Laptop Shopping

[wasp 10]

Afternoon/mornin'/evenin' all, (wherever you may be!)!

 

I am after a dedicated laptop for trading to support, metatrader, currenex, hotspot and a couple of stand alone broker platforms. NOTHING else; there will be not one music file, nor a picture or anything else.

 

It will be directly wired to the internet at home but I do need to move about so occasionally I will be on wi-fi and occasionally using a wireless card so the internet connection won't always be great, but no reason to not get the best machine still.

 

I was thinking a gaming machine would be best but tbh, tech is not my strong point so could be far from the ideal.

 

It would also be ideally lightweight and all in black! Oh, and a built in webcam plus XP and not vista.

 

I usually buy from these guys but any advice appreciated.

 

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/

 

Cheers

[Eiger 10]

I have used a Dell Inspiron notebook for the past year. It has built in wi-fi and it has worked exceptionally well. I don't use it for gaming, though it would probably handle the graphics. No worries with charting software (MetaStock, e-Signal, TradeStation), and never a problem with the internet connection via wireless. It is very fast, and quite lightweight. A nice feature is that you can get a pretty good battery that lasts 5+ hours. It is light weight and has never needed service. Now, I think you can get pretty much any color your want. I would (and will) buy another one.

Eiger

[wasp 10]

An interesting site......

 

Chunky laptops though, hardly call them laptops!

 

http://www.tradingcomputers.co.uk/index.html

[Trader333 10]

I know people who repair laptops for a living and service around 4000 a week. So when I was looking around I asked which were the more reliable and they said either Toshiba or Sony. Toshiba is what I have and is cheaper than Sony but the only issue you may have is getting one with XP instead of Vista. I wanted the same so I went out and got one just before you no longer had the choice. I have found it to be great and it is unlikely that you will need one that is spec'd up for gaming. Mine is basic and as long as you keep up the maintenance on it such as defrag, etc you should be fine.

 

 

 

Paul

[wasp 10]

http://computers2.toshiba.co.uk/toshiba/laptopsearch.nsf/searchdirect?readform&service=UK&charset=utf-8

 

handy little tool from Toshiba

[brownsfan019 17]

My main trading computer (where entries are placed on) is actually desktop 'replacement' aka big laptop. It's a compaq and has done very well. At the time I just got whatever the best stuff was and it's held it's own just fine.

 

Most important thing I found was getting a great graphics card as some trading app's can really use them. I have a laptop that I just play around on and the graphics card is not that great so when I pull up a lot of things, it can slow down even w/ 2 gig of ram in it.

[firewalker 10]

My main trading computer (where entries are placed on) is actually desktop 'replacement' aka big laptop. It's a compaq and has done very well. At the time I just got whatever the best stuff was and it's held it's own just fine.

 

Most important thing I found was getting a great graphics card as some trading app's can really use them. I have a laptop that I just play around on and the graphics card is not that great so when I pull up a lot of things, it can slow down even w/ 2 gig of ram in it.

 

Most people mistakenly attribute slow speed to the graphics card. But in today's computers (and even in laptop models) the usual bottleneck is the hard disk drive. Make you sure get yourself one with 7200RPM and preferably 16Mb buffer SATA-2. For desktops 32Mb buffer is freely available and if you look around a bit you'll find 10000RPM as well which makes a big difference. Not that common amongst laptops though.

 

I would be surprised if you have a laptop that's less than 3 years old that you the GPU is the problem. Unless you have one of those models that use shared memory ofcourse,... Vendors often want to push you towards this or that model with 512Mb memory on the graphics card. But, unless you are planning to play games in 1280x1024 or higher, most of this memory will remain unused and will just cost you more money.

 

Most trading software (charts) and classic office applications hardly require any 'graphic' processing skills. It's plain 2D, Check out the minimum requirements of IB's Trader Workstation. Even a 10-year old computer would still suffice.

 

If you run Vista, it's a different thing though. All the shiny details, the (typical for Web 2.0) glass floor effects, and the transparent windows will put a significant higher load on your graphics card. Even if I had the most powerful laptop around, I'd still prefer XP because I don't need all that stuff and will usually turn even in XP all the templates/colours off and switch basic to a very slim and basic 2000-look.

[GammaJammer 10]

Careful with the ecn connections - they're pretty bandwidth hungry (at least for the wholesale side of things - may be less for you as I have no idea what / how many prices you'll be getting down the pipe). But I for one would struggle to get them to perform over WiFi I reckon.

[wasp 10]

Cheers guys,

 

All comments taken on board and helping me get the shortlist, shorter!

 

I'll update with the top 3 before I choose, see what you experts think!

[wasp 10]

I know people who repair laptops for a living and service around 4000 a week. So when I was looking around I asked which were the more reliable and they said either Toshiba or Sony. Toshiba is what I have and is cheaper than Sony but the only issue you may have is getting one with XP instead of Vista. I wanted the same so I went out and got one just before you no longer had the choice. I have found it to be great and it is unlikely that you will need one that is spec'd up for gaming. Mine is basic and as long as you keep up the maintenance on it such as defrag, etc you should be fine.

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul, do you know what their general opinion on HP Compaq workstations are by any chance?

[Trader333 10]

I know that HP Compaq were considered a good brand and last year I purchased an HP Compaq for my Father who has been happy with it so far.

 

 

Paul

[Soultrader 12]

I know that HP Compaq were considered a good brand and last year I purchased an HP Compaq for my Father who has been happy with it so far.

 

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul,

 

Not a big fan of Compaq myself. Owned one before but was it was the worst laptop I ever purchased myself. I actually beat the crap out of it like the printer scene in Office Space. lol

 

This was before HP took over though..

