I am in the process of selecting components for my new system. My current system is almost 6 years old and I can no longer use it to trade. The new system must be: 1) Silent (or as quiet as possible) 2) Very fast and as much future proof as possible, I like to get at least 5 years out of it without any upgrading. I will be using NinjaTrader with Zen-Fire feed. This is a list of components I have selected thus far: Intel Core I7 980x Extreme 3.33HZ Asus P6x58D Premium Motherboard. Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB SATA III Mushkin 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 1600 PC3-12800 7-9-8-24 PNY NVIDIA Quadro NVS 450 - 512 MB - GDDR3 SDRAM Antec P183 Advanced Super Mid-Tower Case SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD PSU PLEXTOR 24X DVD/CD Writer SATA Model PX-880SA Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound Noctua NF-P14 FLX 140mm Case Fan Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64Bit AFT PROExpress-7 ExpressCard Reader VisionTek 900296 Xeno Pro PCIE1 256MB VGA 1). Will I even notice a difference using this CPU vs. Quad Core? NT 7 uses multiple cores, so I thought it would be better for backtesting. I suspect however there will be no difference at all when trading live. 2). The Intel processor I selected has an integraded memory controller (3 channels of DDR3 1066 Mhz) - Does this mean that I cannot use the memory sticks I selected as I will not be able to run them at 1600Mhz and at the specified latencies without overclocking? 3). Are there any bottlenecks or inefficiencies with these components? 4). The reason for the network card was so that all the network processing could be offloaded to it. This was based on the suggestion I got from someone, but it seems that it might not be necessary with the 980x - I would like to know a little more about this, how much faster will my system actually be with it when trading live? 5). i am hoping to use only 1 exhaust fan in this system, since the CPU cooler has 2 fans and is very capable, the hard drive produces no heat, and there are no other components that really need cooling. From my prior experience having an intake fan didn't make any significant difference cooling wise, but created much more dust. Should I however still get the 2nd fan but mount it at the top of the case to facilitate better air flow? Thanks
This topic was on another thread last week (Bolimomo?'s thread, you might want to read. Just make sure the quantity of RAM works with the Windows you choose. Based on what I read when experimenting with a setup, Dell claimed that over 4G of RAM does not work properly with certain MS Windows - cannot verify, but good to check... Overclocking is not really the best solution, in the opinion of some. Keep the box as high as possible off the floor. Lower = more dust. Also, plan to open the box once a month and clean out dust - cannot hurt. Some boxes are a LOT easier to open than others. Lots of USB slots never hurts. Do not know what SW you currently run, best at minimum to have a firewall (Windows usually has a builtin one - probably best to use that, but I do not use Win 7), good malware (Spywareblaster is my preference) and of course antivirus - I use AVG. Also CCleaner is good for running a couple times a week, to empty out all the clutter - temps, internet files, etc. how many monitors you run? Get the best video cards/drivers you can afford and make sure you research this carefully. Don't trash your box yet, just unplug them and keep them around; sometimes during "burn-in" phase, you may find a faulty part. Things seem to go early or never with electronic components. Don't think you are ready to go because it has worked for a week. Even then, always good for a trader to have a backup that is READY TO POP IN AND RUN IMMEDIATELY IN CASE OF FAILURE. You have a backup internet connection? Even a near-freebie?
My comments are as follows: The first item seems to be a 4-port video card. The second item seems to be a video card also. How many monitors are you planning to drive? From my experience, mixing video cards from 2 different makes may present compatibility issues and should be avoided. May be stick with PNY or with VisionTek? My opinion: I would have the second fan and have it mounted. Most of these cooling fans come with a 2-speed/on-off switch. You can turn it off when you have no need to use it. A fan is only about $10-$15 and it is handy during some extremely hot summer days. TraderZone suggested to take off the chassis and dust the CPU heatsink once a month. I think that may be too often than needed. I do mine once a year.
just got a message from EMC, emcworkstations.com, running a 6 monitor system special, delivered for just over 4K - monitors, mount and computer to drive it all. i7960, 22" montiors and stand. much better than my system from NTI
Actually, I said to clean out the inside of the box, not just heatsink. The approx 18"x15"x7" (whatever) box that houses everything. The fans pull in a lot of dust, and dust can slow performance/cause problems if built up. That is also why it is good to keep the box as high off the floor as possible
The VisionTek item is actually a network card (designed for gaming) that I thought would be usefull to offload network processing. Not the fan I selected. It costs 29.99 and comes with a Low Noise Adapter which will limit it's noise output to less than 14DBA. You would have it mounted on top of the case or use it as an intake fan?