New computer advice

T

tudor.squared

Hello all. I did a search but was hoping to get some responses more relevant to current technology.

I am looking to get a new trading computer. Some relevant information:
-I trade equities intra-day, not many tick charts though
-I need 4 monitors
-I would like this machine to last for 3 years or so with no upgrades -Live in Canada, so Dell USA not an option, but Dell Canada is
-Not inclined to build my own from scratch as I don't know enough
-Would rather not go to places like tradingcomputers dot com or digitaltigers dot com as they are too expensive for what you get
-Will use this only for trading and light internet surfing, no gaming

What type of processor should I be looking at for such needs? I really don't want to spend more than I have to on this computer. Also, RAM, video cards etc.?

Monitors I found from tigerdirect dot ca, probably going to get 4 of the Samsung 2494SW, and an Ergo stand, total for that is $1200 CND or so unless I can find a used quad stand.

Thanks for any insight.
 
Any main brand Core2Quad or Core2Duo (avoid Celerons, CoreDuo and Dual Cores), Windows 7 32 bit, 4Gb memory - just plug in an extra pci (not pci-express) graphics card.

The biggest thing performance-wise is to dump bloated security suites and get rid of useless background helpers etc, just use Avira/Malwarebytes/Spybot.

If the four screens are for viewable area rather than ultra high resolution, then forget the extra graphics card and just get one or two Samsung 1080p TVs. I am working on a 37" Samsung right now, perfect resolution at 1920x1080.
 
TVs are TVs. Why buy a PC to drive TVs?

37-inch screen with only 1920x1080 resolution you probably wouldn't want to view the screen close up.
 
Quote from paulxx:
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If the four screens are for viewable area rather than ultra high resolution, then forget the extra graphics card and just get one or two Samsung 1080p TVs. I am working on a 37" Samsung right now, perfect resolution at 1920x1080.
More...

Looked at a similar set-up at Best Buy today, though this one was a 46" Samsung LED LCD (same resolution as above, HDMI), picture was surprisingly good, even being up close...I'm planning to replace one of my computers and add larger screens, maybe something to think about...Used for charting/broker interface only...
 
Quote from moo:

New Sony Vaio Z. 13" screen with FullHD (1920 x 1080). Simply the best laptop money can buy.
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I'm sorry, I am not interested in a laptop. I don't see any purpose for it in a station that is meant to be stationary. I do have a laptop with an internet stick for backup, but that's it.

Thank you all for the suggestions and PMs. The TV idea is kind of intriguing too :)
 
The Samsung 37" TV I have can map pixels perfectly 1:1 - so it is also a monitor using DVI or HDMI cables - and way better than the two 22" 1680x1050 monitors I also have.

Frankly when you can sit comfortably four feet away, with a wireless keyboard and your boots up on the desk as I am now, or even on the other side of the room - memories of a nose inches from the monitor fade quickly.

I did try it once more a moment ago - and can confirm it was large but razor sharp - but am now glad to have my feet back where they belong.

I did have a slight fiddle to get the TV settings right, but it was actually a simple menu selection. Not all can act as monitors - so check before buying.
 
Quote from paulxx:

The Samsung 37" TV I have can map pixels perfectly 1:1 - so it is also a monitor using DVI or HDMI cables - and way better than the two 22" 1680x1050 monitors I also have.


I did have a slight fiddle to get the TV settings right, but it was actually a simple menu selection. Not all can act as monitors - so check before buying.
More...

Interesting, and some more research re map of pixels etc.
 
To get a pixel perfect display on your flat screen TV, there are two options.

One is if it has a regular VGA PC input. You use a regular VGA cable and you just set the graphics settings/resolution correctly on the PC's graphics card. The lower res TV s are 1360x768. The full HD 1080p type are 1920x1080.

The other, and better (although you might not tell the difference) is to use either the computer's DVI output, or if your graphics card has one, an HDMI output.

DVI and HDMI are more or less the same except an HDMI cable can also carry sound with it to your TV. If you don't have an HDMI output, then you need a DVI to HDMI adapter or cable, so that you have an HDMI plug to go in the TV (needs a second audio cable).

Then comes the slightly fiddly bit that might not work on all TVs but will on most newer ones:

1) If you have an ATI Radeon graphics card, then you need to go to the Catalyst Control Center and go on the advanced section to "Scaling Options" and set it to Overscan 0%. Make sure the HDTV support options are set to 1080p and 60Hz.

2) On the TV, choose the A/V source input list, choose the HDMI socket that is connected to the computer, and there may be a second step (there is on Samsungs) to set the HDMI source to a "PC" type.

I didn't find that last option for a while, but when I did the screen became pixel perfect and has absolutely changed the way I use the computer.

I set up a customer with this yesterday also, but had to use a regular VGA PC connection as I couldn't get it pixel perfect through the DVI/HDMI connection. It still looked very good on his smaller and lower res 1360x768 TV.
 
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