Stock Trading Computer - 4 monitors

I currently have:

ABIT IC7 G Max 2 MOBO.
Intel P4 3.0 GHz 478 CPU w/ 512 L2 Cache.
Hyperthreading enabled.
2 GB Crucial DDR 400 PC3200 RAM.
4 19" CRT monitors.
2 Dual Head Video Cards w/ 32 RAM each
- AGP Matrox G400/G450
- PCI Matrox Millennium G450.
I usually have ~100 real time charts open on screen.

This system is about 2.5 yrs old and can't handle the data &/or 2D graphics. It maxes out the CPU & freezes completely several times a day, especially at the opening bell when volume is so high.

Would it help to boost the RAM up to 3 GB, or do I need to upgrade the Video cards, CPU or MOBO. Or all 3?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Losing your platform with 5-6 open trades in the balance is NOT acceptable.

Thanks.

It sounds like to me this machine doesn't fit the bill for what you are trying to do.

It sounds like the processor is the main problem along with the older graphics cards probably aren't helping too much either.

With all you got going on 100 charts with real time data movement and any other activities you are doing is choking the machine.

You already have alot of memory for your current rig, so adding more memory is unlikely to do anything.

If your trading platform or charting software would benefit by any by being 64bit you might want to look into this avenue. If it does support it then you would need to get the Win64 OS to take advantage of it, just make sure all the components that you put in the machine has 64bit drivers, other wise you'll be pulling the rest of whatever hair you have left out.

In the Video card arena go with the parhelia or p750 at the least. Try to make the shift to pci-e on one of those cards. The parhelia should be able to run three of those monitors if I'm not mistaken and I'm pretty sure the p750 can run at least 2.

So with that kind of rig you could add another monitor.

At the very least get a dual core cpu. If your charting or trading station software is not 64bit then don't worry about it, just go with the regular Winxp or pro version. Get at least as much memory as you have with your current rig, just to be safe.

From what all you have going on, it's in your best interest to get the fastest cpu you can afford. I would venture to say this will would be an Amd x2 or Opteron the fastest you can afford. It might even be more beneficial to go with 2 P750 vid cards and a faster processor if the choice comes down to that.

Intel wouldn't be a bad choice either but really the only advantage intel has over Amd is encoding video files and such, but intel costs more, not only the proc but typically the mobo too.

Thanks Hey You. I will look at the Nvidia cards.

Pip seeker, I will check with my software vendor (Tradestation) & see if 64 bit is supported. I was thinking that more RAM might not help here, and you seem to agree.

Tenaciously. Point well taken. I want to spend less rather than more (don't we all), but I definately need some more horsepower. I could replace the MOBO, RAM, CPU & Video cards. Then move the ABIT to my wife's computer, Then move her MSI to my daugeter's, then my daughter's Dell P166 (dinosaur) to my OLD P200 (paperweight). I only use that one for chat room anyway, so speed & power don't matter.

That' been my typical upgrade path for some years now. Buy one state of the art system, then move everyone else up a notch.

Thanks again all. That's much to think about.

You must be trading for a company in house, otherwise you are one savy trader. In any case, my opinion for what it's worth, is that you are in need of more memory. Multitasking is what sucks up the memory, yours is not the fastest type on the market and is also limited in that you are using 32-bit OS. If you upgrade to the 64-bit OS, you will have the capabilites to "address" more usable ram. The 64-bit OS has substantial more memory capabilites, which is needed for all those open windows.

Matrox has always been a leader in 2-D Graphics, that is what you are using and that is what has been suggested.

The Windows 64-bit OS is limited in the types of drivers that are written for it. However, the 64-bit OS also has WOW-32 which will allow you to run 32-bit OS programs just fine. Working for a company means you are connecting to other componants that you would want to make sure you have drivers to handle, talk with your system administrator and see what can be worked out there.

dafaad

The 64 bit os and faster memory sound great. However, I'm going to try the upgrade (see above post to gary) and see if that will hold me for now. Just trying so save few bucks. If it's not woking, I plan to so exactly what you suggest. I'm sure it will be a huge improvement over my current system, so if it doesn't bog down I'll be fine for a while.

I use Tradestation for trading & it seems that every new release adds more cool features, but also increases system use.

I work at home so the system admin is your truly. 8) So any driver updates, I'll have to do on my own in advance if I switch to 64-bit.

Thanks for the post.

edog,

Looks to me like some good picks, I've been seriously considering the same Mobo as you. [Asus A8N SLi]

once you get your new rig set up please let us know how it's performing for you.

Sounds like you've already made your choices, but would agree that it's the processor and video cards holding you back. My opinion is that with the X2 and new cards you'll be flying again. 2Gb of ram is pretty hefty still these days.

thanks kitchen. I hope so. Stay tuned. 8)

KB:

I've got all the hardware sitting in my office. Haven't had time yet to do the upgrade yet. Maybe next weekend ... or the one after that ... 8)

I went with ASUS A8N32SLI, Athlon X2 4400 chip, 2 GB XL memory and 2 Matrox P650 128 cards.

