Trading Computers and Creating a Daytrading Computer Setup

Having a computer trading setup and the best technical analysis software available is key for any trader who wants to trade for a living. By having a computer crash or slowdown during peak market movements can cost you a significant amount of money. When news hits, the market reacts fast and your computer must be able to handle these movements. The good news is that computers are becoming cheaper and more powerful.

 Best Trading Computers And Purchasing An Existing Computer

If you are not very tech savy or do not have the time to create your own computer. then purchasing an existing computer is the best option for you.  When comparing different computers you will want to make sure that you select a computer that will be compatiable with the type of trading that you will be doing.  If you are going to be trading longer term time frames and do not need alot of processing power, then a basic computer would fit your needs just fine.  But if you are looking to do daytrading or short term trading then you will need to select a higher end model.  This is especially true if you are going to run multiple programs, or trade with algorithms on excel.  We trade with excel and four monitors and just recently had to upgrade due to system lag.  Remeber that any problems or lag can cost you thousands of dollars especailly if you are trading on margin.  You will also will want to get the best available video card and make sure that it can handle multiple monitors.  Some computer manufacturers will allow you to customize your computer and upgrade certain criteria.  We recommend you upgrade your processor, RAM, and video card accessories.  The rest of the upgrades are not as important, such as sound card, but its up to you if you need an upgrade.

 Trading Computers With Multiple Monitors

Once you have your trading computer, you must set your trading computer multiple monitors. This will allow to view all your information without any minimizing. Usually four monitors is the minimum but two can be used for newer traders. In order to have a multiple monitor computer you will need to purchase a multi monitor card. Two screens can be hooked up with a VGA cable but if you want more then 2 you need a new mulit monitor video card. Keep this in mind when you order your trading station as you can add the monitor card to your order and save time.

 Setup Your Multi Screen Displays

If you have multi screen displays you can just order free standing monitors online and just put them on your desk. If you have more then a triple screen monitor you will need to purchase a monitor stand. This will allow you to stack your monitors on top of each other and not clutter your desk.  There are also swivel monitors which are actually very cool and we just starting using them.  You can move the monitors around which allows to move your chair around and still be able to see the action on your screens by moving the monitors into your line of sight.

 Trading Laptops

Most traders trade in a office setting that is more conductive to using desktops. These is not to say that you cannot use a laptop but it does have disadvantages. Using a trading laptop is fine if you are using a swing trading system or a longer term trading system. This will allow you take your time and you shouldn’t need the performance that many day traders need. But beware if the market does turn fast and you need to flatten a large number of positions your laptop could see its performance suffer. The dream of many traders of sitting on the beach and trading can be realized by using a trading laptop. Look at the Alienware series or other high end laptops for your trading laptop choice.

 

 Custom Build Your Computers

The last option for creating your trading station is to just build it yourself. You can easily customize a multiple monitor system. A dual monitor computer or a computer with multiple monitors displays can be built with a supercharged video card. This can actually be done cheaper by buying the parts yourself and building the computer. You can also take your hardware and find the best fit with the best multi monitor software you can find.  Hopefully you have experience with building computers before you undertake this task, as it can be quite time consuming if you do not know what you are doing.  You will need to make sure all the parts and components that you are purchasing are actually compatible.  There are many guides on the internet on which parts to buy and how to put them together.  If you are a technical person or just want a side project then you should look at building your own computer.  We built one computer from scratch that we use solely for trading and it has performed just as well as the pre-bought computers.  It took us a while to get it running due to not doing our homework correctly, but it was a fun project and should be easier if we go down that route again.  We saved a few hundred bucks and also built a computer.  If we continue to get questions on building custom computers we might put together a comprehensive guide to building the best trading computer.

The content of all articles produced by AdaptFinance are for educational purposes only. All ideas and opinions are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as to invest trade and or speculate in the stock market. Any investments made in light of these ideas is committed at your own risk. I am not an investment adviser, this article is for educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities.