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Ok. I'm finally putting a parts list. Considering building this during my Christmas/New Years break. Still way below my budget which is nice (amazing the power you can get these days compared with few years ago). My goals are mostly a fast, energy efficient, and super quiet trading PC.
I spent a couple of hours this morning selecting some parts. I need more research. For example, not sure if I need the Maximus VIII Gene or some of Asus cheaper MOBOs would suffice. I like the size of the Cooler Master 352 case, but I was wondering if I should buy a better case around the same size, and put sound proof material myself.
Also, I haven't decided on the graphics card. I'm leaning towards the NVIDIA NVS 810, but I think it's not out yet (at least at reasonable prices). The NVS 810 packs 2 GTX 750 equivalent for 8 x 4K monitors. Probably an overkill, but I like that it's quiet, low power consumption, but high performance. I will probably run 2 or 3 4K monitors only. Again, still researching.
(see pending questions below in case someone wants to comment).
Buy the best PSU you can, and buy a silence/quiet model --- but carefully check review sites to see under what load % the respective db's are. Because the manufacturers like to quote under small loads, like 10%. That may be fine for a system at complete idle, but if you still want it to be quiet even when playing a game then you'll need to look for something >50% load, depending on the size of the PSU.
On the CPU HSF, you generally want the biggest fan you can get. Bigger fan, less rotation = same CFM but at lower RPM (quieter).
Between the PSU and CPU, both are extremely quiet for a normal system under a "normal" load, say for example as a trader. You will not hear either one of them if you buy quality parts.
The GPU is where the noise usually comes from. You can find reviews for GPU's where they measure the db rating at different loads on the GPU. Many different manufacturers are all releasing cards around the same reference design chips, but the differences between the manufacturers are often in their HSF design.
The build that I laid out in this thread will be sufficiently silent under all circumstances except a full load, based on my own tastes/needs. But I also have a fan/AC in the room that is always going to be louder than even the loudest system.
Enthusiast sites generally will give better advice in these areas. I personally recommend becoming a member at Hardforum, and then layout your design using pc parts picker, and ask your questions -- you'll get some feedback.
I'm looking to invest in a new computer but I have to keep the costs down, so what's your thoughts on i5 vs i7 gen 6 cpu? I'm using sierra chart and trading only ES but also have other charts on screen, so in total 10 charts. They are both quad core but the i7 has hyperthreading, will that give any increase in speed for execution and how fast the dom updates?
For what you are doing and running just few programs either one should work. If you are not in need of much power like it seems, I would just make sure you buy a computer with an SSD. It makes a significant difference. Also, have a minimum of 8GB RAM. Windows 10 is fine and supported by all platforms I use. Always get the Win 10 Professional version as it allows for Remote Desktop access in case you are out and need to login to your trading computer. Although again, not necessary, but well worth few extra bucks.
I have a friend that trades futures out of an old notebook that probably has 1/5 of the power of an i5, and does extremely well. So the machine will not have any impact on your trading, which hardware vendors try to convince you otherwise. A decent machine should be good enough for most people imho.
I need power because I run several trading platforms in the same computer, and like to do some backtest/Market Replays after market hours (and strategies running on market hours), and that may be the case with many traders here.
Said that, if your business is trading, I would not be shy of spending a bit more. Hardware is extremely cheap these days and spending few hundred bucks more shouldn't affect someone in the trading business, if it does you are better off putting your capital somewhere else...