recommendation for trading rig

[helpmepls]

hi all,

I'm looking to build a rig mainly for backtesting, viewing charts & trading (secondary usage for playing games casually) so speed, memory and latency are very important to me.

I saw a thread and i will need something similar to what cybernick got, except more updated hardware?

I will need to add on 3 monitors, a DVD-RW drive, casing and PSU for the rig. Also, i will appreciate suggestions for the monitors that can fit jiaying's TS743A monitor stand (or a similar monitor stand?). As cybernick also asked, would i require more fans given that the cpu will be running close to max power/full speed most of the time? My budget for the rig excluding monitors is around 1.8k, and am willing to spend around 250-300 per monitor.

many thanks in advance!

 

[Alternative X]

CPU+ Mobo: ASROCK B85M-PRO4 + i5 4690 (415)
RAM: 2X G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (8GB) (196)
GPU: SAPPHIRE R5 230 1GB FLEX (79)
SSD: SAMSUNG EVO 250GB (179)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: FSP AURUM S 500W (89)
Case: DEEPCOOL TESSERACT (65)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (125)
Monitors: 3X AOC 23" e2370SH (657)

Total cost: $1899

Buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) This rig is based on cybernick's build but with some changes.

2) The Asrock B85M Pro4 is used as it is still the cheapest mobo with an Intel LAN for minimal latency.

3) Not sure if your backtesting software supports hyperthreading, hence the fastest i5, the i5 4690 is used instead.

4) ValueRAMs are used as it is cheaper and the differences in latencies is measured in mere nanoseconds and it may not be worth paying extra $$$ for a few nanoseconds.

5) The Samsung Evo is used as the high read/write speeds will enable you to be able to have a more responsive system as well as allowing you to complete backtesting faster.

6) The Sapphire R5 230 Flex is used to enable triple monitor support on the cheap. It also has a very low TDP of 19W which makes heat issues irrelevent. However, the R5 230 is a very weak entry level card that is barely better than Intel HD Graphics, so do not expect too much when gaming.

7) The AOC e2370SH is chosen as it has DVI-D and HDMI ports that are needed by the R5 230 Flex for triple monitor support. It also uses TN panels to give a response time of 2ms, which I feel is quite useful for monitoring changes in stock prices. It also has a VESA 100 X 100mm mounting holes for usage with your triple monitor mount, which also uses VESA 100 X 100mm mounts. Lastly, it is reletively cheap at $219 per monitor.

8) If you are worried about heat from the CPU, can consider getting a cheap aftermarket cooler like the Deepcool Archer (10) or the Deepcool Iceblade 100 (15). These CPU coolers are also avaliable at lazada.com.

9) Got Mastercard? Consider buying the casing from lazada.com on a Monday and get 10% discounts when you pay with a Mastercard.

 

[helpmepls]

thanks for the quick response Alternative X, my budget is actually around 1.8k for the rig alone, excluding the monitor, so, would it be advisable if i were to get more ram and a 'better' mobo/processor?

Also, any other 'branded' monitors to recommend? Am quite unfamiliar with AOC.

many thanks!

 

[puiehz]

u might wanna consider 16gb of ram and Dell IPs monitors, maybe if ur budget allows a basic i7, dont need aftermarket coolers speeds up when analyzing detailed charts

using --> rig on the right for trading as well..charts uses up lots of RAM and running multiple tabs bloomberg news etc is rather cpu comsuming

 

[helpmepls]

u might wanna consider 16gb of ram and Dell IPs monitors, maybe if ur budget allows a basic i7, dont need aftermarket coolers speeds up when analyzing detailed charts

using --> rig on the right for trading as well..charts uses up lots of RAM and running multiple tabs bloomberg news etc is rather cpu comsuming

thanks puiehz. if you don't mind me asking, how much did you spend on your rig? are you using a monitor stand/mount?

 

[Alternative X]

thanks for the quick response Alternative X, my budget is actually around 1.8k for the rig alone, excluding the monitor, so, would it be advisable if i were to get more ram and a 'better' mobo/processor?

