MARKET MADNESS

Traders How-To Guide for Dominating the Markets in 2021


Is Your Computer Fast Enough to Trade With?

Eddie Z | EZ Trading Computers

● What is a Trading Computer?
● Why do I need a special computer for trading?
● Can’t I just use my existing machine?
Hello, my name is Eddie Z, and I am a 34-year Wall Street veteran and a lifelong computer geek. As a full-time stock trader and geek, I have developed a unique perspective on trading technology and have learned what it takes to have a super fast and reliable trading computer system. My goal in this guide is to pass that information on to you, so that YOU CAN SUCCEED AS A TRADER.

There are several companies on the internet selling “Trading Computers” with literally thousands of dollars of profit built into them. I am here to tell you that despite their slick websites, they sell nothing special. In fact, many times they confuse you and try to sell you things you really don’t need. What’s worse is that these people are not traders like us. They simply do not speak our language.

The purpose of this guide is to help you determine if your computer is really fast enough for trading.

So, at this point, you may be asking yourself:
  • What is a Trading Computer?
  • ​Why do I need a special computer for trading?
  • Can’t I just use my existing machine?
A “Trading Computer” is a very fast, superior piece of technology, designed to maximize the trader’s ability to interface with the markets and make decisions in real time. The key qualities of a great Trading Computer are speed, reliability, after the sale service/support, and multiple monitors.

The most important reason traders absolutely need a Trading Computer is to avoid something called “slippage”. Slippage is when you enter an order to buy or sell, and the price you get filled at is much different from what you expected. Generally, slippage occurs because the trader is using a mass-manufactured, lower-end computer that is not displaying price information in real time. This price data may be off by just a fraction of a second, but it’s enough to throw off your entire trading methodology.

Have you ever been to a sports bar where they are showing the exact same game on both a High Definition TV and an old-school, regular TV; and the game on one TV is actually a second or so ahead of the other? Slippage is a very similar phenomenon, and it costs traders a bundle.

Most traders don’t realize that mass-manufactured computers, and the mainstream processors from just a few years ago, just can’t keep up with today’s mega levels of streaming price data. So if you have a computer that is just 2 or 3 years old that you bought at BestBuy, most likely you are going to have data issues and bottlenecks.

That brings me to an important point: forget about going down to BestBuy, OfficeDepot or Walmart to buy an HP, Lenovo or Dell computer. These mass manufacturers use inferior components, inferior wiring and low-end motherboards in their systems; and their tech support outright sucks (unless you like calling call centers in the Philippines!). You will NOT save money buying one of these mass-manufactured machines. Additionally, most of the mass manufacturers only include a 1-year warranty. As for the kids who work at these retailers, they have NO IDEA what you need as a trader.

Instead, plan on having a system professionally built and customized for you. Believe it or not, having a system built for you will NOT cost you more in price than going down to BestBuy. In actuality, it will cost you less if you consider the cost of slippage, set-up, downtime, headaches and frustration.

SPEED: The biggest contributor to speed in a computer comes from a component called the Processor. The Processor is the engine of the computer.

Traders need the most powerful processors on the market to optimize their trading software! Trading software is extremely resource intensive.

The processor needs to be able to handle the MASSIVE volume of real-time data points and information we take in through our internet connection as traders. Think of all the price data, tick data, time and sales data, historical chart data, as well as the myriad of other information that is streaming to our machines.

Your trading software, besides showing you quotes, has to take these thousands of data points per second and compute analytics, quantitative indicator computations (sometimes dozens) and draw charts that are changing dynamically - in real time.

Additionally, traders use their computers for dozens of other applications that are resource intensive such as online trading/teaching rooms that make use of GotoWebinar and Zoom. Online video streaming such as CNBC, Bloomberg or CNN are also extremely resource intensive.

Now add in any other applications you use such as Excel, Outlook, Chrome, Skype, etc. and you can see your processor has to manage a LOT of tasks.

So as a trader, you never want to skimp on processing power and speed.

Think of the processor as the main engine of the computer. The more horsepower the processor has, the faster it can process data and streaming information, and the less chance you will have for slippage and slowness.

The ultimate measure of computer horsepower is found by running something called a CPU Benchmark Test. This like taking your car down to a special tuning shop and having them test EXACTLY how much horsepower is coming out of the drive train. (In the car world, this is known as a “Dyno Test” on a dynamometer.)

The minimum amount of “horsepower” a trading computer needs (and this is really the bare minimum) is a CPU Benchmark Score of 12,000. This number may mean nothing to you without anything to compare it to.

