T2W Trading Community

Monitors

As I’ve mentioned, you really need at least a 17 inch monitor. The reason being is that they simply offer more screen space, allow you to work at a higher resolution (typically 1024 x 768 pixels and upwards), and you can fit more information on the screen as such.

You can still buy ‘traditional’ CRT monitors, but increasingly popular now are TFT Flat Panel monitors, and the advantage of these is significant.

Firstly, they take up a lot less physical space on your desktop. With the average depth of a flat panel screen being just a few inches, when compared to an older CRT monitor at over a foot, you can really appreciate the difference. Secondly, they weigh a lot less too. If you’re considering utilizing more than one monitor for your trading, you don’t need to think about reinforcing the desk before you put them on it!

Of course, there has to be a downside - and in this case it’s price. In your average high-street store, you’ll probably find that a 17” TFT monitor will today cost around £50-£120 more than its CRT equivalent, but they are by no means expensive.

TFT Monitors also run at a higher resolution than CRT monitors, allowing you to fit more on the screen. A 15-inch TFT displays at 1024x768 resolution (with a CRT monitor you should really have a 17-inch monitor for this resolution), and a 17-inch TFT shows the desktop at 1280x1024, allowing even more screen space.

Multiple Monitors

You might find – once you get started – that with a single monitor you just haven’t got enough space on the PC’s desktop to fit everything on. If that’s the case, you may want to think about having multiple monitors installed.

Multiple monitors doesn’t mean several monitors all showing the same picture – that would be pointless. A true multi-monitor setup will let you stretch your PC desktop across all the monitors. So, for example, you could show a selection of charts, your order input software and maybe a news feed on two, three or more monitors, saving you time switching between windows. With today’s operating systems, it is relatively simple for even the most computer illiterate to install a multi-monitor setup.

Laptop Multi Monitors

If you like the idea of using a laptop PC, you’re already halfway there. Windows XP offers the ability to extend your desktop onto an additional screen – with no additional software or hardware required! Buy your monitor from your local store, plug it into what is typically the “projector” port on the back of the laptop (it’ll be the only one that fits, most likely), and Windows should automatically detect the new hardware. Once that’s done, it’s a case of going into Windows’ “Desktop Properties”, and ticking the little box to extend the desktop onto the second monitor – easy!

Desktop Multi Monitors

Installing a multi-monitor graphics card is a little more complex to do on a Desktop PC, but not so much that you shouldn’t try it yourself. If you’ve got some spare slots on the back of the PC (panels that look like blanking plates), then you should be ok. Check with someone who knows for sure before you go and buy your graphics card and shiny new flat panel monitor first though!

In simple terms, to install a new graphics card you just have to remove the cover from the PC and insert your card into one of the spare ports on the motherboard. When you next start the machine up, it ought to detect the new hardware and either automatically install the drivers from the operating system, or prompt you to insert a disk with the drivers on it.

Here is a short selection of useful links to both articles in the T2W forums and elsewhere on the web that should answer any questions you have, or problems that you encounter.

Realtimesoft: Installation Guide, FAQ’s.

MultiMonitors.org: News, screenshots and more.

T2W thread on installing dual monitors.

PC Mechanic – walkthrough on installing video cards.