I have had some real turkeys over the years , all bought off the shelf, so for my current machine I went a different way and specified all name-brand components (ASUS mobo, AMD cpu, Matrox video card, Maxtor hdd's, etc) and I am VERY pleased that I did - this thing really flies ! (I do a lot of C++ coding and a lot of heavy number-crunching, hence the AMD cpu.) Moral? Forget the 'solution-in-a-box' and get to specifying exactly what you need. As a guide I have found that the requirements for a serious gaming machine are often similar to the requirements for trading, but ask around first - there are plenty of hardware forums.
that's usually the case, but for trading you can't be using some half ass computer, that will slow down or freeze up if you try to have 5 or 6 charts open. Having a better computer won't make someone a better trader, but if they are already a profitable trader, then having a better/faster will allow you to do more/look at more on your screens.
Here is a really dumb question: If I want to go laptop...which is the best? anyone using the 17" laps? HP and Toshiba make em.
Get a new machine. I recently brouht a dell dimension 2.6Ghz, and after mail in rebates, got it for approx $ 460.00. Got 512 K memory (actually) waited for the deal from best buy for approx $ 50.00 after rebates. The thing is fast. No problems. Note in most of the dell desktops, there are only two slots for memory expansion. One of them is already used, from the standard memory supplied. For $500.00 , without a monitor, one cant go wrong.
Configure your own with quality parts. Have a Dell WS 220 and after specing out my parts the Dell cant compare in both $$$ and quality of parts. Remember all pc manufacturers have cheapened parts from a few years ago. My Dell 220 been rock solid but the parts Dell uses now in them are of low quality. mktman
if i want to go to 3 or 4 monitors, how will that affect my computer. do i need more ram or memory, or a faster machine to handle 3-4 monitors? i know a little about the matrox cards also, but not much. any advice from some computer savy traders would be great. thanks.
Why don't you look at an upgrade kit? I upgraded a couple of computers this year myself for only about $300 each and they work great. It's not hard at all to do yourself. Its not a lot harder than adding a new component to your stereo system. You may end up spending a little more time and money than originally planned when doing an upgrade but at least you'll learn your computer inside out. Then the next time something goes wrong with your computer you won't have to depend on someone else to repair it. I remember last year the computer technician told me that it would be a couple of weeks to fix my computer. I tried to tell him, don't you realize how far a stock price can move in that time? ....but I may as well have been talking to the wall. All the technician was worried about was whether or not the latest Star Trek movie conveyed a true interpretation of the young Luke Skywalker. He could care less about how many points the ES Futures had gone down.
I'd prefer 3 computers over 3 monitors connected to one computer. I'd hate to have to depend on a single computer for my trading. I'd consider keeping your old computer for backup and connecting it to your new computer. All you need is a couple of network cards (included with most new computers) and a crossover cable to connect them.
A network cable looks like a phone cable on steroids. Instead of four wires it has 6. A crossover cable is a network cable that has the 6 wires in it crossed over. You can use this when you want to network only two computers. If you have three or more computers you have to use regular network cables connected to a hub. http://www.jimthompson.net/xphome/Two_Computers.htm Go ahead and play with your computers, its a lot harder to lose money doing that than it is daytrading. The worst I've done with my computers is burn out a CPU for $100 because I didn't know to install a cooling fan. I've lost a lot more trading in a lot less time.