Probably overkill, but I always upgrade near the top of the line for 2 reasons.
1: I do this for a living and the cost is small compared to the big picture. (net cost ~ 1,300)
2: My upgrades get handed down to 2 other computers so I want my components to last through several generations.

Looking at it this way, I've upgraded all 3 computers for only $1,300. Not too bad.

By the way, you can definately use 2 video cards for 4 monitors. I've been doing it for a few years, and that's what I'm doing again. This time my cards each have 128MG video memory so that should be a plus.

Just be sure you get the right cards for your slots. My current system uses 1 AGP card + 1 PCI card. Both Matrox. I never had any problems until recently, and I think I just kept cramming more & more data into the space until my system could no longer handle it all.

I should also tell you that I just upgraded my earthlink service to 3 MB/s DSL speed (from 1.5MB/s) and that has solved a lot of the problems. So if you have a fast broadband connection + a fast CPU + plenty of RAM (minimum 1GB but I use 2GB) then you should be fine. I still have SOME problems with bogging down, but like I said in the original post, I have a ton of charts open all the time. So even with the faster connection, it strains my system from time to time.

I'll post again when it's all up and running. I'm definately lookig forward to it.

eDog

Hiya Pip:

Some good news, some bad. First the bad:

I have not been able to install the 2 Matrox p650 PCIe cards. When I put them both in, this MOBO (ASUS A8N32 SLI x16) crashes & burns. It either locks up and all monitors go blank, or it trys to restart and windows XP pro hangs & freezes. I've had to reinstall windows several times = major hassle.

ASUS techs have ordered the same board and are trying to find a fix for me. That was about a week ago, and I havn't called them back yet.

Now the good:

I put 1 Matrox p650 PCIe in the PCIe x16 slot. Then I put a Matrox G450 dual head (from my previous rig) in a PCI slot. With that combo, all is well.

Super fast. No glitches. Not even a blink. I can run 100+ charts at the open with volume surging & still run other apps without a hitch.

However, I do have a new p650 on hand, so I'm looking forward to ASUS finding me a fix for the compatability problem. It should increase my speed even more with the 128 MB memory vs 32 MB for the G450.

Other specs:

CPU: AMD 64 x2 4400

Memory: GEIL Ultra XL PC3200 DDR 400 CAS 2-3-2-5 (very nice) - (2) 1GB sticks = 2 GB total

4 new monitors: DCL 19" LCDs from Tiger Direct. Much easier on the eyes vs my old CRTs. They were old & getting blurry.

Overall very pleased with the setup, but I'll definately be glad to have the loose ends tied.

edog

Pip:

The setup is really nice, but if doing it over, I might use Nvidia or ATI cards with this board to avoid any compatablity issues.

After you decide on the board you want, you might call the tech support number at that manufacturer and ask what video card they recommend. Just a thought, because I expect to eventually get the (2) p650s to work together. But this ASUS board uses Nvidia onboard chips, so compatability with Nvidia video cards is a no brainer.

I asked one of the ASUS techs if they had seem these problems before with the Matrox card and she told me most people use Nvidia or ATI with this board, so she really hadn't seen this before.

Good luck to you .

BTW, I earlier told you something wrong. It is the Matrox tech working on a solution for me, not the ASUS tech as posted earlier.

edog

Pip:

That's a good point. They all want to promote their own stuff.

I will say this. The Matrox combo I have now is working just fine. I don't get any slowdowns or glitches (that I know of). So assuming Matrox fixes the 2 card problem, which I feel sure they will, then I highly recommend them.

After all, I've been using the Matrox G450 for several years, so I obviously like their cards.

With only 2 monitors, you won't have the problem I have anyway, so go with the P650 PCIe & enjoy.

edog

You need a new workstation (not a desktop).

Basically, your system is still decent for secretarial type work and internet surfing,
but is too old to do complex computing, such as the newer Day trading charts and software.
You need a proper Day Trading Computer with PCI Express16 and an inexspensive 2.4Ghz Quadcore.
You are basically going to need a whole new computer since none of the new technology
is compatable with your MOBO or CPU. Also, your video cards are too weak for todays
applications. Here are some links to some awsome quad monitor Trading Computers.

Multiple Monitor Trading Computers

Design your own Trading Computer

Multi-Monitor LCD Displays

Check out this video. I think this might be what you are trying to do:

Multiple Monitor Computer & Quad Display Video

If you build your own computer, you might just want to use one
Quadro NVS video card, to get four monitors with workstation graphics.

Have you been looking at any Multi-Monitor Displays?
I have a Quad Monitor System and I love it.
I make a lot more money trading stocks and forex.