Tech Gurus - Please Help

Not to worry. The PCI bus can handle 100-130 MB/s data stream. You're unlikely to exceed 100 KB/s in a trading rig. Presuming your BIOS allows video to run only from PCI, which it should, you could use only PCI cards and be just fine. (Before AGP there was only PCI.)

 

Sure tomahawk.

I am currently using 3 desktop computers made by Bolimomo Trading Computer, Inc.

2 are Bolimomo Model T:
- Motherboard ASUS P6T
- Processor i7-930
- 6GB of RAM
- 3 x EVGA 8400 GS display cards (PCIe X16), each drives 2 monitors
- another monitor driven by a USB-to-VGA adapter




Forums ›› Tools of the Trade ›› Hardware ›› Building your own trading computer

http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=195662&perpage=6&pagenumber=1

 

And the latest one is Bolimomo Model U:
- Motherboard MSI Big Bang Xpower
- Processor i7-950
- 6GB of RAM
- 4 x EVGA 8400 GS display cards (PCIe X16), each drives 2 monitors
- another monitor driven by a USB-to-DVI adapter

 

Sorry, just saw your post with the pictures. Very nice Boli ... I take it you design trading comps for other people from the sound of it (?)

 

LOL tomahawk! No, not really. That was only a tongue-in-cheek thing. I don't mind selling my setup for $3000 made-to-order though! Anybody wants one PM me! Free shipping!!!

 

At this point I'd almost be ready to take you up on that.

I'm currently waiting for the 3rd card I ordered ... a VTKX1300PCIEDMS with a single DVI port that functions as 2 with a splitter cable. A tech from Tech For Less assured me this was my best option, as the compatible cards with 2 ports are very difficult to find any more.

 

You could always just scrap those ATI cards and get proper Nvidia workstation cards off of eBay. About $30-$40 each for dualheads.

 

Thanks ... that's probably what I should've done, but too late now. I figured going for an exact replacement would be the simplest and most hassle-free in terms of compatibility. But I didn't count on them being this difficult to track down.

Right now I've got a Radeon single-head PCIEx16 ordered (with DMS59 splitter cable) as well as another Radeon dual head regular PCI. Hopefully one or the other will work, and if they both do I'll probably keep them and add a couple monitors, which I've been wanting to do anyway.

 

The Nvidia Quadro NVS line of video cards was designed to run multi-monitor setups...

The AMD/ATI card you have was not. Sure, perhaps it CAN [and perhaps not].. but as it was intended to be a "single card for gamer function [albeit at low end by today's standards]". Therefore, just because "that's what you've got" doesn't mean it's best to bend over backwards to make it work in a multi-monitor, mulit-card rig". In other words, it's sort of like hammering a nail with a pipe wrench, if you get my drift.

(My first multi-monitor trading rig ran 4, single-head ATI video cards with TV tuner. Back then, however, video cards were more generic and less picky about what cards they were compatible with and whether or not they were intended to be either a single card in a system or the primary card. That's all changed with today's hardware. If memory serves AMD/ATI has a line of video cards, much like Nvidia Quadro NVS, designed for multi-monitor rigs. But that's not what you have. BTW... Nvidia's NVS line is much less expensive, especially on eBay.)

 

When i first went to a couple more screens in an IBM Intellistation i had issues with MATROX dual cards which were standard in IBM back then. To make a story shorter, i switched to Nvidia Quadro NVS cards for a very good reason, that being, they were designed to be 2D no nonsense cards for the financial industry. How could a person go wrong?

The latest card i bought is the NVS 300, nary a problem when combined with the older 295 card, backward compatable with the drivers etc.........no sweat.

Like in trading.............KEEP IT SIMPLE I never buy anything from EBAY (that fad still around), it is best to fit the product to the job at hand....plus......quality always wins in the end. I get nervous buying items at "Slims Underpriced Emporium"

Something as delicate as computer toys surely can be penny wise and dollar foolish..... another example: marrying a gal that said..."marry me or i will leave" that is a VERY expensive one, others.. http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/10-examples-of-how-you-can-be-penny-wise-pound-foolish/

Someone should make that a CHIT CHAT thread....i dare someone to beat me on the marry me one....HA hahahahahahahah