Have question for the technologically savy folks - have consulted the archives, and am overwhelmed by info. The needs appear more advanced than mine currently, so I will try for simplicity here. Am somewhat computer literate, but have little understanding of system requirements (memory/speed/etc.) as they relate to trading - read alot bit still confused. Would appreciate your help. Need to upgrade, like to consider what I have over purchasing new.
Currently have the following systems:
IBM PC (got it as a bonus for some work I did a while back - came from a wirehouse that only used single monitor and Reuters data feed)
PIII 500mgz CPU
1g hard drive
56k modem
356 ram
Trident Video Card (dual monitor capability)
Compaq Presario 1200 Notebook (about 2 years old)
Celeron Chip (not sure of the speed)
64m ram
56k modem
CD Rom
Have access to a PC with 1.0 gh Celeron, 20gb harddrive, 128mg syncdram, cd-rw rom, 56k modem (looking into upgrading to dsl).
Have 2 17" and one 15" (all crt) monitors, and an older Trident 9440 1mg pci video card.
My Style:
Primarily look for stock moves ranging from a couple minutes to a couple hours max., while watching about 10 stocks and the dow/s&p/qqq, all with charts, and do not look much for scalping (pennies/nickles for seconds/minutes). Would like to expand my watch lists over time.
Question:
Since speed is not as great a factor for me as it is for more aggresssive traders, it appears that my needs are modest. Tested my ISP and it seems stable, rarely get disconnected, sub 300 ping rates (mostly 150-200) - but speed only seems to be about 33k even with 56k modem.
Of the three systems, what would be the better solution to configure a basic system for backup/beginner usage with multimonitor capabilities (prefer 3 monitors- 15" & Trident card for text based apps., 17" for charts - if I can use the ones I have, otherwise 2 can suffice)? Are these systems cost effectively capable of being configured to my needs, and if so, what would I need to do?
Looked into the following: a) upgrade notebook memory to 256mg (cost about $80), b) install multimonitor cards in IBM PC (cost for used cards $30 - $150), c) install same cards in 1.0 ghz PC (cost same), or d) upgrade to new system and sell Notebook and IBM PC.
Thank you for your time and help.
Gordo
Currently have the following systems:
IBM PC (got it as a bonus for some work I did a while back - came from a wirehouse that only used single monitor and Reuters data feed)
PIII 500mgz CPU
1g hard drive
56k modem
356 ram
Trident Video Card (dual monitor capability)
Compaq Presario 1200 Notebook (about 2 years old)
Celeron Chip (not sure of the speed)
64m ram
56k modem
CD Rom
Have access to a PC with 1.0 gh Celeron, 20gb harddrive, 128mg syncdram, cd-rw rom, 56k modem (looking into upgrading to dsl).
Have 2 17" and one 15" (all crt) monitors, and an older Trident 9440 1mg pci video card.
My Style:
Primarily look for stock moves ranging from a couple minutes to a couple hours max., while watching about 10 stocks and the dow/s&p/qqq, all with charts, and do not look much for scalping (pennies/nickles for seconds/minutes). Would like to expand my watch lists over time.
Question:
Since speed is not as great a factor for me as it is for more aggresssive traders, it appears that my needs are modest. Tested my ISP and it seems stable, rarely get disconnected, sub 300 ping rates (mostly 150-200) - but speed only seems to be about 33k even with 56k modem.
Of the three systems, what would be the better solution to configure a basic system for backup/beginner usage with multimonitor capabilities (prefer 3 monitors- 15" & Trident card for text based apps., 17" for charts - if I can use the ones I have, otherwise 2 can suffice)? Are these systems cost effectively capable of being configured to my needs, and if so, what would I need to do?
Looked into the following: a) upgrade notebook memory to 256mg (cost about $80), b) install multimonitor cards in IBM PC (cost for used cards $30 - $150), c) install same cards in 1.0 ghz PC (cost same), or d) upgrade to new system and sell Notebook and IBM PC.
Thank you for your time and help.
Gordo
