I trade from linux (mint) using a vps. I was suggesting linux most likely in this scenerio as dualboot machine if not using vps. If I was not using mint I would use windows 7. A generation behind in windows is safest if you as me. Just look at the mess with zenfire and ninja I prefer others act as beta testers

sent from a rock using a chisel by the way of TapaTalk

My recommendation would also be Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. I would recommend getting an SSD drive as your boot drive. Makes a whole lot of difference. The Intel i5 3570K is a decent CPU without breaking the bank. 8 GB DDR3 1600 Mhz or better RAM should be sufficient enough.

Windows 8 64-bit Pro (I haven't upgraded to 8.1 yet).

I have been using it for more than a year. Very stable. I use classical shell so it just looks like Windows 7 desktop (I don't know how to use Metro). It has native multiple monitor support (no need for 3rd party software). It has VPS support. You don't need to glue to the screen, you can monitor the markets in your backyard using a tablet. Also Windows 8 license is more flexible than other versions (I read this more than a year ago, not completely sure about this).

What Big Mike said. Until more people adopt Win8, Windows 7 is the most widely supported by software vendors for now.

Windows 7 editions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Home Premium or Professional should suit your needs. If you don't think you will ever need to join a domain then Home Premium should work. The price difference is $40 on newegg, $99 vs $139.

I have an older iMac with a VMWare slice carved out and have WinXP Professional to run my NT7 (v18 - thank you very much Mirus). Until I upgrade my Mac and from what I've read (XP losing support after April) it looks like I will upgrade the OS to Win7 (32-bit). Backup, Backup, Backup.

One more vote for Windows 7 pro / 64bit... Support will be good for a decade as XP is just being phased out.
Super solid.

Another vote for Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. I also purchased an OEM copy Windows 8.1 but it clearly is designed for touch screen "consumer" laptops. It is kind of a hassle and is this generations Windows ME / Windows Vista.

Agreed with the Windows 7 - 64bit suggestions.

When it comes to something critical (like trying to earn a living from trading), then I refuse to act as a beta tester. That is why I never upgrade my trading software as soon as updates are released, and why I will never use the most recent version of an operating system until it has been out for several years and has the predominant user base and is therefore the most widely supported.

Trading is hard enough, why bother with the extra hassle and uncertainty.