I need to setup a desk for 4-6 traders/portfolio managers. All monitors will hang on a single upright pole and use Ergotron hardware. All workstations will be identical. Iâm thinking about a 5-monitor setup using Dell 2408WFP monitors â three horizontal in the middle and two upright/vertical on each side. Iâm thinking if I use the Ergotron triple-arm extenders to attach the middle monitor and the two upright side monitors it will both center the side screens (so it looks nice) and leave room underneath the side monitors for a phone as well as mouse/keyboard cords. Each workstation currently consists of two machines (and two mouse/keyboard setups) but this needs to change and be increased to three. I would like to have only one keyboard/mouse per desk and consolidate clutter. Iâm thinking that the three center screens can be used for Bloomberg and the side screens can each be used to remote into an execution machine and an internet/email machine. Each workstation will have 1 local machine and two remote machines associated with it. My only other thought would be to consider adding a sixth monitor and running 3x2 on Ergotron triple arms, or, possibly running a 2x2 quad with two vertical monitors on the ends (lower & wider). Hardware will be some combination of NVIDIA NVS 295 and NVS 450 cards. Any thoughts or comments on a setup like this are welcome as I have never personally sat in front of wide screen monitors. I have received neutral/indifferent feedback from the guys who will be sitting at the desks.
Good luck setting it up TJ. I had hell of a time trying to set up only 3 mons in a 3x1 grid all in portrait configuration (Win 7 64-bit Ultimate). Windows crapped. An i7-950 CPU, 6GB RAM. While running TradeStation, CPU was constantly at like 80% busy (it's around 10% and under all day when I run 8x1 in landscape config). I don't have any explanation for it, just that it didn't work for me. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=215862
Each guy's main box will be a dual x5460 xeon box with 16gb RAM and W7 Professional x64. I've got to say I've never had that experience and have always found W7 to be so easy a caveman could do it... I think the suggestion you recieved about maxing out your BUS was legit - try and either get better video cards or its time for a more robust CPU/RAM/Mobo combo. Do you think that layout will be decent to work from? I know it would work for me but looking for feedback from others. Thx.
THe hardware sucks, on the graphic card side. Get an ATI 5770 from PowerColor - the Eyefinity 5 version. That is about 200something odd USD. 5 output ports with DisplayPort. One card, 1gb memory. Should be plenty. And it is quite low power usage if you dont run the 3d mode a lot.
The overall setup. This is ONE card to run the whole rig, not two. It costs less, uses less power, provides a modern directx 11 implementation and can be used or many things. Pretty much the "one card, 5 ports, decent price and displayport" are making this keepers for quite some time.
1. Even if you used 3, NVS 295 cards, cost would be about the same or less than a Radeon 5770 Eye 5. 2. Less power? 295s run about 23W maxed out, 10W at idle. 3. 5770 has a fan... heat? noise? 4. NVS 295 & 450 also have display port 5. While NVS 295/450 don't support DirectX 11, not necessary for a trading rig... 6. NVS 295/450 can be used "for other things".. I've watched movies with them... they're just not the best gaming cards (but then, we're not really talking about a gaming rig here, are we?) 7. Possible failure... if your Eye 5 goes down, you might lose all 5 monitors' video display. If an NVS 295 goes down, you lose only 2 monitors. Verdict.... NVS > 5770 Eye 5 for a trading rig. IOW... NVS does NOT "suck".
Buy and throw away? * ATI pulls a lot more power potentially due to being a lot more powerfull if you use it. I.e. 3d etc. it stays VERY quiet (can be run passively) in 2d mode. * DirectX11, 3d power not needed for trading? Here is something: I would not buy based on today, but based on 3-4 years. DirectX 11 + 3d are what runs Windows 7 very fast screens. WPF - the windows 7 display stack - is using the 3d card for acceelration, as is IE 9. I would buy based on tomorrows possible needs also, not just on what your configuration neededs now. Otherwise this is short term planned obsolence.