Need advice for buying new trading desktop PC

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bgold

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I am looking to buy a new desktop pc but not sure what spec to look for , The platform will essentially only run eSignal charting platform with 4x 24inch screens.

What processor (for futures time and sales data), how much RAM, what motherboard, graphics card, CPU Cooler, PSU? Optical drive advisable? Guess not for my purposes.

Some guidelines much appreciated and perhaps tips where to buy (in UK). Budget is not unlimited ;-)
Thanks
 
If you are swing trading or trading using eod data then most pc's made in the past 5 years will do. If you are daytrading or will be using it for very intense charting, etc, then I recommend a min of 4gb ram and 2.5 GHz processor.

Peter
 
bgold said:
I am looking to buy a new desktop pc but not sure what spec to look for , The platform will essentially only run eSignal charting platform with 4x 24inch screens.

What processor (for futures time and sales data), how much RAM, what motherboard, graphics card, CPU Cooler, PSU? Optical drive advisable? Guess not for my purposes.

Some guidelines much appreciated and perhaps tips where to buy (in UK). Budget is not unlimited ;-)
Thanks
Click to expand...

I got one built using parts that I chose myself. I am in China so the assembly was cheap - only about 10 quid for the guy to put it together (very simple actually as everything slots or clips into place). I used fairly decent components including 2 nvidea NVS450 graphics cards. These will allow a maximum of 8 monitors to be attached although I am only using 4 at the moment.
I put in 12G of ram but don't know if that much is needed.
Anyway, I would recommend the NVS450 card - they are low power and don't get very hot. Fine for eSignal but not a good choice if you want to use the PC for games.

I chose Dell 23in Ultrasharp monitors. They were exactly half the price of the Dell 24in ones - and the difference in size (more than you might expect actually) is not a problem.

I used an i7 950 chip - which I found the most cost effective when I bought it (several months ago).
 
This is the one you want, I just bought one myself and for the money it's an unbeatable deal -

The 2nd one down - Dell Vostro 430 No Monitor @ £439 inclusive.

http://www.wizmarkcomputers.co.uk/hot-deals-dell-vostro-430.htm

Some people don't like Dell but I've always bought their desktops as they're solid. Think Ford, good cars but never going to impress your friends. But why buy a computer to impress people :)
 
anley said:
This is the one you want, I just bought one myself and for the money it's an unbeatable deal -

The 2nd one down - Dell Vostro 430 No Monitor @ £439 inclusive.

http://www.wizmarkcomputers.co.uk/hot-deals-dell-vostro-430.htm

Some people don't like Dell but I've always bought their desktops as they're solid. Think Ford, good cars but never going to impress your friends. But why buy a computer to impress people :)
Click to expand...

You sound convincing. I think that I may take your word for it as I am currently having problems with my Compaq. It seems to be a Windows software problem but to be honest it is 4 years old and I can't be bothered, repairs cost so much, in proportion, nowadays. It is Christmas, a slack time until Next Year and a good time to make the change.

Yours is not the first recommendation I have had about Dell.

Merry Christams.
 
Splitlink said:
Yours is not the first recommendation I have had about Dell.
Click to expand...

Every time I stray from DELL I've been disappointed. I just got a DELL workstation laptop as my main workhorse which includes many CPU and memory intensive activities of which trading is a small part.

Once again DELL has exceeded my expectations with the M6500 I just received a few days ago. Two screens will do the job for me.

If you purchase a DELL outside the standard configurations, give them a call to help you configure. I think I'm pretty savvy, but they helped me save nearly 25%. He found better resolution screens that were on sale for less than the ones in the configurator. After he was done he searched for some coupon codes that would apply. 25% was a lot of money for an expensive machine.

I'm calling in in the future, even for relatively simple and inexpensive systems.
 
If you want to hook up 4 monitors, make sure your graphic card can handle that. Check AMD and Nvidia websites to be sure about the card you're getting. I believe higher end ATI graphic cards from AMD can handle up to 6 monitors.
 
I like DELL Laptops - mostly Malaysian made.

I wouldn't trust those guys in Austin to put together a desktop though...
 
I forgot to tell you that I upgraded to 4GB of Ram. Also got Windows 7 64 bit for the future.

You can upgrade the ram via dell or use somebody like crucial.com (or .co.uk can't remember). Cost probably £30-£40.
 
Just a general point about multi-monitor graphics cards - I bought a Matrox G450's from ebay for about twenty quid, and they work fine. Obviously they aren't going to cut it if you want to play games on your machine, but for trading (numbers, newswires and a few graphs) they are fine.
 
Stunned silence.

I'm going for a middle of the range Dell (probably). My Compaq has 143 GB. After 4 years I've still got 106 GB.

I don't think that I need too many bells and whistles.
 
Buying a new computer is no small task. Making the right choice requires more than just knowing how fast a CPU you need or how big a hard drive you want--you need to have a good idea of how you'll use your new rig
 
Splitlink said:
Stunned silence.

I'm going for a middle of the range Dell (probably). My Compaq has 143 GB. After 4 years I've still got 106 GB.

I don't think that I need too many bells and whistles.
Click to expand...

Spit, it's never about storage space, it's all about speed. You might not need so much speed today but if the PC is going to last you another 4-5 years speed will come in handy for the future.
 
anley said:
Spit, it's never about storage space, it's all about speed. You might not need so much speed today but if the PC is going to last you another 4-5 years speed will come in handy for the future.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I am still using my current one. My son tells me that I had better save to disk all that I need. It's surprising how little there is important to lose! Junk appears to collect in the HD just the same as it does in the attic. I have kept a lot of charts but never looked at them---I prefer to bury my mistakes.

Still, we have the sales, now, and I have located a store that sells Dell. Discounts look good. Very tempting.

Have a great year.
 

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I trade forex, and I use notebook only. It is i3 and 2G Ram. Of course i5 or i7 are even better. And 4G Ram are better than 2G Ram. But it is enough for me, I use this for several months.
 
HI..I wish to buy desk top computer for my day trading and wish 3 monitors..could you please suggest me what make and any specifications to buy for first effective way workings
Thanks
 
I was down Leytonstone High Rd at the w/e - the expensive end. S/h Dell: P4, XP, Igb ram, monitor & all the usual + guarantee - £80 !

As a swing/position trader it would make me just as much as my state of the art 5 yr old PC (P4,XP, 1.5GB ram & all the usual).

Who says you need to spend a load of dosh on kit for trading?
 
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