Thanks for the advice. Does running multiple monitors require a more powerful video card? I've never used an extra monitor and am wondering about this.
I got an Inspiron 9300 with an ATI Mobility X300 128MB video card and a second montor hooked up, works great. Works out of the box, no additions.
Check this Toshiba M45-s355 http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?seg=HHO&coid=-28865&sel=0&rcid=-26367&ccid=1291021 I just order one.
Looks nice. As listed, or custom-tweaked? It is said that Toshiba is usually ahead of the pack in implementing newer generation parts into its systems. And, Toshiba is usually rated second only to Apple for reliability among laptop brands. Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 1.86GHz Power 1024MB Memory! $1499.99 (Key Features: Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology* enables fast performance for todayâs most popular applications Microsoft® Windows® XP* Professional or Home Edition FREE Microsoft® Office OneNote⢠2003* 15.4" diagonal Wide-screen XGA display* (1280x800) with TruBrite⢠Technology Intel® Graphics* Media Accelerator 900 w/64MB-128MB shared video memory DVD burner (DVD SuperMulti) reads and writes to the seven most popular CD and DVD formats 5-in-1 bridge media adapter for quick transfer of digital files Integrated Intel® PRO®/Wireless* 2200BG (802.11b/g) Integrated 10/100 Ethernet, and V.92/56K modem* Cisco Compatible Extensions Program Certified Limited Warranty*: 1-year parts and labor, 1-year battery) M45-S355 Technologically advanced, sleek and powerful, this system boasts an Intel Pentium® M processor 750, a full gigabyte (=1024MB) of system memory, and Wide-screen TruBrite display! Intel Pentium® M processor 750 [1.86GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB] Microsoft® Windows XP Home Edition (SP2) 1024MB PC2700 DDR333 SDRAM (512MBx2) 15.4" Wide-screen XGA Display w/TruBrite Technology Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator w/10MB-128MB shared video memory 100GB HDD (5400rpm) DVD SuperMulti drive (Double Layer) Intel® Pro/Wireless LAN 2200BG (802.11b/g) 1 Year Standard Limited Warranty Also Includes: 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter Microsoft® Works Microsoft® OneNote⢠2003 3-USB (2.0) ports i.LINK⢠IEEE 1394 TV-out(S-Video) 10/100 Ethernet port V.92/56K modem port headphone jack microphone jack (monaural) RGB monitor port More Information: Detailed Specs Product Tour
Personally, I'd go for the 7200 RPM drive. No, it won't affect your trading software performance, but it sure will give the machine a better overall usability. It'll feel faster and crisper. So many things depend on file read/write operations. That speed difference will pay off in many ways. Your programs will load faster, save faster, close faster, etc. I'll make the analogy back to the days of dial up and waiting for web pages to load. It's no big deal once the page is loaded, you can scroll around quickly and read it (e.g. ET forums), but navigating around the website is torture. Three years is a long time..... This Dell laptop is 2 years old, and I've worn the paint off one spot on the touchpad keys....
Dave, since you use a laptop (almost exclusively?) for trading, how would you configure a new "bare bones" trading laptop - in addition to including a 7200 rpm hard drive? What would be your key "must have" features in utilizing a robust trading software for various trading strategies? There are many here on ET who appreciate your well-thought-out responses. Thanks!
A couple of years ago I received a brand new Dell Inspiron 2650 notebook for a gift..It came with 128MB of Ram and after about a month I purchased 256MB from Crucial...everything seemed fine for about 11 months and then one evening I turned the laptop off and next day it wouldn't boot up..gave all kinds of error messages and no matter what I did couldn't get it to boot up....Eventually was told to reformat and did and still wouldn't boot up... To make a long story short, it was all due to Faulty Ram...The crucial stick went bad...I came to find out by Dell Forums, that I wasn't the only one to have this problem after installing Crucial Ram in a Dell Laptop... I then ordered and installed a 256MB from DELL and all is fine...just like it was for the first 11 months I had it......So maybe there is a reason it is only $300.00 at Crucial and $ 1k at DELL for what your looking to install and Dell honors the warranty if you install DELL ram.. I'm not saying Crucial suxs but just letting you know of my problem and again, on Dells forums I wasn't the only one having a problem with Crucial ram in a Dell Laptop..
I'd have to hedge my reply. For me, "bare bones" on a trading laptop begs for a 17" screen. I'd really enjoy the extra screen real estate and find my current setup too jammed in. I'd add a good deal of RAM to that 1G-2G, and make sure the processor's fairly powerful. Especially, if you are looking to do any automation or follow a large group of symbols. So much of the answer really depends on your trading speed, software, and universe of tradeable candidates. The multimedia capability, DVD burner, etc. are nice to have's. My ideal would be two side by side 17" laptops either hardwired in at home or wireless at some coffee shop..... Of course, you'd get a lot of questions in the coffee shop....
Hmmm... especially since we are nearing the end of a month which also happens to be the end a Dell reporting quarter... Traders, final-configure your systems! (For feature/price comparison ideas along side the Dell and other brand customizing charts): The Inspiron⢠9300 is designed as a high performance, mobile desktop replacement. Powered by the Intel® Pentium® M processor, new 915 chipset, super fast 533MHz FSB, Dual Channel DDR2 memory and Intel® 2915 Wireless card, the 9300 has both high performance and increased battery life. The faster graphics, broader spectrum wireless, amazing HD audio capability, and large high-resolution displays, make this an ideal mobile business presentation or game machine and desktop replacement. Includes 3-year Limited Warranty & Dell's At-Home Service. Dell has won more service and support awards than any other PC manufacturer in the last 6 years. Processor & Memory: Intel® Pentium-M® 740 Processor at 1.73GHz Intel 915 Chipset 2MB L2 cache 533MHz Front-side Bus 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz SDRAM (2 x 256MB) (expandable to 2GB) Drives: 80GB Ultra-ATA hard drive 8x DVD+/-RW, DVD & CD Burner Drive3 Graphics & Video: 17" UltraSharp⢠WXGA+ display; up to 1440 x 900 pixels 64MB DDR ATI® MobilityTM RADEONTM X300 PCI Express TM x16 Communications: Intel® PRO/ Wireless 2915 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g, 54Mbps) Integrated 10/100 Ethernet Internal 56K V.92 fax modem4 Audio: Integrated Stereo Sound Integrated Subwoofer Slots: Connectors: (1) Type I or Type II card 3.3 and 5 V cards supported I/O Ports: IEEE 1394 6-USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) compliant 4-pin connectors SD Memory Card Reader Video: 15-pin monitor connector Digital Video Interface (DVI) S-Video: 7-pin mini-DIN connector Audio jacks: Stereo headphones/speakers mini-connector (same as line-out), microphone mini-connector Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition Microsoft® Office Small Business Edition: Microsoft® Word Microsoft® Excel Microsoft® Publisher Microsoft® PowerPoint Microsoft® Outlook with Business Contact Manager Additional Software: Norton Internet Security⢠2005, Anitvirus, Firewall, AntiSpam, 15 months subscription. Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software Power Supply: Battery: 6-cell 'smart' Lithium-Ion battery, 53Whr5 Additional Information: Dimensions: 15.5" W x 11.3" D x 1.6" H Weight: 7.85lbs.6 Warranty and Service: $1,799.99 plus $8.00 for CA E-WST FEE Costco Item # 736566 Shipping & Handling included