Also, any other 'branded' monitors to recommend? Am quite unfamiliar with AOC.

many thanks!

1) Well, if you are going to open many programs while trading, maybe an i7 4790 ($525 with B85M Pro4) or a E1245V3 ($507 with B85M Pro4) would be more helpful since these quad-core processors comes with hyperthreading for good performance in multitasking. The motherboard should not matter since motherboards plays a very little part in determining system performance.

2) 16GB is quite a lot of RAM, besides, Windows 7 Home Premium only supports 16GB RAM at most and if you want to add more RAM, you are going to have to get Windows 8 ($138) or Windows 7 Professional ($180) to allow you to use more RAM.

3) The thing is, I feel that you will need monitors with a faster refresh rate to allow price changes to be displayed faster. However, most monitors usually comes with refresh rates of 5ms and thus may not suit your needs. If you want a 'branded' alternative, consider the Asus VX238H or VS248H ($249, from Cybermind) as they have a fast refresh rates of 1-2ms. If you do not mind 5ms response rates, then get a Dell.

4) If you are willing to spend more on graphics, can consider getting a Sapphire R7 250X Flex from Amazon for 109.99 USD (Or any of Sapphire's Flex GPUs). This is potentially a more cost effective solution than the Sapphire R7 250 Eyefinity edition or the Powercolor R7 250 Eyefinity edition that are sold locally as the R7 250X Flex does not require you to have a Display Port cable and adapters to use a triple monitor setup and there is a Display Port output for you to use a MST Hub so that you can connect another 3 monitors through the MST Hub. (With Display Port connections only, though.)

 

[puiehz]

erm i think would be easier if i send u a email. cos i cannot post pictures here.

no mounts as previous work experiences. mounts are troublesome to adjust especially adjusting for 6 monitors concurrently

my table only allows 2 monitors , high refresh rates dont matter to me cos i have to eye on the monitor for like 4-8 hours per day ( used to ) IPS monitors was impt as it dont strain as much as TN panels ( monitor technology TN vs IPS )

i go dell for 5 years warranty. ( ultrasharp series U2312HM ) easy for rma purposes

spend on quite abit back then 3k+ using win 7 professional, if u are using home premium u are limited to 16gb of ram do take note.

if u are opening alot excel files just take note ur cpu ( if u are having budget constrain i5 )

i7 4790 + a 120 / 250gb ssd is more than enuff for your application

the advise that alternative X bro is recommending is good

do take note the ports for your monitor as the monitor and the video card is crucial for your choice of monitors. and lastly. do u wanna game on it? HAHA

 

[Alternative X]

erm i think would be easier if i send u a email. cos i cannot post pictures here.

my table only allows 2 monitors , high refresh rates dont matter to me cos i have to eye on the monitor for like 4-8 hours per day ( used to ) IPS monitors was impt as it dont strain as much as TN panels ( monitor technology TN vs IPS )

if u are opening alot excel files just take note ur cpu ( if u are having budget constrain i5 )

do take note the ports for your monitor as the monitor and the video card is crucial for your choice of monitors. and lastly. do u wanna game on it? HAHA

1) Interesting, so the superior refresh rates on TN panels does not actually matter very much when monitoring price changes in the stock market?

2) The output and input ports on the GPU and monitors may not matter very much since there are such things as adapters. The choice of GPU will also depends on TS's definition of 'light gaming', but I think that it is more important to focus on multi-monitor support on GPUs as powerful GPUs with multi-monitor support beyond 3 monitors are not cheap, especially the more powerful gaming grade Eyefinity 4-6 GPUs.

 

[puiehz]

1) Interesting, so the superior refresh rates on TN panels does not actually matter very much when monitoring price changes in the stock market?

2) The output and input ports on the GPU and monitors may not matter very much since there are such things as adapters. The choice of GPU will also depends on TS's definition of 'light gaming', but I think that it is more important to focus on multi-monitor support on GPUs as powerful GPUs with multi-monitor support beyond 3 monitors are not cheap, especially the more powerful gaming grade Eyefinity 4-6 GPUs.

