Whether you are a part time stock trader, or a full-time trading agent, you need a stock trading PC. In fact, the only difference between a professional’s and a part timer’s trading computer is that of scale and not type. How does that apply in real life while buying a trading PC? Let’s find out.
The Latest AMD or Intel Processors
Both AMD and Intel have some seriously powerful processors available these days, so you can’t really go wrong with either. Intel’s 12th Gen processors are ahead of what AMD has to offer in the most segments, but AMD catches up a bit in higher tiers. For stock trading computers running on Windows 11, the following CPUs come highly recommended:
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
- Intel Core-i9 12900 (K/KS)
- Intel Core-i7 12700 (K/KS)
- AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
- Intel Core-i5 12600 (K)
High Speed RAM
One of the most important hardware features to look for in a stock trading PC is high speed RAM in large quantities. For the regular user and part-time stock trader, 16GB RAM should be sufficient, but 32GB would be preferable for full time stock traders. Herein comes the question of scale because if you are looking to buy stock trading workstations for a trading firm, then at least 32GB of high speed DDR5 RAM at 4800MHz is recommended. The more extensive your business operations are, the more RAM your workstation PCs will need. It isn’t uncommon to see commercial stock trading PCs with 128GB RAM for this reason.
Multimonitor Support
Multimonitor support is an essential feature for both desktops and laptops, but if you prefer laptops, you should check how many thunderbolt and HDMI ports the workstation has first. Stock trading laptops should have support for at least two to three external monitors (in addition to the laptop screen). 2 x HDMI ports, 1 x DisplayPort/1 x Thunderbolt port should be sufficient for laptops. As for desktops, multimonitor support is almost assured, but you should still check the ports and ensure support for at least three to four monitors. 3 x HDMI ports, 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x Thunderbolt ports are to be expected.
Ultrawide Monitors
Ultrawide (UW) monitors can change the way you see things quite literally. If you are not familiar with them, then know that they are built in 21:9 ultrawide screen ratio, rather than the more standard 16:10 or 16:9 aspect ratios that we are used seeing on computer monitors. The extra pixels and screen real estate allows for:
- A single 21:9 monitor to be as useful as having two or even three standard 16:0/16:10 monitors side-by-side.
- A more ergonomic view that does not require the user to constantly shift their neck to watch all monitors.
- A consolidated, singular, and more immersive viewing experience, which the human brain finds easier to concentrate on.
- Viewing multiple trading pages simultaneously on a single monitor.
Curved UW monitors are not necessary for single-monitor setups, but they can make the view feel more ergonomic and comfortable. If the screen is larger than 34-inch, or if you have a multi-monitor setup though, curved UW monitors are recommended for stock trading PCs.
