I am often asked about my trading computer setup and what decent money I can spend on such a computer. I wanted to take a few minutes to share my thoughts and help you build a computer that is trading more with your money.
Ever since I started in the financial industry, I have been working with Windows PCs (computers). I don’t know much about Apple’s Macintosh (Macs) computers so the information I share with you will be focused on PCs. All trading platforms and software are compatible with PCs. The opposite is true for Macs where only a few trading platforms and software are compatible.
Like anything else, you get paid on a computer. There is a premium for Macs compared to PCs, which is usually twice the cost. Macs, however, are well-built and come with good features.
PCs on the other hand are a different matter. Brand name PCs, such as Dell, HP, and Acer, use some of the less expensive materials on their computers and life expectancy is not as long as they should be. These cheap components may not fully utilize some of the key features you want on a computer, such as a processor. And while you may have a good processor, some inside PCs may not use the processor as it should. At the end of the day, you have paid for a top notch processor that you won’t ever completely utilize.
In my opinion, the best of your bucket builds your computer. You can purchase the best parts each with its own warranty. It’s easy to go up and down the aisle and fix things up if you have problems.
There are companies out there selling trading computers for £3,000. You don’t need that. It is a common misconception that the faster your processor, the faster you will get from trading. The fact is that trading platforms and software only use a certain amount of resources on your computer and are actually at a low end.
These expensive computers are built with excellent parts for hardcore players. Trading platforms and software do not come close to using the resources that come with these expensive computers. The bottom line is that you are paying high dollars for a state-of-the-art computer that exceeds the extent of what you will need to trade.
I recently bought a newly built desktop on Arbico Computers. It’s a good computer and here are the parts:
- Processor -AMD Phenom II 3.10 GHz
- Motherboard – Asus M4A87TD USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard SATA 6GB
- Cooling – Cooler Master Hyper N520 RR-920-N520-GP 92 m
- Memory – Kingston 12 GB (4 X 2) DDR3 SDRAM 1600
- Hard Drive – Samsung 750 GB Storage (7,200 RPM) 32 MB
- Drawings – MSI GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB 256-Bit DDR3 PCI Express
- Characters -Thermaltake Commander series
- Operating system -Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
- Keyboard – Logitech K360 wireless keyboard
- Mouse – Wireless Logitech Any Mouse MX
I use three trading platforms and two data feeds and this does not use more than sixty percent of my PC usage and 5-6 GB of memory. The absolute expense of my PC, including transporting, was £370!
Trading Screens Display:
You only need one screen to make money. I used to have six screens at one point because I felt I needed to get a “pulse” on the market. You don’t need that many screens. Your mind cannot even process all that information. I found myself under a lot of pressure, being overwhelmed, and making bad decisions because of all the information that shone before my eyes. When I got rid of the unnecessary screens, my decision-making process improved, and I found myself a little tired.
In the case of visual commercial installation, I believe it is very small and at the moment, I have two HP 2159M 21.5 inch HD LCD monitors.
Commercial Trading Computer
Before I bought the desktop described above, I used a laptop with two additional monitors.
Ever since I got the desktop, I really enjoy taking my laptop with me to the house or on the street. I have an Acer AS5742-7120 15.6-Inch laptop. I purchased it on eBay as a £400 renewal item sent. The specs are slightly different as they have an Intel Core i5 processor and 6GB of DDR3 RAM.
I hope this information has helped you realize that you do not need a large computer to trade and that a decent computer for your trading business can be very expensive.
I shared with you trading computer setup with Arbico PCs. Let me know about your trading setup or what you plan to get after hearing my understanding.
