Building new trading PC, please have a look

[drbob101]

Four years ago I used this forum to help me design and build my current PC that is in my signature and all here were very helpful, so I am turning to you all again.

Here is the link from that build:

Building first PC, advice on components

I am currently considering the following:


Antec P182Black
Intel GigabyteGA-X38-DS4 mobo
Antec TruePowerTrio550W PS
SamsungSHS202GBEBN Optical drive
2 x GeForce8600GTS video cards
2 x WD250WD2500AAJS in raid 1 HD
GigabitLan
OCZ 2GB DDR2 PC26400 800MHz SDRAM
Intel Core2E8400 CPU
HeatPipeCPUCooler

This is for real time futures trading which involves an incoming data feed that is processed by charting software and the data is written to the HD. At times the amount of data is fast and furious.

I have been told that I should be looking at a mobo with a Nvidia nForce 680i SLI chipset as this may handle the internet traffic better. ????

The mobo listed does not have this chipset I know. Someone told me there was a problem in multi monitor set ups with the Nvidia chiptset ????

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Dave21]

I can vouche on a few things. I do not recommend using raid for the HDD as it is not reliable. Just a single HDD should be okay.

Also as for the two 8600 in SLI, I don't think it's worth it. Especially for the performance that it provides. You're better off going with a 8800gt. What monitor are you using? The 3 19 inch LCDs?

[drbob101]

Yes I am going to be using the 191t monitors. I have a fourth now.

One the raid thing. Im my other build I did a raid 0 with maxtors and they crapped out and I lost everything. I redid the raid as a 1 with the 2 WD hds and have had no issues , yet. I am hoping that if/when one of the HD goes , I will have a simpler rebuild of the drives.

[>:() - Tiki Man]

I have a multi monitor setup on dual 8600gts's right now (3x 22" LCD), and it works fine, but its running on amd's 790fx chipset. I have to say, however that internet gain from the chipset is going to be very minimal - most higher end motherboards all have the same gigabit ethernet connections, some have wifi (and in that case, it would make a difference), but in most cases it shouldnt be a problem IMO

I had an old asus crosshair, with the nforce 590 mcp chipset, and had nothing but problems getting my graphics cards to work, that mobo is a paper weight now - and somehow it managed to corrupt windows install i had working with it. . .

[piasabird]

You could opt for a cutom video card with 4 monitor outputs.

http://www.naplestech.com/shopcart/f..._100505115.asp
http://www.naplestech.com/shopcart/quad_demo.asp

If you can use a single high end video card you dont need SLI or Crossfire.

Also you may get superior perfromance from similar multi-monitor software with the option to expand.

I have a suspicion that you need to do some research into this kind of technology. Let us know what you go with and how it works out. I have never really tried this. Maybe you have some Stock Trader Friends who have similar type systems or you know firms and their IT guys may have suggestions.


This was on the Visiontek Site:
http://www.visiontek.com/products/ca...00XT_quad.html

It costs a little under $400. Bit it is cutting edge. This is the new Dual Video Card on a single slot. Might be nice if there was a review for this.

I kind of wonder if you can play a video game using 4 monitors.

[drbob101]

What is SLI or crossfire and what does it do for the video.

Also please evaluate this statement made by a freind regarding the Nvidia nForce 680i SLI chipe set

ANY motherboard w/ Nvidia nForce 680i SLI chipset (Striker Extreme preferred, ASUS makes great boards) There are other boards out there with that chipset. Just be careful that the FSB speed is the newer 1333. THE KEY IS THE nVIdia nForce 680i SLI chipset! The reason for this is explained below in the tech section that I wrote back when, but essentially THAT motherboard has a separate chip on it that it uses to do the internet traffic work, rather than have the CPU do it.
Like I keep saying, the crucial difference is that these specific nForce motherboards (now ONLY the 680i SLI series) offload the LAN (internet/ethernet) traffic off the main system bus to a SEPARATE bus, and use a SEPARATE chip to do the "inspection" ("checksum"). This helps the CPU utilize its resources better in calculating the indicators and drawing them. Since I've built this system, i've had none of the old eSignal "problems". Period. The only problems have been when globex itself was lagging or down -- and that would show by comparing the dome data (sampled data) to TS _and_ eSignal.

Fact is, older Intel pertium chips are _designed_ to "predict" what the program/user will do next and be prepared -- 31 stages ahead. When its wrong -- which it always will be since you can't predict the next data point, unlike "predicting" the next photoshop move, it has to dump all that "thought" and start over. Repeatedly.

Couple replacing a Pentium, no matter how "fast" with a new Core 2 Duo CPU, with the advantage the nForce motherboards have of putting the LAN (internet) traffic on a separate bus, and all of a sudden eSignal (or any other program) is "unfrozen."

My needs are more skewed towards handling data with the upmost efficiency and the video needs are actually pretty basic.

[Alaron]

SLI and Crossfire are for gamers. They combine the power of two video cards (Nvidia or ATI respectively) for a better gaming experience. You do not need either one.

I'd look into a more professional solution, such as a card from http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/co...ducts/home.php for your needs. If the options they offer are too expensive for you, a simple two video card solution would work. You don't even need two PCI-E slots. You could use a proven solid board like the Asus P5K and pop in one PCI-E card and a secondary PCI video card for the extra screens.

[drbob101]

Thank you everyone for your comments.

The links to the video cards are very interesting, especially that new quad dvi one.

I have 2 Matrox Parhelia cards here now, one in service on this PC and one in the box, unopened. The problem is that they are both AGP and of course that's history with the latest mobos. . They are 3 head in analog and function nicely in my environment.

In building this new PC , I would like to best exploit the latest technology in terms of data handling. The only refernece I have found to the possibility of the newer boards helping in that way is the quote from a friend that I pasted above.

Is there substance to this theory as stated?

Also is the killer nic thing something that would be helpful in my world as well?

Thank you