Just to give you an idea, Dell, as of this writing, is selling their new Inspiron 22 3000 Desktop with the Intel i5-8265U processor which has a disappointing benchmark score of just 7986. This is NOT fast enough for trading.

Remember, the minimum Benchmark Score required to avoid slippage as a trader is 12,000.

Your best bet is to check the EXACT amount of horsepower of your current computer by visiting this CPU Benchmark Test Page -> https://bit.ly/ezcputest . I think you may be surprised to learn that over-the-counter; store-bought computers are almost always underpowered.

As of this writing, here are my top processor picks for Traders. These are chosen for their power and speed as well as for their value.
Intel Vs AMD

So at this point, you're probably asking - “Which brand of processor should I choose?”

Years ago, I would have pointed you exclusively to Intel. Intel had been the gold standard when it comes to processors in terms of power, speed and quality all the way up until the end of 2018. Up until that point, AMD (formerly known as Advanced Micro Devices) focused exclusively on the lower-end of the computer market and on graphics cards.

However, in 2019, all of that changed. AMD has gone directly after Intel’s market share by releasing some very fast processors at very attractive price points. In our production facilities we have tested these new AMD processors with full force and I can honestly say they now make excellent products for traders. Excellent enough that we are willing to warranty their products for a full 5 years! AMD’s regular warranty is 3 years.

If you are old school or brand loyal then go with Intel. They still make excellent products. If you want more bang for the buck, AMD is the right choice. With AMD processors you will get a lot more speed for the money and the amount you save can be used to upgrade the hard drives and memory.

In terms of speed, the Intel 10th Generation Core i5-10400 is the only Core i5 to ever make our list. Any Core i3 or Core i5 with a lower number simply does not meet the benchmark score requirements.

All of the older AMD, Intel i3 and Intel i5 series processors are equivalent to 4-cylinder car and you won’t have the power you need to do everything you want in the markets.

I must repeat: the benchmark score is the ultimate measure of performance. The higher the benchmark score the better for you as a trader. The minimum benchmark score for traders is 12,000.

Check your computer’s benchmark score NOW by going here here -> https://bit.ly/ezcputest.

The following processors are obsolete and should NOT be used by traders: Pentium, Pentium 4, Pentium Dual, Core2 Duo, Core Duo, Dual Core, Celeron, Core2 Quad. Even lower-number i7’s (like the i7-2600) and any i7 with a U at the end (i.e. i7-7600U) are NOT fast enough to trade with and should be avoided. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has many lower-end chips, too. DO NOT BE FOOLED. They must all have a benchmark score over 12000 or you are wasting your money.   
This short guide was dedicated to the most important aspect of a Trading Computer, which is Speed. However, there are many other important features for having a fully optimized Trading System including: Multiple-monitors, video cards, RAM, Solid State Hard Drives, Backup-Systems and more! To learn about all of them, please feel free to get a copy of our Complete Guide to Trading Computer by going to https://www.eztradingcomputers.net/get-guide/ . This guide is jam-packed with great tips to help you optimize your trading experience!
About the Author

Eddie Z
Company: EZ Trading Computers
Website: www.eztradingcomputers.net
Services Offered: Trading/Investing education, trade ideas, courses

Russ Hazelcorn, better known as Eddie Z, is a full-time day trader, educator, and total computer geek. He is the creator of www.EZBreakouts.com, an educational website focused on teaching traders exactly how to day trade and swing trade US equities (stocks). The EZBreakout Method focuses on teaching students from the bottom up, via step-by-step instruction, as well as top down, by giving students Eddie Z’s top 10 stock picks that have the highest probability of a breakout the next day, and letting them reverse engineer the selection process. This unique teaching style results in a much higher student rate of success.

Eddie Z is also the founder of EZ Trading Computers (www.EZTradingComputers.net), the industry leader in high-powered trading computers for traders of all markets. He founded EZ Trading Computers to achieve a single goal: "Educate fellow traders on trading technology and offer them the highest quality computers at the lowest prices possible with the best customer service."

Eddie Z has had a lifetime of experience in the financial markets. His father was a commodities future trader on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). From the time he was five years old, his father would take him to work. Even in the 1970s, before computerized trading, he was mesmerized by all the people huddled in the trading pit screaming and getting very carried away. Interest in trading started in his teens, when his dad taught him how to draw point-and-figure charts by hand with pencil and graph paper. His first full-time job on Wall Street started in 1987 on the floor of the NYMEX, the very first Monday after he graduated high school.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Hazelcorn had a 17-year career as a licensed stockbroker. Now he enjoys trading his own accounts exclusively. He holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from Penn State and an MBA from Lehigh University, but he attributes real-world, in-the-trenches experiences to some of his greatest learning.

  
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