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Blackink
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Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 3:51 pm

Hello, I'm new to the forum and thanks for any assistance someone can provide regarding my question(s).

I trade stocks on a daily and multi-daily/weekly basis. My software provider for my charting program is eSignal and my broker is MB Trading.

I currently have 2 monitors set-up on my Dell PC. I have 6 charts displayed on one monitor, the other monitor has two charts, a quote board window with several stocks listed, a time & sales window, and a couple other small items. All of these charts/windows have streaming data coming in continuously while I'm logged into them. All of this is coming from one ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 2 DVI display ports.

I want to build a new PC, first time builder and I'd like to increase my monitors from 2 to 4.

Will I need to install 2 graphics cards with 2 DVI ports on each card to get the 4 monitor set up?

Could someone give me some advice as what would be the best way to achieve a 4 monitor set up on a new computer build?

I'm sure this won't be my only question regarding a new PC build so I appreciate the help from any and all who wish to help me.
 
ColeLT1
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:04 pm

Some others will give more detailed answers, but if you are not gaming you don't need to spend much (or anything) on a video card. I know haswell (intel's current gen) supports triple monitors (as long as the board also supports it, my board has DVI, HDMI, DP, and VGA).

If 3 isn't enough, then you can add a low power card from nvidia or ATI to get your extra monitor support, both support 3 monitors, and ATI has some 6 monitor cards. Windows 8 allows you to run a add-in video card alongside the integrated intel video.

Edit, for more clarification: With the 2600xt you could run 5 monitors on a haswell setup (3 on board + 2 from the 2600xt), if there are windows 8 drivers for that 7yr old card.
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Blackink
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:09 pm

I'm not gaming and I would be buying new video cards with the new build.
 
Steel
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:37 pm

Here's a couple options:

AMD FirePro 2460
Matrox M9120 Plus

Matrox is better known for their multi-monitor cards though AMD may have better driver support.
 
Melvar
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:42 pm

Here's an AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 6 mini DisplayPorts for $250: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-na-_-na

It comes with 2 mini-DP to single-link DVI adapters, so you would still be able to use your current monitors unless they require dual-link connections. Then just add 2 (or even 4) new monitors with DisplayPort inputs.


Edit:
Steel wrote:
Here's a couple options:

AMD FirePro 2460
Matrox M9120 Plus


That FirePro card looks nice if you don't care about being able to run 6 monitors. It doesn't have a fan, which is a plus. The Matrox card will only do 4 analog connections, and even then you need to buy an extra adapter.
 
Orwell
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:59 pm

Here's a couple options:

  • All NVIDIA 600 and 700 series cards support four single link (max. 1920x1200@60Hz) displays. You only need to find one with four actual connectors. Ooh, here's one.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125511 (GTX750Ti)
  • You could grab a second hand 5870 Eyefinity6 for about 80 to 100 euros if they're available to you (they are in the Netherlands). That's quite a bit cheaper than the 7750 and FirePro 2460 mentioned. You might need a bigger power supply though, even if only for the presence of the 6+8 power connectors. You're not going to draw any where near that amount of power with the 2D tasks you mentioned, but it won't budge without them. It will support six screens instead of four though.
  • If three screens are enough, any low end modern card will do.
Last edited by Orwell on Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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BIF
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:15 pm

Orwell wrote:
  • If three screens are enough, any low end modern card will do.


But always confirm the presence of the number of connectors you need. If pictures are available, have a look before you commit the payment. :D
 
Orwell
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:17 pm

Found an even cheaper card with the actual four outputs that every recent NVIDIA cards ought to have.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125503 (GTX750 non-Ti)

If you don't care about gaming, just grab this GTX750 non-Ti. It saves you fourty dollars for a grand total of $119,99.—

Why the hell did Gigabyte put a bloody 6pin on these 50W cards?
Last edited by Orwell on Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:02 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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BIF
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:18 pm

Also...

Be aware that AMD cards will either require the 3rd thru 6th monitors (on the same card) to be Displayport, or they will require an active displayport connector for the monitor type you do have (one for each monitor beyond #2). If it's not an "active" connector, then it may not work.
 
Blackink
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:49 pm

Wow, such a great response from so many people....thank you.

I will look into the links you all posted after I post this message.

Just so you all know:
I will keep my current 2 monitor PC for other than trading on. The new build will be strictly for trading purposes.

