Multi-Monitor Desktop Computer for Stock Trading

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The majority of serious traders and investors who monitor the financial markets closely have trading hardware setups with at least 2 monitors. For traders, the advantages of having multiple monitors far outweigh the disadvantages of using too much of their desk space. Modern flat-panel LCD monitors make having multiple monitors on your trading desk possible without the clutter.

Installing multiple monitors on the latest generation Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad, Pentium D, Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon Dual-Core, Athlon XP, Athlon64 computers is pretty straightforward. Basically, it depends on what kind of graphics card is installed in your present system. The newer computers will most likely be equipped with PCI Express (PCIe) graphics cards although many vendors still sell the slightly older AGP graphics cards based motherboards. There are also some who will still be using older Pentium 3 based computer systems which are fully PCI (not PCIe) based. Here are the various options available:

PCI Express (PCIe) Video Graphics Card Solution

PCI Express based graphics cards are currently the latest technology bus for video graphics adapters. They have become ubiquitous in new PC's post 2006. These PCIe cards have the capability to be much faster than the previous generation AGP 8X cards so it is a no-brainer to go with PCIe if buying or building a new PC. In order to operate multi-monitors on such a system, you have to get a dual-head PCIe card like the nVIDIA Quadro NVS series or Matrox Millennium P690 PCIe graphics card. These cards have become the standard for business graphics.

AGP Video Graphics Card Solution

If your current card is a single head AGP card, then you can either get a dual head card like the Matrox Millenium G550 or retain your present card and add an additional PCI based VGA card. PCI cards (not PCI-e) are the previous generation graphics display cards and are a tad bit slower than the newer AGP cards but the difference is hardly discernible in trading systems.

PCI Video Graphics Card Solution

If your current system is only equipped with the older PCI slots and your present VGA card is PCI based, then all you need to do is to add additional PCI graphics cards for each additional monitor you want to add. PCI VGA cards are very inexpensive nowadays, however, you need to take into account compatibility issues if you get graphics cards from different manufacturers. The best approach would be to get VGA cards from the same manufacturer unless you are sure the combination you chose is compatible. Another option for you is to purchase a dual-head PCI VGA card like the hugely popular Matrox Millenium G450. The Matrox 450 series cards also come in versions which support quadruple (four) monitors.

Display Monitors

When choosing multi-monitors for your trading system, you can either go with Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) or Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). With LCD prices at such low levels, it is strongly recommended to go with LCDs (read LCDs vs CRTs for Trading Computer Systems). Whichever you choose, the important thing to note is that the screen size should be at least 17" or larger to provide a decent usable viewing area for all your charts. Ideally, you should set your screen resolution to at least 1024x768 or more. If choosing LCDs, you have a choice of either digital or analog monitors and if budget is not a constraint, go with the digital (DVI) ones! The important thing to note about LCDs is that they have a "native resolution" (see the LCD panel's user manual) and if an LCD is operated at other resolutions, the resulting display will not be as crisp and sharp. To greatly reduce eyestrain when constantly looking at charts for long periods, you should ensure that the monitor you choose can support refresh rates of at least 70Hz or higher at the screen resolution you will be using.