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Trading Computers

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Market Sniper

Market Sniper

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14 April 2008
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Hi

Just curious how much emphasis everyone puts into their trading computer in regards to your computers ram, hard drive, motherboard etc and whether you feel it makes a difference to your trading?

Also whether day traders view a faster computer more of a necessity than longer term traders and whether traders feel fills can be better with a faster system?

Thanks and merry xmas!!!!!!!!!:D:D
 

Your platform and broker are probably much more important for your fill speed than the computer (assuming your computer is not ancient).
 
fwiw, I've been upgrading my computer every 3 or 4 years, as a matter of course.
Being a day trader, reliability is more important to me than the ultimate speed. But there is also the consideration of cost-effectiveness. Sure, I cold've stuck with the old 28.8 dial-up modem; it used to be sufficient in "them olden days" - except that today's online programs offer data delivery at a much higher bandwidth, which, in the shape of ADSL2+, is even cheaper than the clunkers used to be.

As regards speed, I use the latest box, a 2.67 GHz i5, 64-bit Windows 7 box with 12GB of DDR3 RAM and 640GB HDD, as my main machine; the previous generation had 3.2 GHz dual-core, 2GB DDR1 RAM and 80 GB HDD with Windows XP, and it's loaded with the same suite of trading software, ready to be cranked up in case I need it.

While I do not need it, I run ancillary software on it - background info that's nice to glance at once in a while, but mustn't get in the way of my main apps Pulse and MA Pro.

Mind you, whenever I decide it's time for new hardware, I put a list of features together, then visit my friendly hardware shop and ask them to build me "this box". The last four generations haven't cost more than a Grand each.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Santa.gif
 
pixel said:
Mind you, whenever I decide it's time for new hardware, I put a list of features together, then visit my friendly hardware shop and ask them to build me "this box". The last four generations haven't cost more than a Grand each.
Click to expand...

Excluding graphics card and monitors I assume?
 
skc said:
Excluding graphics card and monitors I assume?
Click to expand...

Including dual-head graphics card and wifi adapter, but excluding monitors, mice, keyboards. The latter being compatible, so there's no need to change. In the last decade, I've replaced three CRT monitors by three LCD ones, each between $290 and $190.
 
Main thing in my opinion is backup, backup and backup, software and data, and plenty of RAM.

My setup, 3 hard drives and a partition on drive 1 for data.
All powered via a Powerware Uninterruptible Power Supply that keeps everything running for up to 5 mins after mains power failure.
 

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Market Sniper said:
Hi

Just curious how much emphasis everyone puts into their trading computer in regards to your computers ram, hard drive, motherboard etc and whether you feel it makes a difference to your trading?

Thanks and merry xmas!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

A basic new system is a fast system, of perhaps more importance is data storage and system reliability...you may want to consider having your hard drives running in a mirrored RAID arrangement so your data is less likely to be lost and your system less likely to suddenly stop working (mid trade) due to a HDD error.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID
 
That's interesting, sc
Do you still consider RAIDing or mirroring a necessary strategy?
I know, in the 1990's RAID was all the rage - in big business systems; I had one installed myself in an IBM midrange AS/400. But for today's PC systems, I would have thought that's a bit of an overkill. Unless you're running your own algorithmic trading system - aka 'bot - what kind of data is there that needs to be RAIDed? My Trading systems are getting data online - either as a Java app running in a browser, or a Delphi station drawing off the remote server, keeping only temporary data on HDD.
Leaves my (emailed) contract notes and account data, which I process daily and store on two different disk drives, plus regular backups to a thumb drive.

A UPS won't keep me trading, should my suburb lose power.
If necessary, a battery-driven laptop with mobile wireless connection might be the answer for that scenario. I have that as a last resort - but last time I tried to use it, the mobile network had also broken down.

What am I missing?
 
pixel said:
What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Looks like you have it covered...its just that RAID is so cheap and easy to do now, especially if your building a system from scratch, with RAID1 everything is automatically mirrored...add in a large external drive and regular back ups and you can almost never lose everything.
 
