Feedback on Futures/FX trading build with 4K 40" monitor (i5 6600K, 32gb RAM, 256gb M.2 SSD)

L

Loukas

Hey all!

I'm building a new PC for futures and FX trading and would like your opinion on the parts list below.

The computer will be dedicated to running my broker platform connected to Ninjatrader. I will be running up to 20 charts with intraday data, including tick data and some custom automated trading strategies. I also plan to do some backtesting and optimization. I will be using Windows 10.

Graphics:
I plan to use a 40" 4K monitor (Philips 4065uc) initially, with thoughts of purchasing another one in the future (monitors not included in budget).

As I will not be playing games, I chose the GTX 960 graphics card with 3x displayport ports to drive the 4K monitor(s).

UPGRADES:
I had about 200eur additional budget over my initial build and was considering the following upgrades:

  • (i) Core i5 6600K to Core i7 6700K (180eur)
  • (ii) 256gb Samsung 850 Pro SATA SSD to Samsung 950 Pro NVMe SSD (much faster read/write speeds) (120eur)
  • (iii) 16gb RAM to 32gb RAM - both Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4-2666- (100eur)
I decided to upgrade (ii) and (iii) for additional speedy access to software (SSD) and expandability (RAM).

Requirements:
  • 1) Fast and reliable performance. I will be working with this machine for about 12 hours per day.
  • 2) Quiet
  • 3) Ability to possibly drive an additional 4K monitor in the future for my work (can add an additional graphics card when needed). No gaming whatsoever.
Your comments please. Am I missing something? (Additional case fans come to mind) Not 100% sure about the motherboard, to be honest.

Also, should I be looking at workstation level components (Xeon), within my budget and requirements? Any suggestions?

My build:
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste

Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory

Storage:
  • Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
  • Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224FB/RSMS DVD/CD Writer

Total: €1.600
 
Looks sweet. I would do the processor upgrade to the i7 for the hyperthreading ability if the cost isn't a huge issue. But that's only if you are going to be running the system real hard doing charting and back testing at the same time. I don't think there is a need for server grade processors unless your making a ton of money and just want to have the most bad ass machine.

Some profitable traders trade off cheap laptops, so the system setup really won't do shit for your profitability.
 
When you post the actual brand of thermal paste your going to use, I suspect your component expertise is way beyond most people in the forum. Make sure the case uses frequency-biased screws on a staggered spectrum.

That said, I would argue that i7 is not necessary. Most trading applications do not have hyperthreading which the i7 supports. Please correct me if things have changed.

Great monitor. I have been eyeballing that for over a year. Please give us a thorough review of that monitor with insights on how you use the desktop management tools.
 
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The details of the build are straight out of my list on the parts builder website. I guess I should have taken the thermal paste out.

http://pcpartpicker.com

Not sure if Ninjatrader 8 (still in beta) supports hyperthreading? The v.7 which I currently use probably does not. The i7 is a faster clock processor, but I thought the money was better spent on the much faster SSD & more RAM.

Monitor seems great on paper and has good reviews. I believe I will like it better than separate 24" or 27" multimonitor setups of equivalent pixels.
 
Just teasing, friend. I am a computer geek. So, that is cool for me. It does make a difference.

Ninjatrader 8 supports multi-tasking with several cores. I don't believe it supports hyperthreading which is for GPU intensive tasks like 3D rendering.

You have a beast of a setup which seems optimal. Don't forget to turn off indexing and virus scanning for your data folder. Additionally, I read somewhere that there may be a tweak to set NT as the highest priority and/or tweak processor affinity.

The best monitor review to watch out for will come from a computer programmer. They multi-task quite a bit, read a lot of text and make occassional to frequent demands on the CPU for compiling programs. Gamers worry about rendering polygons and video latency.
 
xandman said:
Just teasing, friend. I am a computer geek. So, that is cool for me. It does make a difference.

Ninjatrader 8 supports multi-tasking with several cores. I don't believe it supports hyperthreading which is for GPU intensive tasks like 3D rendering.
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I'll check out for those frequency-biased screws on pcpartpicker then. Do they come in red? :)

Ninjatrader 8 is a no-go for me at the moment, as I had conflicts between IQFeed and TWS /IB (data would stop refreshing). Didnt want to take any chances so I went back to NT7. I am sure they'll sort it out by the time it's out of beta.

Programmers seem to love the 4K 40" Philips monitor from the current 73 reviews on Amazon. I think it will be fabulous with charts but have to try first.

Thank you for your feedback.
 
Loukas said:
Ninjatrader 8 is a no-go for me at the moment, as I had conflicts between IQFeed and TWS /IB (data would stop refreshing). Didnt want to take any chances so I went back to NT7. I am sure they'll sort it out by the time it's out of beta.
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That's unacceptable. Take this issue to the Ninjatrader 8 forum. Support is excellent. They will give you immediate attention. You may have to post outside the NT8 forum or email support, if you are not a beta tester.

http://ninjatrader.com/support/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=59

Your welcome.
 
Btw, this was my runner up to your monitor. The Phillips, having gone back up to $800 from $650, makes this monitor a contender because of it's pivot feature.

A pivoted 32" inch on a stand-up trading desk would be perfect for a chart wall, multiple DOMS or multiple options chains. 3 of these would be best for esthetics. ie intentional overkill

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=24-014-372
 
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If you are going to do any backtesting/optimization, then get as many cores as possible (hyperthreading is great for that) and at least 4 to 6 GB RAM per core.

Re. cooling, I use a Noctua NH-D14 on my i7-3930K, it is absolutely silent and keeps the CPU temps really low. It is a huge beast though, I wouldn't recommend using it in a mid-tower as you won't be able to service the power-supply w/o removing the cooler (or motherboard+cpu+cooler assembly).

The SSD capacity is on the low-side IMHO - Go for at least 512 GB, and don't forget you need to backup to something.
 
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