Hi,

regarding the refresh rates. it dont really matter ( to me of course i stared in tn panels too long i need a break ) i am staring at the monitor at least 4-8 hrs per day and of cos depending on which server / broker u are using and if u are using VPN for your trading purpose. the money is better invested on VPN cos its the VPN which actually slows down your live charts. for example if i am using US charts / broker information. even some "LIVE CHARTS" are few seconds behind which actually mattered

gpu wise he might have to specify which monitor size or games he play.

even those investment banks dont use 120Hz for trading.. been there done that..

most of them use like 17" for 5th and 6th monitor which are quite legacy.

 

[Alternative X]

Hi,

regarding the refresh rates. it dont really matter ( to me of course i stared in tn panels too long i need a break ) i am staring at the monitor at least 4-8 hrs per day and of cos depending on which server / broker u are using and if u are using VPN for your trading purpose. the money is better invested on VPN cos its the VPN which actually slows down your live charts. for example if i am using US charts / broker information. even some "LIVE CHARTS" are few seconds behind which actually mattered

gpu wise he might have to specify which monitor size or games he play.

even those investment banks dont use 120Hz for trading.. been there done that..

most of them use like 17" for 5th and 6th monitor which are quite legacy.

1) If that's the case, can just ask helpmepls to wait for SITEX and see if he can get the Dell S2340L/S2440L at a cheap price. However, I am concerned about the lack of VESA support on the S2340L/S2440L, which means that helpmepls will have to buy a VESA adapter to mount the monitors onto the multi-monitor mount. Dell's U series of monitors does have VESA support, but are rather expensive.

2) No, for displays, resolution is more important. It is much harder to drive a 14'' 4K monitor than a 80'' 400X300 monitor. Of course, since helpmepls says that it is for light gaming, he can always reduce settings and/or in-game resolution to compensate for the lack of GPU power.

 

[shadow84]

5ms is response time.... refresh rate is 60hz, 120hz.. mai confused..

 

[t258jgn]

People usually don't use their Trading Rig for gaming.
They rather setup another PC for gaming

Low Budget get 24" 1920x1200 (16:10) monitors
U2412M
U2415H

 

[helpmepls]

WOW! Thanks all for the replies, didn't expect so many! appreciate all the inputs and comments i'm getting.

to help answer some qns as well as to post some qns of my own:

1) i don't mind sacrificing gaming as i'd be trading mostly after work and will probably be busy and/or resting on weekends in all honesty
2) if i do game, i really don't need max settings and all. i just need the game to be able to flow smoothly at say medium graphics?
3) i don't think the refresh rate matters that much, its more of the internet speed/connection, as well as memory on the rig so that the platforms/programs update fast and don't lag

Q1: i didn't know about the VESA mounting thing, i thought most new monitors would be able to be mounted on a monitor stand? Since it doesn't seem to be the case, apart from the AOC range of monitors, are there any other decently priced 'branded' monitors that have the ability? I'm looking for around 23-24" monitors
Q2: @ puiehz & Alternative X, i'm using trading platforms that open up several charts on different time frames most of the time, with MT4 on as well. i expect to have a few windows open to check out some websites concurrently too. Is 16GB of ram enough or do you suggest i get an OS that allows for more?
Q3: is the GFX card capable of supporting 3 monitors on HDMI/DVI?

 

[Fatfool]

Get an identical rig as your first. If something goes wrong, eject your disk drive from a hot swap drive bay and change over to the other machine.

 

[shadow84]

Get an identical rig as your first. If something goes wrong, eject your disk drive from a hot swap drive bay and change over to the other machine.

You cant just trasnfer OS from com to com like thumbdrive.