Lots of Good Ideas above for a stable Trading Workstation IMO, as I too include these technologies in all my systems.

UPS Power lasting upto 30mins - preventing damage from mains power, lightening & unplanned outages during trading days.

Raid Mirrored Drives In Addition to external Backups. - As Drive Technology Gets Cheaper so does Overseas Manafacturing Processes, while their MTBF (mean time between failure) is good, they can fail days, weeks, months after installation given MTBF is not a guarantee

Using brand name components are also key as they have established themselves over the competition for quality, relability and or design. Generally brand names in this industry will cost you few dollars more and well worth the money.

Yes execution is via online systems, though placing or exiting orders fast, simitanously charting, scanning across multiple markets & timeframes across multiple screens demands above average systems.

Personally I Invest 2-3k on any of my systems, as downtime esp at the wrong time costs, so rock solid reliability, fast multitasking & reasonable speeds are Key.

Lastly Higher Internet speeds bringing it all together are disirable, so my choice was Cable @ 100mbps with Bigpond as their 30mbps plans were $10 less, hence not worth considering if your DayTrading

SevenFX
 
I'd like a dedicated machine for technical analysis.

Something with around 100GB of RAM and 12 cores would allow me to load a reasonable amount of data and run parallel loops over it. In terms of backups, RAID mirroring and remote backups, preferably off site (rsync etc) are the way to go, at least for your scripts, if not data. Probably looking at min $15-20k for something like that.
 
Punta said:
I'd like a dedicated machine for technical analysis.
Click to expand...

Instead of having a second machine, duplicate software, etc etc you could just install a second hard driv and have a dual boot system keeping your trading and general work play seperate.

Punta said:
around 100GB of RAM and 12 cores.
Click to expand...

100GB plenty but 12Core processor only for the rich or someone wanting 10+ years lifespan.

SevenFX
 
May be a good metrics is annual IT spent vs profit.

I like to keep it under 1%... but that's just me.
 
I've found my ultimate machine....

I was hesitant to go with a laptop but now I'm convinced. I can use this with my three screens as well.
CanOz
 
skc said:
Your platform and broker are probably much more important for your fill speed than the computer (assuming your computer is not ancient).
Click to expand...

Agree.

And with



And Parallels I can embed Win.

Simple quick and reliable.

gg
 

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Garpal Gumnut said:
Agree.

And with



And Parallels I can embed Win.

Simple quick and reliable.

gg
Click to expand...

Love the apple stuff GG (even have use & the TWS app on my iPad), but haven't seen anything that does multiple monitors, crunches numbers, that i understand as well as a windows unit...

Mostly i want a machine that will last, and run the software that i have easily, plus multiple monitors (i have 4 monitors but will settle for three and the lappy.)

CanOz
 

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What sort of trading programs do each of you use besides your broker of course? ie Commsec, Bell Direct etc.
I have Incredible Charts on my computer but that's about it + a demo forex program.
Any decent free software available for charting or anything else?

Also, does anybody know of a adapter in order to get access to more monitors?
At the moment I have a laptop with a monitor connected, the laptop only has access to one port, maybe there is an adapter that connects into the one port but expands out to two? much like a double adapter for a electricity plug.
 
I use two broker platforms now, AMP and IB. Trading platforms, Amibroker, Multicharts, and Ninjatrader. Ninja is free for EOD.

You can get a multi monitor port, it I cannot find it recently. The Digital Tiger laptops have the cards to take up to four...check the site for other multi monitor products.

Cheers,


CanOz
 

I have 5 monitors hooked up to my trading laptop. I use a powered 7-port USB hub and 4 display adapters along with the standard HDMI outlet. (display adapter link below):

http://www.win-star.com/eshop/goods.php?id=103
 
I should add that I bought mine a few years ago, they have better models now with USB 3.0 support and HDMI outlets. Check the Winstars site for the others. I'd suggest searching an online tech shopping site such as Statice/Ebay/Shopbot etc. to get the best prices locally.
 
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