nVidia GeForce 8600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCIe x16 GV-NX86T256H - 2 x DVI @ 2560 x 1600 (2x30") - fanless - zero noise - low power consumption, 43 Watts - 50 bucks after rebate and express shipping from newegg.com. Prefer this over any Matrox or ATI based card.
Thanks Tums for the head sup, will check the fine print to make sure it supports 2 30 inch monitors at max resolution. Also thanks for the power consumption details. DisciplineTrader
Thanks jamis359 for the specifics on power consumption. Thanks EllisWatt for the Giagabyte 8600gt details. Thanks gnome for your comments. I would try the 8600gt card, and see how it works. Even the 9600gt with two DVI ports, there was a very good deal for $60 or $70 or so in frys recently. DisciplineTrader
i use the 8600gt's. here is a link for a cheap one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500020
Hi All Just wanted to update the thread, I had someone try the EVGA 8600gt 512 mb graphics card with two DVI ports and it is able to run two 30 inch monitors at their max resolution 2560 by 1600. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130290 DisciplineTrader
Looks like lots of card for the money. Is this person trading with that system? Are they trading at that resolution? Or was it just a test to see how the card performed? I've been curious as to whether people actually trade at these high resolutions we hear about. Thanks.
Hi Mgookin, It was a test to see if it worked. But I know people using 30 inch monitor for trading (replacing multiple 19 inch monitors with one 30 inch monitor). But I think it is a personal preference,regarding resolution. But I agree 2560 by 1600 is kind of extreme resolution,have to try and see how good it is on the eye and if it works for me. Don't want to get eye sight with higher resolution DisciplineTrader
Yes, you have more dots, but you also have more square inches of real estate. If you compare the dots-per-sq-inches between panels of various sizes, you will see the resolution is not that far off.