thinkorswim laggy on my PC. Time for an upgrade?

[maxinger]

Or from my perspective, why not? Up until this thread, I didn't realize that using both integrated and discrete graphics could be an issue. In the absence of any conflicts/issues, using both is the easiest/cheapest way to use multiple monitors. I was using IB's TWS that way without any obvious problems (2 monitors on integrated, 3 monitors on discrete).

The AMD card I have can support 6 monitors using either a MST hub, MST/daisy chainable monitors, or both (only has 1 DisplayPort). As of right now, I've got 5 monitors all on the AMD card. Integrated graphics has been turned off in the BIOS.

In general, integrated graphic chip gives you inferior quality.
also daisy chaining gives you inferior quality.
You should connect one monitor to one graphic card port.

I guess your AMD R9 270 card has 3 ports.
your graphic card is probably about 6 years old.
Now AMD has series like Radeon RX ....

 

[Landis82]

I've heard in the past that TOS was very resource heavy, especially when using any kind of streaming video feed like CNBC.
That was years ago, so I have no idea if the platform still runs that way.

I'm on Schwab's Streetsmart Edge platform with numerous quote pages, charts up, and Level-2 windows open.
Am on a Dell Precision Workstation that has two video cards (Nvidia Quadro M4000) that support my 4 monitors.

It takes awhile to get used to all of the features and functions, but its been well worth it. It runs pretty "thin" on my hardware platform.
And the T/A tools for charting are impressive!

I dont think that you have a hardware "issue" with your XPS 8700. I use the same computer as a back-up computer and it flies on a solid high speed internet connection for surfing the net.

You might want to try not using your integrated graphics card, and using a sole graphics card that supports multiple monitors and checking out Schwab's Streetsmart Edge if you can. Its free (with Level -2 ) if you have over $1.0 million in your account or have traded 120 times in the past 12 months. Otherwise, there is a monthly fee.

 

[vic38]

If you have not already, install a later version of Java...could be related to a software bug in the JVM that later got fixed. Make sure you install the 64-bit version of Java otherwise you won't be able to use more than about 2-3.5 GB of memory. Also update to the latest graphics drivers if you have not already.

I'm using the latest graphics drivers.

I went to update Java and got a message saying I hadn't updated Java in over 6 months, and it recommended I uninstall Java, which I did. TOS still works, so I assume TOS installs with its own installation of Java, which I'm sure it auto-updates.

 

[vic38]

In general, integrated graphic chip gives you inferior quality.
also daisy chaining gives you inferior quality.
You should connect one monitor to one graphic card port.

I guess your AMD R9 270 card has 3 ports.
your graphic card is probably about 6 years old.
Now AMD has series like Radeon RX ....

When I was using integrated AND discrete graphics, I was directly connecting 5 monitors to 5 ports. Once I gathered from this thread that using both dGPU and iGPU could cause problems, I disabled iGPU.

But to get 5 monitors on the iGPU, I'm using a MST hub AND daisy chaining.

Yes, the AMD R9 270 is 6 years old. 4 ports - DP, HDMI, 2xDVI; it's limited to 2 monitors on HDMI and DVI ports, and I've 3 monitors on the DP port (via MST hub and daisy chaining).

Yeah, I might try something like the Radeon RX 480. It has two DP ports, so I'd be able to ditch the MST hub (eliminating one source of potential issues), and still run 5-6 monitors. Though I'd still have to daisy chain DP monitors.

 

[ET180]

I went to update Java and got a message saying I hadn't updated Java in over 6 months, and it recommended I uninstall Java, which I did. TOS still works, so I assume TOS installs with its own installation of Java, which I'm sure it auto-updates.

Yes, you are correct. TOS is packaged with it's own version of OpenJDK. If you go to C:\Program Files\thinkorswim\jre\THIRD_PARTY_README you'll find this:

This notice is provided with respect to ASM Bytecode Manipulation
Framework v5.0.3, which may be included with JRE 8, and JDK 8, and
OpenJDK 8.

--- begin of LICENSE ---

Copyright (c) 2000-2011 France Télécom
All rights reserved.

So you're right. You don't need Java installed at least for the Windows Version. Have you tried a complete reinstall of TOS? Have you tried only running on 2 monitors? I assume with only 2 monitors, it runs perfectly smooth, no problems or lag at all.

 

[vic38]

Following up on this, I made a few changes:

• upgraded video card from Radeon R9 270 2gb vRAM to Radeon RX 480 8gb vRAM. Not much difference in TOS lag (again lag is in TOS only, not other apps)
• since I had to move to Win 10, it was easier/cheaper to buy a used Win 10 tower and sell my old tower than upgrade old tower. Essentially, this upgraded the CPU from 4th gen Core i7 to 6th gen Core i7. Both systems have 32gb RAM. Not much difference in TOS lag
• temporarily reduced # of monitors. Not much difference in TOS lag
• reduced # of chart windows - this is what makes the biggest difference. It was also what I was hoping to avoid. I'll have to work out a method to efficiently see the charts I want to see but without running so many charts simultaneously that TOS lags

Appreciate all the insights and suggestions.

 

[Turveyd]

Following up on this, I made a few changes:

• upgraded video card from Radeon R9 270 2gb vRAM to Radeon RX 480 8gb vRAM. Not much difference in TOS lag (again lag is in TOS only, not other apps)
• since I had to move to Win 10, it was easier/cheaper to buy a used Win 10 tower and sell my old tower than upgrade old tower. Essentially, this upgraded the CPU from 4th gen Core i7 to 6th gen Core i7. Both systems have 32gb RAM. Not much difference in TOS lag
• temporarily reduced # of monitors. Not much difference in TOS lag
• reduced # of chart windows - this is what makes the biggest difference. It was also what I was hoping to avoid. I'll have to work out a method to efficiently see the charts I want to see but without running so many charts simultaneously that TOS lags

Appreciate all the insights and suggestions.

Your spec was pretty good and improved, if that's not helped then maybe TOS is Internet data hungry ?? Internet speed ?? Hard Wire or Wifi ?? Wifi is quite slow so plug a cable in ??

Failing that, use your old PC and 1 or more screens to display a few charts, share the load between 2 computers ??

 

[vic38]

Your spec was pretty good and improved, if that's not helped then maybe TOS is Internet data hungry ?? Internet speed ?? Hard Wire or Wifi ?? Wifi is quite slow so plug a cable in ??

Failing that, use your old PC and 1 or more screens to display a few charts, share the load between 2 computers ??

Ethernet connection, not wifi.

Yeah, I could use 2 computers, but that becomes a logistical headache. And then I need more hardware to reduce the headaches and make switching between machines seamless. Probably easier, and certainly less expensive, to just adapt to fewer simultaneous charts.

 

[Turveyd]

Ethernet connection, not wifi.

Yeah, I could use 2 computers, but that becomes a logistical headache. And then I need more hardware to reduce the headaches and make switching between machines seamless. Probably easier, and certainly less expensive, to just adapt to fewer simultaneous charts.

Use 2nd PC as display only, just remote access in to change things maybe ?? only 1 keyboard and mouse visible then, do all the trading off the new PC and just have to open chart your trading on there.

 

[HobbyTrading]

reduced # of chart windows - this is what makes the biggest difference. It was also what I was hoping to avoid. I'll have to work out a method to efficiently see the charts I want to see but without running so many charts simultaneously that TOS lags

How many chart windows did you initially have? And at what maximum number of chart windows does TOS work fine, without lag?