 

[Alternative X]

WOW! Thanks all for the replies, didn't expect so many! appreciate all the inputs and comments i'm getting.

to help answer some qns as well as to post some qns of my own:

1) i don't mind sacrificing gaming as i'd be trading mostly after work and will probably be busy and/or resting on weekends in all honesty
2) if i do game, i really don't need max settings and all. i just need the game to be able to flow smoothly at say medium graphics?
3) i don't think the refresh rate matters that much, its more of the internet speed/connection, as well as memory on the rig so that the platforms/programs update fast and don't lag

Q1: i didn't know about the VESA mounting thing, i thought most new monitors would be able to be mounted on a monitor stand? Since it doesn't seem to be the case, apart from the AOC range of monitors, are there any other decently priced 'branded' monitors that have the ability? I'm looking for around 23-24" monitors
Q2: @ puiehz & Alternative X, i'm using trading platforms that open up several charts on different time frames most of the time, with MT4 on as well. i expect to have a few windows open to check out some websites concurrently too. Is 16GB of ram enough or do you suggest i get an OS that allows for more?
Q3: is the GFX card capable of supporting 3 monitors on HDMI/DVI?

1) Please name all games that you are playing.

2) Are you currently using MT4? How many trading platforms are you planning to run simultaneously? If currently using MT4, while doing your normal activities, can you open Windows Task Manager and take note of the amount of RAM used currently at different times? This will help decide if 16GB is enough or you need 32GB RAM. However, you can always choose to get 16GB RAMs and Windows 7 Professional and upgrade your RAMs later if 16GB proves insufficient, the B85M Pro 4 has 4 RAM slots for 4X 8GB RAMs.

3) VESA is like the industry mounting standard for monitors. Monitors without VESA support will need a VESA adapter or some physical modifications to mount the monitor onto a VESA mount.

List of suggested monitors with VESA support:
AOC 23" e2370SH (219)
AOC 24" e2461Fwh (229)
Asus 23'' VS239H-J (239)
Asus 23" VX238H (249)
Asus 24'' VS248H (249)
Asus 23'' VS239H-P (259)
Dell 23” P2314H (289)
Phillips 23'' 233V5QHAB (239)
Phillips 23'' 246V5LHAB (239)
Phillips 23'' 234E5QHAB (259)
Phillips 24'' 241S4LCB (289)

4) Both the R5 230 Flex and the R7 250X Flex are both capable of triple monitor support with HDMI and DVI cables. Unfortunately, nobody in Singapore sells the R7 250X Flex and you will have to buy the GPU from Amazon. If you buy the R7 250X Flex, you might be able to game at low-mid settings in 1080p as a side benefit, depending in what games you play. Do not buy the R7 250 Eyefinity edition as this GPU will need a Display Port connection for a triple monitor setup.

 

[helpmepls]

1) Please name all games that you are playing.

2) Are you currently using MT4? How many trading platforms are you planning to run simultaneously? If currently using MT4, while doing your normal activities, can you open Windows Task Manager and take note of the amount of RAM used currently at different times? This will help decide if 16GB is enough or you need 32GB RAM. However, you can always choose to get 16GB RAMs and Windows 7 Professional and upgrade your RAMs later if 16GB proves insufficient, the B85M Pro 4 has 4 RAM slots for 4X 8GB RAMs.

3) VESA is like the industry mounting standard for monitors. Monitors without VESA support will need a VESA adapter or some physical modifications to mount the monitor onto a VESA mount.

List of suggested monitors with VESA support:
AOC 23" e2370SH (219)
AOC 24" e2461Fwh (229)
Asus 23'' VS239H-J (239)
Asus 23" VX238H (249)
Asus 24'' VS248H (249)
Asus 23'' VS239H-P (259)
Dell 23” P2314H (289)
Phillips 23'' 233V5QHAB (239)
Phillips 23'' 246V5LHAB (239)
Phillips 23'' 234E5QHAB (259)
Phillips 24'' 241S4LCB (289)

4) Both the R5 230 Flex and the R7 250X Flex are both capable of triple monitor support with HDMI and DVI cables. Unfortunately, nobody in Singapore sells the R7 250X Flex and you will have to buy the GPU from Amazon. If you buy the R7 250X Flex, you might be able to game at low-mid settings in 1080p as a side benefit, depending in what games you play. Do not buy the R7 250 Eyefinity edition as this GPU will need a Display Port connection for a triple monitor setup.

