Buying New Trading Computer

C

CA04

I'm planning to buy a new pre-built computer (right now looking at Dell and HP).

- this computer will have no other software, will not be used for internet, movies, pictures etc. nothing but trading.

Here is what I will be using:

Broker: IB
Software: Multicharts (sometimes Tradestation)
Data provider other than IB
One monitor / possibly add another
2 Strategies

My trading style is a split between intra-day and swing. RTM. I take a lot of trades around the open and close. Automated.

Is there anything I really need like SSD, a lot of RAM etc? I'm thinking of getting a basic desktop like the Dell XPS 8300 for $899 w/ Monitor.

Why are people paying 2k+ for high end XPS or Alienware-type machines... Am I missing something? I don't mind paying more but don't want to pay for something fancy I don't need.

Thanks so much for any advice. Hope I gave enough specifics and made sense as I'm not very tech-orientated.
 
Quote from CA04:


I take a lot of trades around the open and close. Automated.

Is there anything I really need like SSD, a lot of RAM etc? I'm thinking of getting a basic desktop like the Dell XPS 8300 for $899 w/ Monitor.

Why are people paying 2k+ for high end XPS or Alienware-type machines... Am I missing something? I don't mind paying more but don't want to pay for something fancy I don't need.
More...

The "Automated" and "a lot of trades" are a wild card. Only you know how much computing power you may need and it can vary quite a bit.
I do think that your reasoning is sound. That a XPS 8300 may just be what you need (sounds like a good deal).

Dell's website said:

Intel® Core™ i5-2400 processor(6MB Cache, 3.1GHz) [Included in Price]
Intel® Core™ i5-2500 processor(6MB Cache, 3.3GHz) [Add $100.00 or $3.00/month1]
Increase Efficiency
Intel® Core™ i7-2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz) [Add $180.00 or $6.00/month1]
More...


i5-2400 has a Passmark rank of 6000+, which is about the same as an i7-930 processor. (In layman terms: very good speed).

If you think you may need more number crunching power, select the i7-2600 processor, which has a Passmark score near 9000 (about 40% faster).

HOWEVER... there was a thread in this forum saying there were some issues with this i7-2600 processor (codename Sandy Bridge). I have no first hand experience so I don't know what the status is.

Dell gives you 8GB RAM. For general usage that's plenty. But if you have sophisticated programs with tons of variables and array elements, that's a different story.
 
Quote from Bolimomo:

"... HOWEVER... there was a thread in this forum saying there were some issues with this i7-2600 processor (codename Sandy Bridge). I have no first hand experience so I don't know what the status is.
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That problem has been fixed with new chipsets and mobos. Most makers are including "B3" in their model number to indicate "this mobo includes the fix".
 
Quote from CA04:

"... Is there anything I really need like SSD, a lot of RAM etc? I'm thinking of getting a basic desktop like the Dell XPS 8300 for $899 w/ Monitor.

More...

If you're planning to run only 1-2 monitors, just about any computer is OK.. including the XPS 8300. If you think you might want to run 3 or more monitors in the future, you should consider getting a computer with 2 or 3 PCIEx16 slots. (The XPS 8300 has only 1).

You might consider Dell Outlet for a Precision T3500. They currently have one with W3530 CPU for $779... not quite as powerful as the new Sandy Bridge ones, but still very good. And with the Precision Line, you get a better mobo and better support.
 
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