I will install Windows 7 on the new build as I've heard it's trader friendly and much more manageable for a traders needs than Windows 8.

Once again, thanks for all the suggestions......I'll keep you posted.

I started browsing this forum and Web site-The tech Report, only a few days ago and read some of the articles about building your own PC, I also read through some of the posts here in these forums and I will say this: The support that is shown and offered by the folks here that know what to do or know what they're doing in regards to PC software and hardware is - Top Shelf.....nothing less. A tremendous resource for all.....
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:21 pm

You only need one graphics card to drive four monitors. Using a desktop graphics card would save you a Benjamin compared to the $241+ workstation graphics card that Steel linked.

$103 Gigabyte GV-R725XOC-1GD with 1x DVI + 1x HDMI + 2x mini-DisplayPort
or $145½ PowerColor AXR7 250 2GBD5-4DL with 4x mini-DisplayPort, low-profile

HDMI is electrically compatible with DVI, so you can use a cheap HDMI <-> DVI-D cable between them. As BIF stated, every monitor after the second one must use DisplayPort (or a DisplayPort to DVI active adapter). Single-link DVI is good for up to 1920x1200 at 60Hz. For 2560x1600 or 2560x1440, you'll need dual-link DVI. Those active adapters are more expensive than the single-link variety.

Of course, if your new monitors have DisplayPort input and your graphics card has DisplayPort outputs, you're all set.
Last edited by JustAnEngineer on Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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GeForce6200
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:36 pm

Welcome to the site Blackink! Others have posted various ways to setup such a system. I am wondering what resolution you will be driving with your new monitors. I'm sure the fellow gerbils can go into how much a 1440P or possibly a 4K monitor would help for having multiple live charts and feeds up at once.
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:52 pm

It might get pricy, but Matrox is still around and their only business is running multiple monitors off 1 card, usually in the financial world.

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/produ ... /m_series/
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:06 pm

:o Matrox wants $1900 for a video card supporting eight monitors.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814106055

This is the Matrox 4-display unit that looks best to me, at $570:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814106051
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:57 pm

The FirePro that was linked is a good option but it's relatively expensive to get more than 3 outputs on one card.

You will be fine using windows to combine the outputs from two much cheaper cards, if cost is an issue - either using one card and the IGP or by just getting two cheap cards. Even $30 cards have two digital outputs and it doesn't sound like you need any of the 3D features whatsoever (which is usually what drives the price up).
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MarkG509
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:18 pm

There are also USB 3.0 Monitor adapters, while not fast enough for gaming, they work quite well for mostly text-based windows and claim to handle DVI-DL up to 2560x1600, though I have not tried to go past 2560x1440. The one I used was from Plugable [sic.], though all the higher-end adapters seem to use the same internal chipset.

At plugable.com, they have a video up showing 14 monitors hanging off a Win 8.1 PC using their adapters.
 
Deanjo
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:29 pm

Orwell wrote:
Here's a couple options:

  • All NVIDIA 600 and 700 series cards support four single link (max. 1920x1200@60Hz) displays.


I think most 6 and 7 series will actually handle 4 dual link. My Titan is currently running 4 2560x1440 Asus displays at native res (two via the dual link dvi ports, 1 via HDMI which is running at full res and the displayport.
 
Blackink
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:51 pm

OK, I'll do the best I can to ask the correct questions on what might concern me.

Question #1) One thing I was never sure about or comfortable with was using one graphics card with 2 DVI ports and 2 Display ports or HDMI ports connected up to 4 monitors.
I just didn't think that I'd get the same performance from the display ports or HDMI ports as I would from the DVI ports but from what I'm reading here and in a Google search, it makes no difference-Is this a correct statement?

Question #2) Following that train of thought, what about using a video card that has 4 mini display ports and then using adapter cables: mini display to DVI ports like the graphics card JustAnEngineer posted? No loss of performance?

Question #3) So......is there any reason, except for money, why I couldn't 't buy 2 graphics cards with at least 2 DVI ports in each of them and install them on a motherboard and just use the 4 DVI ports to connect 4 DVI cables to 4 monitors? Once I install the drivers, these two cards should see the 4 displays, correct?
I shouldn't need to connect the 2 cards together with an SLI link, should I? Remember, I'll be using Windows 7 Professional if that matters.

I certainly don't think I'd want to go the route of having 2 DVI ports, 1 (mini) display port, and one HDMI port-all one 1 graphics card and running 4 monitors off from that set up! Seems like too many variables.

