Wide or regular monitor? what size? how many?

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by anituchka, Jun 10, 2010.

  1. Hi, I am a newbie, wondering which monitors suit better for trading? regular or widescreen? What size of monitor is the best? Is it the bigger the better :D or not? Also, how many monitors do I need to have to start? If I have 2: 1 for charting and 1 for execution, will it be enough or am I missing something?

    I plan to trade maybe 1 or 2 contracts at a time and close them before the end of the day.

    Thanks, guys! (and girls)
     
  2. Check out some of the older threads in this hardware forum. Lots of answers and opinions.

    Regular: I assume you meant the conventional 4:3 ratio LCD monitors. They don't sell those any more. You can only get them used or refurbished. All new ones are "wide", or 16:9 ratio.

    Size: the bigger the better generally. But the bigger the $$$$$. So there is a point of diminishing return. Or point of reluctance. Currently that's about 22-inch to 24-inch.

    I have been recommending Samsung SyncMaster 2243SWX monitor (22-inch). Color very clear and contrast ratio the best. I like ViewSonic too. I don't like LP - broken easily.

    To start, probably 2 monitors would be adequate. You can always add more if you feel you need them. 2 monitors really give a lot of convenience no matter what you do than a single screen.
     
  3. Thanks! Yes, I could only find wide screen monitors. Are they convenient for trading?
     
  4. It depends on your trading style and how into it you are. To watch CNBC and get into one ES contract on the open and close it at 2:00 is one thing.

    But if you're trading heavy and you are a "big picture" person you may benefit from being able to see gold, forex, oil, es, etc.

    As to screen size, think resolution. The greater the resolution the more stuff you put on it. The bigger the screen, the bigger the stuff is without respect to how much you can put on it.
     
  5. No. Widescreen monitors make it virtually impossible to succeed as a daytrader.
     

  6. Got it.. I know I can't use wide screens for Office Applications but wasn't sure how they would suit for trading.
     
  7. so mean, yet so funny
     
  8. I don't see any big difference in using wide versus the regular 4:3. You adjust your layout to place your charts/boxes accordingly.