I am in the process of building myself a new trading pc and am stuck for GFX choice. I will not be gaming so the geforce 8 series seems a bit of a waste. 3 monitors setup initially so will require 2 cards. Can anyone comment on Nvidia Quadro NVS 290 please? Cost is not an issue but stability is. Thanks.
The 290 came out in recognition of the higher VRAM requirements of Windows Vista. The only difference between the 285 and 290 is that the 285 has 128MB RAM, and the 290 has 256MB RAM. Both run on the same driver. If you're running WinXP (recommended for trading), get a 285. They're cheap and available. 290's are rare and expensive. For 3-4 monitors, get NVS 440, OR 285x16 + either 285x1 or 280 PCI.
thanks for the reply Gnome. lastly will the 285 be capable in supporting fast markets - 1min TF+ charts in periods of high activity from 3 different data providers without causing the system to become unstable?
I am also looking to update my multi-screen trading layout and am frustrated with the options. Matrox Graphics has recently released a new dual screen video card the Millenium P690. They have been in the multiple screen business for many years. Check out there cards. In addtion, PNY Technologies has multi-screen solutions for institutioanl users. They hae cards for 4 screen layouts. Good Luck czar1
I've just replaced my Matrox P650 PCIe 16x - 128 Mb with a simple Nvidia 285 64Mb RAM and now when recording camtasia sessions, the cursor on the screen is no more lagging the mouse and also slowing the PC in general (XP, Pentium D @4.Ghz, 1Gb RAM, HD 10K rpm raptor). Nvidia 285 seems to be faster than Matrox cards in my experience. I'm using Nvidia 162.65 whql driver.
When your system appears to be not stable during high activity, I'd venture to say that it is NEVER because of the video card. The 285's will handle anything in trading.
Nvidia NVS is faster than Matrox... however there is a new line of Matrox cards out which looks very much like the Nvidia NVS line. But the new Matrox line is much more expensive.
If you're trying to run Vista, THAT is likely the source of your frustration. If running WinXP, give Nvidia Quadro NVS a go... they've got something for every mobo and they all work great.
http://www2.pny.com/NVIDIA-Quadro-FX-370-PCIE-font-colordc0431NEWfont-P2532C329.aspx I picked up 2 of these for 4 screens.........these support Directx10 if you ever will need it, Quadro 290, 285 does not. For what you get this card is unbeatable for price, $125.00. 3D also. I would STAY AWAY from Matrox, they are from Montreal, Canada and the frenchmen in Montreal have hardons fopr non FRENCH speaking canadians and Americans also. Stick with your own kind i always say. Myself i feel better buying 2 or 3 dual monitor cards for 4 or 6 screens rather than pay more than 400 to 500 for a 4 monitor card.............what happens if the 4 monitor card craps out on you? it is a lot cheaper to replace a 2 head card. Example: one of the FX370 cards only costs $125 and you still have other screens working.............silly to buy a 4 head card. The FX card can be run with the fan disconnected when trading etc, NOT enough heat generated to keep the fan connected..........i have disconnected vid card fans for a few years now and never dropped a card yet. NOW if you are a gamer you will want a fan, but a gamer will not buy a PNY quardo card to begin with. Stick with nvidia, MATROX sucks, slow, support is horrible (do you speak french?) French vid cards are bad , only thing worth anything from France was the french kiss, ..