Building My Trading Computer

S

Stone Tool

I decided awhile back to build a computer specifically for day trading. The object being primarily to be able to display more information without stacking stuff. The computer has 4 27" Samsung monitors from Costco ($299 each), and below is a copy of my parts invoice from Tiger Direct:

Ultra X-Blaster Black ATX Mid-Tower Case with Front USB, FireWire and Audio Ports (ULT33178) $42.61

Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 500GB, 7200rpm, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM (TSD-500AAKS) $39.99

Ultra LSP550 550-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty w/ Registration (ULT-LSP550) $37.38

Kingston ValueRAM 2048MB 1066MHz PC3-8500 DDR3 Desktop Memory Upgrade, 1x2048MB, 240 Pin (K24-7062) $44.99

Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA (OEM) (L12-1312 OEM) $16.99

(2) EVGA 512-P3-1242-LR GeForce GT 240 Superclocked Video Card - 512MB DDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, DVI, HDMI, VGA (E145-0244) $92.99ea. $185.98

Asus M4N75TD Motherboard - Socket AM3, nForce 750a SLI, ATX, RAID, SATA, Gbit LAN, Hybrid SLI (A455-2895) $99.99

$99.99
AMD ADX450WFGMBOX Athlon II X3 450 Triple Core Processor - 3.20GHz, Socket AM3, 1.5MB Cache, Retail w/ Fan (A79-0450) $79.99

Total for all Items: $547.92
Shipping & Handling: $19.78
Grand Total: $567.70


Note that this is a fairly conservative system. I didn't go for the max, though I didn't need as much processor as I bought, the premium isn't a great deal, and Asus boards ramp things down depending on demand. Trading is NOT a high powered task. The bottle neck is the internet connection. 2 GB of memory is enough for the job. I am running Windows Vista......... I would run XP if I had a copy, and when I nail down my monitor issue in Linux.... it only sees two of them.... I will be running Scottrade Elite under windows Emulation in Suse 11.2. The Asus board I chose for it's two PCIE slots, the cards I chose were low end gaming cards for their dual outputs. Everything is from the "low end" of the spectrum. I do NOT believe in high powered gaming equipment for trading. I want solid reliability!!

Howard
 
Quote from Stone Tool:


(2) EVGA 512-P3-1242-LR GeForce GT 240 Superclocked Video Card - 512MB DDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, DVI, HDMI, VGA (E145-0244) $92.99ea. $185.98
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If you build your PC from a cost-saving approach, there are a few (new not used) dual monitor cards from EVGA and PNY Technologies, PCI X16 bus, for $49.99 each. And maybe $40 on sale.
 
Quote from Bolimomo:

If you build your PC from a cost-saving approach, there are a few (new not used) dual monitor cards from EVGA and PNY Technologies, PCI X16 bus, for $49.99 each. And maybe $40 on sale.
More...

I chose these cards specifically because I was confident that they would handle my 4 monitors at 1080P resolution and full color depth (not that color depth is an issue). Anyway it's a "done deal" now.

I am having a problem with my system not allowing me to display the monitors in a rectangular box of 4.... It will only allow monitors of that resolution to display in a line. Nobody seems to have the answer to that problem yet. I was hoping someone here could clue me in as to how to beat that one. The Navidia utility for setting up monitors tells me nothing at all....... it just won't let me stack them. In Linux there is a warning that it exceeds some vertical pixel limit. At the moment I am redesigning my work station to allow a three monitor array in an arc, the fourth one will be on the other computer anyway and used for chores other than running my trading platform.

Howard
 
In Microsoft Windows OS, you can use the "Display" utility ("Adjusting Screen Resolution") to adjust the monitor placements. The NVidia driver software itself (which enables you to turn on/off the second/third/etc display) can't handle the stacking. I believe that is because it is an operating system's responsibility.

It seems you are running linux OS. And I have no experience in that area.
 
With the Windows display utility, if you can see all your monitors in Windows, you should be able to stack them like this - e.g. in a 3 x 2 grid: (example shown is in Windows 7):

attachment.php
 

Attachments

Quote from Bolimomo:

With the Windows display utility, if you can see all your monitors in Windows, you should be able to stack them like this - e.g. in a 3 x 2 grid: (example shown is in Windows 7):

attachment.php
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Thanks:
I hadn't had a chance to break down my existing system and try it until this evening. The Navidia monitor utility that came with the cards offers the same choices, but would not allow me to stack one above the other, only rearrange them in a line. The window in question was virtually identical to the standard on in windows. It's quick and easy to reach in Vista....Right click, select "personalize" and select "display settings".
I was sure the Navidia utility designed to work with Windows that had the same basic window in it was designed to work............. Wrong!! Typically it's windows that makes life difficult ;-)
Thanks again!!
 
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