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I am going to build a workstation only for running my Multicharts + IB account in 7/24.
I had planned to use SSD Harddisk + DDR3 1600 8GB x 4
But I don't know how to pick a CPU, I saw Xeon E3 1230 and Core i5 4570 CPU are in same price (Around USD200), which CPU I should consider?
I read some reviews from computer magazine that Core i5 can run faster but Xeon is must suitable for 7/24 operation.
BTW... may I know if the CPU priced at USD200 today like Core i5 with 3300Mhz is already fast enough to run the Multicharts (or Ninjatrader) ? Or I have to think about the higher level CPU like i7 ?
Which CPU should I pick?
Thanks!!
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
I just built an i7 3770k, but now there's one a little better for the same price. Definitely get an i7. I also got a 512 fb SSD, LOVE IT, re start in less than a minute.
To run 24/7, a Xeon is safer, but the motherboard will be a bit more expensive, just like the memory (which have to be ECC if you want to have something very reliable).
First you need a good motherboard and a nice videocard where you can connect 3 or 4 monitors, when you are doing a lot of backtesting i would prefer a i7 3770K or 3930K with a cpu cooler and you need a minimum of 8GB, 16 GB is better but you do not need 32 GB RAM.
A SSD card is not needed what you need is a stable and fast internet connection so pay for the best internet connection. My last suggestion watch for a PC that makes low noise.
I would say i7 over Xeon. My overclocked i7 @ 5.0ghz on water runs 24/7, never had a single issue. If you don't overclock then even more so (my overclock is also an undervolt on idle, to help with overall life).
In either case, throw out the stock CPU cooler and buy a quality HSF (heat sink + fan). You can find good reviews on newegg for this, it will cost around $50 or so.
16GB memory
SSD, or two SSD's in a RAID 1 unless you have a good daily backup plan, and don't mind down time should one fail and you need to restore the system. I have 2x256GB SSD in raid 0, but if doing it again, would do raid 1 even though I have a daily image backup. This is simply because of the time lost should a drive fail, I don't want to deal with that.
Also check carefully how much space you really need for this. Ideally try to leave 50% of your SSD empty for maximum performance. So it means you might really need a 512GB SSD, or two in RAID 1, depending.
Definitely don't do the i5 on a new purchase. The very minimal cost savings is not worth it, go for the i7. This is more future proofing than anything you "need" today. Unless you are backtesting, and then you "need" it.
I have a Xeon E31240 with 8GByte ECC RAM., which I bought about a year ago. No issues so far.
I did not build it myself. Building a PC does not make me any money and is just a waste of time. I just bought a HP Z210 Workstation which comes without video cards. Then fitted the system with two cheap passive 2D AMD Firepro 2270 adapters and connected 3 Dell U2412M (24'') monitors.
The whole system is absolutely quiet and the power consumption usually is below 100 W. This includes 55W required by the three monitors which I have set to 40% brightness and 75% contrast. With max. CPU load the power requirement goes up to 160W (55 W for the monitors and about 105W for the PC).
Do I need a water cooler for a light bulb?
For me this absolutely perfect - with one little exception. The system still has a conventional hard disk, and the time to start Windows 7 is just a nuisance. I should have spent the money for a SSD. Will certainly retrofit it as soon as I have the time to do the reinstall of the system.
I think I will consider the new Haswell i7 in the end. It looks like stable enough to run 24/7, and the newest Haswell i7 CPU could support up to 3 monitors. Without install a graphic card, I can consider smaller cases.
What is better is actually to just over provision your drive. If you have a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro for example, from factory it comes 7% over provisioned meaning that 7% of capacity is un-addressable by the OS, leaving it exclusively for the drive to use for shuffling data around and cleaning up. This is good for wear leveling and ensures the drive has good performance after extended use.
For a typical user, that is sufficient.
For a power user it is not, because we abuse our drives with much more than a normal user based on our activities. Therefore it is better to over provision the drive again. To do this, when you install your OS only create a partition equal to 80% of the usable capacity of the drive. This leaves 20% unaddressable by the OS. Yes it also reduces your usable capacity by 20%, so plan ahead and buy a larger drive if necessary.
If you fail to do this, then over time on a heavily used drive it will get slower and slower. I have experienced this myself even using the latest and greatest drives currently on the market.
Just do a google search for ssd over provisioning and read up on it from several different reputable sources.