I'd feel more comfortable going with a 4 mini display card and using 4 mini display to DVI adapter cords.
Or if someone can convince me to use 1 graphics card with 2 DVI ports and 2 HDMI or 2 Display ports, I might go that route.

I'd feel even more comfortable going with 2 video cards with 2 DVI ports in each card and using 4 DVI to DVI cables from the cards to the 4 monitors.

Question #4) lol....It's the LAST one!!! Could someone explain the Pros and Cons of using 2 video cards vs. 1 video card?

Thanks again for all the help :)

As for GeForce6200's question: I have my Dell S2209W monitors set at 1280x960 resolution.
 
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:12 pm

Digital = zero signal degradation, period; Since the days of DVI, 2D image quality arguments are down to the difference between screens, not graphics cards and cable qualities.

Choose your screens and us gerbils can probably point you towards the best cards for your purpuse, but without knowing whether your screens are DisplayPort, DVI, DL-DVI or HDMI, it's hard to recommend a specific thing.

Oh, and....

1) Yes, correct statement
2) No loss of performance (in 2D terms, I assume you mean display quality and windows draw speeds)
3) Nope. Any two or more cards will work. You can even mix the manufacturer and model but two identical cards means you only need one driver installed.
4) Specifically for 2D windows desktop work like you're talking about - there really isn't enough difference to worry about unless your monitors are unusual (ie, very high resolution or high-frequency)
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JustAnEngineer
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:31 pm

If you bought six identical inexpensive 27" WQHD monitors like this one, you could use any cable that you'd like to use, since the monitor has DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs.

Here's a single $250 low-end graphics card with six mini-DisplayPort outputs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814129274
http://www.amazon.com/VisionTek-Product ... 00C7EPSVS/

Here are the inexpensive mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cables to make the connection.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=1 ... 1&format=2

That gives you more than 22 million pixels of desktop for $2,953 plus another $156 for a six-monitor stand.
http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Monitor-St ... 006JGG9FE/

Yes, you could install another of these cards in the same PC if you wanted to double the size of your monitor array.
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Blackink
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:09 pm

JustAnEngineer wrote:
If you bought six identical inexpensive 27" WQHD monitors like this one, you could use any cable that you'd like to use, since the monitor has DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs.

Here's a single $250 low-end graphics card with six mini-DisplayPort outputs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814129274
http://www.amazon.com/VisionTek-Product ... 00C7EPSVS/

Here are the inexpensive mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cables to make the connection.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=1 ... 1&format=2

That gives you more than 22 million pixels of desktop for $2,953 plus another $156 for a six-monitor stand.
http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Monitor-St ... 006JGG9FE/

Yes, you could install another of these cards in the same PC if you wanted to double the size of your monitor array.



Thanks for your input JustAnEngineer but 'll stick with 4 monitors, 6 is over kill for me. 4 monitors will be a big improvement and I'm looking forward to it.
Now I need to research monitors.....
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:16 pm

The same card and stand might work with just four monitors initially, and you'd know that you could expand to six later on if you wanted.

P.S.: Six 2560x1440 screens provides a total of nine times as many pixels as you have now. Four of them would be only six times as many pixels as you have now.
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Blackink
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Sat Nov 28, 2015 10:26 pm

Update on my old post.

My new PC was built (3 months ago)using a *GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 750 Ti video card. Connected up **4 Dell P2314H monitors.

Everything is connected up and is working very well for my needs.

Here is the rest of my hardware:
i5-4690k Processor
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO cooler
Asus Z97-A/USB 3.1 Motherboard (The Z97-A was out of stock when I was ready to order, hence the USB 3.1 mobo)
G.Skills Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Ram
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB SSD
Western Digital Black Series 1TB 7200RPM Internal Harddrive
* The above listed video card.
CoolerMaster HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
EVGA 750W 80+ Gold G2 Series Fully Modular PSU
Asus DVD/CD Writer Optical Drive
** The 4 Dell monitors listed above
Logiteck MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/ Optical Mouse
Anker 3.5" Front Panel 3.0 USB Hub
4 Noctua SS02 Bearing NF-F12 PWM Fans

Software: Windows 7 OEM with SP1
Total Cost: $1731.97
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Daytrader using multiple monitors....

Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:33 pm

Why did you select the low resolution (1080p) monitors rather than 1440p displays?
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