Experts Wanted: Building the Ultimate trading PC!

[VideCorTrader]

Hi guys!  I’ve been following LinusTechTips on youtube for a while and finally decided to get involved with the community starting with some help with a computer build.  I looked at a few previous trading PC threads on the forum but since they are a little dated, I decided to get fresh advice.  Unfortunately, I’m not nearly as proficient in computer tech as I should be, so I’m hoping to learn a lot and get a few good suggestions. 

 

THE CHALLENGE

Build a dedicated high-performance Trading PC for around US $2500-$3k (wishful thinking estimate) on DigitalStormOnline.com (Direct links to Desktop Configurator or Workstation Configurator).   

 

As absurd as it sounds, gaining fractions of a second in load-time in any way possible is worth every penny, so if there is a super configuration floating around, PLEEEASE suggest it.   On that note, any suggestions, pointers, etc. would be much appreciated that can squeeze out as much speed or streamline the process would be much appreciated, so bonus points for anything that can enhance performance (i.e. RAM Disk, etc.) by aiding in faster chart loading and things like that.

 

To keep it interesting, here are a few limits on the build:

1. Ability to connect at least 3-4 monitors (will get the monitors to accommodate the GPU).
2. No water cooling (except for closed looped CPU coolers).
3. Low maintenance (well.. within reason)
4. Low Energy Consumption (again… within reason)
5. Low heat (yet again, within reason)
6. Redundancy (in case one hard drive fails).

 

THE CRITERIA

I need this trading computer to run two programs (Direct links to system requirements for each program):

1. Trader Work Station (broker connection).
2. eSignal (main trading platform).  SPECIAL NOTE: Triple the estimate for the definition of a "power user" for this build (i.e. 15 tick charts instead of 5, etc.)

I need the computer and subsequently the programs to be lightning quick with the ability to load the charts as quickly as possible.   Keep in mind that if a configuration increases this ability by fractions of a second, it will be well worth it.   It also occurs to me that the long loading times may be the result of the servers of these services.  Any suggestions, pointers, etc. on that would be really appreciated.

 

I’m not quite sure how to benchmark these programs, optimize my own PC to handle them but I’m betting there’s an obvious way to tell so please let me know.  

 

 

THE CURRENT PC's (and where they fail)

In case it helps, I have two computers running the same programs.   Maybe seeing their specs will raise a red flag or give the clever majority of you a good idea.

 

Trading PC 1: The “Hailstorm”

Motherboard: EVGA X58 3x SLI

Processor: Intel i7 930 2.8GHz (OC @ 3.5GHz)

Memory: 12GB  DDR3 1600MHz (Digital storm branded)

HD: Intel 180GB SSD

GPU: 2x SLI NVIDIA GTC 480 1.5GB

Power: 1000w Corsair

Cooling: Dual Loop Liquid Cooling, stock fans.

 

Where it fails: Using this PC for about 5 years now and its showing its age.  Had problems since the beginning with the water cooling system and it… gets… HOT.  Very hot.  The Intel SSD was installed a year ago as a “refresh,” buuuut still it’s a pretty old computer.

 

Trading PC 2: The “Slade”

Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z87

Processor: Intel i74770k 3.5GHz (OC @ 4.1GHz)

16GB DDR3 1866MHz Corsair Vengeance Pro

HD:  Intel 180GB SSD

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTC 770 2GB (EVGA Superclocked ACX Cooler Edition)

Power: 750w EVGA SuperNOVA Gold Rated

Cooling: Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU cooling, Corsair Airflow Performance Edition fans.

 

Whereit fails: Newer PC (about a year old) used by my trading partner.  It works great, but I still think theres better performance to be had.

 

[CoolaxGaming]

I am really dumb, but what is a trading pc?

[IMPERIUS]

Whats a trading pc? And why are you giving away your i7 4770k?

[VideCorTrader]

A trading PC is a system build specifically for the trading of stocks, equities, FOREX, or anything else that has to do with the financial markets.  Speed and reliability are essential and even fractions of a second in performance can be drastic.