[jay bird 10]

I recently bought an HP Pavilion that has treated me great so far. You can see the specs on the custom computer vs Best Buy thread. A few members who seemed to know what they are talking about lined me out on the components which I then shopped around to all of the major brands.

HP had by far the best deal at the time, and the computer which runs Vista handles trade station like a dream.

Good luck

[firewalker 10]

I recently bought an HP Pavilion that has treated me great so far. You can see the specs on the custom computer vs Best Buy thread. A few members who seemed to know what they are talking about lined me out on the components which I then shopped around to all of the major brands.

HP had by far the best deal at the time, and the computer which runs Vista handles trade station like a dream.

Good luck

 

There's an important difference between HP consumer laptops (Pavilion series) and business laptops (usually still labeled HP Compaq models)...

 

The latter are obviously more expensive, but more has put considerably more time in using high quality components to ensure a longer lifetime. This is not to say the consumer-series is bad - definitely not - but it's aimed at a different segment. The batteries you'll find in a Pavilion usually last 90 minutes to 2 hours tops, while some business models have 3 to 6 hours autonomy.

[firewalker 10]

Cheers guys,

 

All comments taken on board and helping me get the shortlist, shorter!

 

I'll update with the top 3 before I choose, see what you experts think!

 

So give us the top three and we'll vote

[wasp 10]

The top 3 are...............

 

1: HP_Compaq_8710_workstation

 

2: Toshiba_Satelite_Pro_U400

 

3: Falcon F-12

[firewalker 10]

The top 3 are...............

 

1: HP_Compaq_8710_workstation

 

2: Toshiba_Satelite_Pro_U400

 

3: Falcon F-12

 

And what are your personal preferences?

(1) screen size

(2) battery life

(3) performance or portability?

 

Because, unless that Toshiba link is wrong, that model seems strange in your "top 3", it only has a 13.3" screen, it uses shared graphics memory (nooo!), and it's a completely different price category really...

[wasp 10]

And what are your personal preferences?

(1) screen size

(2) battery life

(3) performance or portability?

 

Because, unless that Toshiba link is wrong, that model seems strange in your "top 3", it only has a 13.3" screen, it uses shared graphics memory (nooo!), and it's a completely different price category really...

 

 

I want (1) 17'' even if it means (2) a spare battery all the time and (3) performance first.

 

The Toshiba I just ran through a ''let us help you choose'' thing this morning so need to re-look into that :shocked:

 

(didn't read through all the spec properly :doh:)

[wasp 10]

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/cgi-bin/ToshibaCSG/jsp/productPage.do?PRODUCT_ID=150236

 

different toshiba....

 

XP reduced my options a ton so its vista

[firewalker 10]

I want (1) 17'' even if it means (2) a spare battery all the time and (3) performance first.

 

Then it comes down to the HP or the Falcon.

 

Imo the HP wins it, because

 

(a) it has a professional nVidia Quadro FX graphics card, only found in high-end workstations, while the Falcon has a Geforce 8700 which is still one of the fastest cards out there but more of a gamers card.

 

(b) That Falcon company only offers return to base warranty, while HP offers an optional Carepack where you can have Next Business Day Onsite service for 3 years for the ridiculously low price of 76£ ex VAT.

 

© The only thing I see about the Falcon which might interest me, is the possibility to have multiple displays connected. But the HP has one external video output as well, so you can attach one external monitor or a TV screen.

 

(didn't read through all the spec properly :doh:)

 

So you expect us to do the work for you, right? :hmpf:

 

Now, all this advice costs you 10% of the purchase price :o

[wasp 10]

I prefer the look of the HP too!

[firewalker 10]

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/cgi-bin/ToshibaCSG/jsp/productPage.do?PRODUCT_ID=150236

 

different toshiba....

 

XP reduced my options a ton so its vista

 

That kind of changes the picture... this one is incredible value for money imo.

 

I'd give the HP "best laptop" and the Toshiba "best value for money".

 

The HP has a much more professional graphics card.

The Toshiba leaves out the specifics about the hard disk drive (you really need to get a 7200RPM SATA minimum).

 

Finally, the Toshiba has a 17" Widescreen, but it only offers an internal resolution of 1,440 x 900. The HP 17" goes up to 1680 x 1050 or if you go for the Wide Ultra 1920 x 1200 resolution. Now thàt is an amazing res, I can tell you... you won't have trouble putting charts on that screen obviously it'll cost you more...

 

I had an ASUS on my hands once with such a resolution and it's amazing how much information you can put on a screen like that. You need good eyesight though because at 1920x1200 the letters start getting tiny!

[Soultrader 12]

Heres my laptop from Toshiba... actually one model older than this but with 4gb of RAM.

 

http://explore.toshiba.com/laptops/qosmio

[firewalker 10]

Heres my laptop from Toshiba... actually one model older than this but with 4gb of RAM.

 

http://explore.toshiba.com/laptops/qosmio

 

Nice Soultrader! Qosmio's are very multimedia directed, the HP setup is totally business oriented, it's a different target audience... I think both come very close, the Toshiba has the same 1920x1200 resolution, but also HDMI.

 

The only thing I'm surprised about is they deliver these with two hard disks with only 5400RPM. That's a real shame, that's a true bottleneck. I'd throw them out instantly, especially with so much processing power and internal ram you don't want the hard drives slowing you down. The Toshiba also has GDDR2 instead of the faster DDR3 memory. On the other hand, it has a TV tuner and all onboard...

 

Just in case anybody would start to think otherwise, I don't have HP shares. Only pointing out the differences

[jay bird 10]

I haven't really been paying attention but I think that the battery has been lasting me about 4 hours.

I just charged it up and will let you know how long it lasts.