Many thanks for the time and effort in replying and keeping up with the thread Alternative X!

1) i plan to play BF4 on the new rig, with playing the next few COD (single player only) as and when they come out. Maybe Starcraft II and Dawn of war as well? Other than that, i don't think i'm that big a fan of the newer games

2) WRT the ram issue, i used to have freezes/major lag whilst running the trading platform(s) and MT4 at the same time as the few browsers. I'm currently running only 1 platform + MT4 and a 2 browser windows (with a maybe 5-6 tabs open on each), but am looking to ramp it up to maybe 2 platforms + MT4 and 2 broswer windows on the new rig. I'm currently running a vista x64 setup with 4GB of ram (this rig was built in 2008 lol).

3) amongst the monitors listed, what would your preferred pick be between the asus, dell and phillips monitors? i'm currently using a Samsung Sync Master B2330, so 23" monitors are fine with me as well i guess. But would prefer a 24" obviously lol

4) noted on the R7 250X card, i hope Black Friday will be good for the card on Amazon! EDIT: Any thoughts on the Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB ? Its going for the same price as the R& 250X? WOuld that card be better? thx!

last but not least, i really appreciate your time and effort in replying!

 

[zenniz]

You will encounter lower than 60 frame rate for BF4 running at medium setting with R7 250x. Get something better like GTX750.

 

[Alternative X]

Many thanks for the time and effort in replying and keeping up with the thread Alternative X!

1) i plan to play BF4 on the new rig, with playing the next few COD (single player only) as and when they come out. Maybe Starcraft II and Dawn of war as well? Other than that, i don't think i'm that big a fan of the newer games

2) WRT the ram issue, i used to have freezes/major lag whilst running the trading platform(s) and MT4 at the same time as the few browsers. I'm currently running only 1 platform + MT4 and a 2 browser windows (with a maybe 5-6 tabs open on each), but am looking to ramp it up to maybe 2 platforms + MT4 and 2 broswer windows on the new rig. I'm currently running a vista x64 setup with 4GB of ram (this rig was built in 2008 lol).

3) amongst the monitors listed, what would your preferred pick be between the asus, dell and phillips monitors? i'm currently using a Samsung Sync Master B2330, so 23" monitors are fine with me as well i guess. But would prefer a 24" obviously lol

4) noted on the R7 250X card, i hope Black Friday will be good for the card on Amazon!

last but not least, i really appreciate your time and effort in replying!

1) Oh dear, these are some very demanding games that you have there. If you want to get the R7 250X Flex, you can play BF4 and COD at Medium (preferably with AA turned off.) and Dawn of War II at High at least. However, it is a good idea to play Starcraft II at Low as I think your GPU will choke if you kena Zerg Rush from 3 players at the same time.

2) That's an awful lot of things on just 4GB RAM when considering how slow Vista can be at times. 16GB should be fine, but you may want to consider getting Win 7 Professional and leaving an upgrade path open just in case 16GB RAMs are not enough. How many tabs do you have on each browser?

3) As a scrooge, I would go for the cheapest one. However, if you want IPS panels, the Asus VS239H-J, Asus VS239H-P and Dell P2314H can be considered. Do remember to read up on the monitors and check its input and make sure that they have at least a DVI and a HDMI input before buying as I did not have time to check these things as I have to seive through many monitors just to check for VESA support. Besides, all of these brands (including AOC) are established makers of monitors and I do not think that any of these monitors would be bad anyway.

 

[Alternative X]

You will encounter lower than 60 frame rate for BF4 running at medium setting with R7 250x. Get something better like GTX750.

I disagree. Even though the GTX 750 is more powerful than the R7 250X, the GTX 750 can only support 3 monitors at most while the R7 250X Flex can support up to 4 monitors in a normal configuration and 6 monitors if a MST Hub is used. Since this is primarily a stock trading rig, I believe that multi-monitor support should prioritized over gaming needs for this rig.