[Samsterstorm]

I am really dumb, but what is a trading pc?

Same! What is it used for?

[VideCorTrader]

Whats a trading pc? And why are you giving away your i7 4770k?

 

Unfortunately Im not able to give away the aforementioned computers.  I mentioned them because with the specifications listed, there might be an identifiable and actionable corrrection in hardware that I can fix.

[W-L]

I am really dumb, but what is a trading pc?

Whats a trading pc? And why are you giving away your i7 4770k?

 

I'm assuming stock trading where they manage customer's investments. 

 

 

 

-SNIP-

 

As for the the PC's the second should seem more than enough to run multiple screens and a trading platform but the first one the issues I see the heat output by the two gtx 480's the processor is a bit older but shouldn't have an issue other than the fact that there is slowed speeds from the SSD due to sata II inferface.

[Blade of Grass]

I know you linked to Digital Storm, but have you looked into building it yourself?

 

EDIT: Can you check your partners PC while it is working? Is the processor maxed out? RAM? Disk? GPU?

[arnavvr]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2695 V3 2.3GHz 14-Core Processor  ($2099.00 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock X99 WS EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($270.13 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($201.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($98.98 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Total: $2990.62

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-14 16:35 EDT-0400

[VideCorTrader]

I know you linked to Digital Storm, but have you looked into building it yourself?

Actually, I've really wanted to try my hand at it but for tax purposes it needs to be built and warrentied. After watching all of the build videos, I'm dying to take a crack at it.

Unfortunately, I'm extremely green when it comes to even remotely figuring any of that out even though I rely on that hardware almost completely lol.

[VideCorTrader]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2695 V3 2.3GHz 14-Core Processor  ($2099.00 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock X99 WS EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($270.13 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($201.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($98.98 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Total: $2990.62

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-14 16:35 EDT-0400

 

 

So if I understand correctly, you would suggest more of a workstation build with more processor cores, upper level motherboard? 

 

What about the memory?  Do you think that 16GB is enough.  Also, do you think the GPU is sufficient for the task?

 

[Blade of Grass]

Actually, I've really wanted to try my hand at it but for tax purposes it needs to be built and warrentied. After watching all of the build videos, I'm dying to take a crack at it.

Unfortunately, I'm extremely green when it comes to even remotely figuring any of that out even though I rely on that hardware almost completely lol.

To find out CPU and RAM usage, press ctrl + shift + esc and Task Manager should show up. When if pops up, look for the tab that says "Performance". In that tab it should tell you CPU and RAM usage.

 

If you can't find that information, then no worries, we can still work something out for you

 

EDIT: To find the information you could also look into "Resource Monitor". To access it press the Windows/flag key on your keyboard (between ctrl and alt), and type in Resource Monitor, then click the matching result. 

[VideCorTrader]

To find out CPU and RAM usage, press ctrl + shift + esc and Task Manager should show up. When if pops up, look for the tab that says "Performance". In that tab it should tell you CPU and RAM usage.

 

If you can't find that information, then no worries, we can still work something out for you

 

EDIT: To find the information you could also look into "Resource Monitor". To access it press the Windows/flag key on your keyboard (between ctrl and alt), and type in Resource Monitor, then click the matching result. 

 

The Hailstorm shows 4.33 GB memory and 5% CPU, the Slade shows 3.22 GB memory and 12% CPU.  Would something like CPU-Z would be more accurate to gauge something like this?

 

Forgot to mention that this is off trading hours, so I'm not getting the second-to-second data straming in and that might not reflect in those previously mentioned numbers.

[Blade of Grass]

The Hailstorm shows 4.33 GB memory and 5% CPU, the Slade shows 3.22 GB memory and 12% CPU.  Wouldt something like CPU-Z would be more accurate to guage something like this

 

Is this while you are running the trading software?

 

CPU-z is more about showing what hardware your computer has, not how much it is being used. 

[VideCorTrader]

Is this while you are running the trading software?

 

CPU-z is more about showing what hardware your computer has, not how much it is being used. 

 

Yes, the previously mentioned stats are while the software is running but not connected to the streaming data during trading hours.  In fact, the 12% on the slade was most likely from loading pre-exisitng data from custom scripts and charts.

[arnavvr]

So if I understand correctly, you would suggest more of a workstation build with more processor cores, upper level motherboard? 

 

What about the memory?  Do you think that 16GB is enough.  Also, do you think the GPU is sufficient for the task?

 

 

I think that I higher CPU is better for right now because you can easily upgrade RAM in the future.

[Exp]

If I had to guess, I'd say as good of an internet connection as you can get would be great. It doesn't sound like anything is too PC-demanding, so I'd imagine you'd find more benefit from a fast connection, if you don't already one.

[EpicGeekonFire]

Does trading software require a lot of CPU? Looking at the specs of your older computer, you should be fine with, an i7 lots of fast ram and a GPU that can handle that many monitors...

 

I would also look into getting a Asus WS board for top notch reliability and an a few SSDs for your data. 

[VideCorTrader]

I think that I higher CPU is better for right now because you can easily upgrade RAM in the future.

 

I think thats defintely the best way to think about it.  Option wise, I see the following to consider:

 

Intel Core i7 4930K 3.4GHz (Six-Core) (OC @ 4.5-8 GHz)

Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 4960X 3.6GHz (Six-Core) (OC @ 4.5-8 GHz)

 

1x (Intel Xeon 8-Core E5-2650 v2 2.6GHz (20MB Cache) (Ivy Bridge-EP)

[VideCorTrader]

If I had to guess, I'd say as good of an internet connection as you can get would be great. It doesn't sound like anything is too PC-demanding, so I'd imagine you'd find more benefit from a fast connection, if you don't already one.

 

It's great you mentioned that, because (at least superficially) the difference in speed between the machines is drastically different.  On the same connection, the 5 year-old Hailstorm gets about 99 Mbs but the Slade gets 189 mbs.

 

[SIGSEGV]

I'm guessing you'll be wanting ECC RAM?

[VideCorTrader]

Does trading software require a lot of CPU? Looking at the specs of your older computer, you should be fine with, an i7 lots of fast ram and a GPU that can handle that many monitors...

 

I would also look into getting a Asus WS board for top notch reliability and an a few SSDs for your data. 

 

It kinda seems that way to me that the software requires a lot of CPU.  For example, a chart would have about a dozen custom scripts running and theres about 40 charts running at any time.  Thats not including exchange data that runs in the background.  Im going to pay attention next trading day to see the usages are.  Defintely agree on an Asus board and the SSD's.

 

[arnavvr]

I think thats defintely the best way to think about it.  Option wise, I see the following to consider:

 

Intel Core i7 4930K 3.4GHz (Six-Core) (OC @ 4.5-8 GHz)

Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 4960X 3.6GHz (Six-Core) (OC @ 4.5-8 GHz)

 

1x (Intel Xeon 8-Core E5-2650 v2 2.6GHz (20MB Cache) (Ivy Bridge-EP)

 

You should get the 14 core, these are six cores, and you can get one for $400, the 5820K

[VideCorTrader]

I'm guessing you'll be wanting ECC RAM?

 

Thats an interesting aspect of memory that I never considered.  I did a little research on that and it seems like Standard, ECC, and REG ECC (give or take depending on the benchmark) are pretty much the same performance wise.   This info was just from a fast-read through of this article though, but defitnely worth more research.  Thanks for the tip!

[Exp]

I mean having CPU power and lots of RAM is definitely essential, but if you don't have a great connection, the difference may not be as great as you'd imagine. Again, I'm assuming those applications need to have updated data from the internet, which i think is a safe assumption. But if they don't, a more powerful PC will definitely help in a lot more ways.