6 Monitor Trading Station

[Stza]

Hi Everyone! I'm going to be building a 6-monitor stock trading setup for my father and could use some advise.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month
Budget Range: $1000 (doesnt include monitors) but cheaper if possible
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Web-based stock trading, office software, email
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitors, speakers
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I've used newegg, but open to other sites
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: I'd like to use Intel Sandy Bridge, as I've heard great things about it.
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, I assume it will be needed for 6 monitors?
Monitor Resolution: Six 1920x1080 monitors

Basically this computer will be used for web browser-based stock trading, with some light office type use (email, word processing, etc.). The key here is that it will need to run 6 1080p monitors.

What would you sugest for the following:
-CPU/Mobo: I've heard great things about Sandy Bridge, so I think I'd like to go in that direction. I don't think he'll need anything crazy here, but I'd rather get more power than strictly necessary and have it last a long time than save a couple bucks.
-Graphics: I assume a multi-gpu solution would work best here, but let me know if I'm wrong. Eyefinity from AMD looks like what I'm going for, but i don't know what kind of horsepower I should be putting in here. He wont doing any gaming or graphics rendering, so he doesn't need anything extreme, but I also want to make sure he has a responsive, lag/stutter-free experience.
-Storage: With HDD prices the way they are at the moment, I was considering just using an SSD. 120GB should be more than enough storage for him, and he would get all the bonuses of SSD. Plus we could always add a HDD when prices come down. Is there any reason why I shouldnt do this? (other than price...)

Thanks for any help! let me know if you have any questions!

 

[chesteracorgi]

Look at this thread. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/304542-33-monitors-desktop-which-video-card

 

[g-unit1111]

-CPU/Mobo: I've heard great things about Sandy Bridge, so I think I'd like to go in that direction. I don't think he'll need anything crazy here, but I'd rather get more power than strictly necessary and have it last a long time than save a couple bucks.

Business and trading apps don't require a ton of horsepower. Try the i3-2120 - it will handle everything you need. If you wanted to go a bit higher I'd recommend the i5-2400.

-Graphics: I assume a multi-gpu solution would work best here, but let me know if I'm wrong. Eyefinity from AMD looks like what I'm going for, but i don't know what kind of horsepower I should be putting in here. He wont doing any gaming or graphics rendering, so he doesn't need anything extreme, but I also want to make sure he has a responsive, lag/stutter-free experience.

Yeah - you definitely want Eyefinity. I'd heavily suggest the Sapphire Flex 6950 - it will give you the option to run three or more displays in native HDMI where others will only allow you to use HDMI on one monitor, DVI with the other two. With Radeon you can only run 3 x monitors per card - some give you the option for more - but you definitely want at least a 6850.

-Storage: With HDD prices the way they are at the moment, I was considering just using an SSD. 120GB should be more than enough storage for him, and he would get all the bonuses of SSD. Plus we could always add a HDD when prices come down. Is there any reason why I shouldnt do this? (other than price...)

Yeah HD prices are really weird right now with the situation in Thailand but if you search enough you can find a good 1 or 2TB hard drive between $100 - $150. Get that and use an SSD as your primary.

What I'd also recommend is with a business machine you want to get the most reliable hardware you can get for the money - any time lost with this machine whether it's upgrading or downtime will result in lost revenue.

Try this setup - I didn't include an OS but I'm assuming you'll be using Win 7 Pro:

Case: Antec 300 Illusion - $60.99
PSU: Corsair TX650 V2 - $89.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P - $154.99
CPU: 3.1Ghz Intel Core i5-2400 - $189.99
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaw 1600MHz 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $44.99
Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 - $25.99
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM - $109.99
Optical: Lite On 24X DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: 2 x Sapphire Radeon Flex HD 6850 - $144.99 each ($300.00 total)

Total: $992

 

[Stza]

Thanks for the replies!

G-init1111,
quick question about the PSU...
the link you gave took me to the TX750 V2 for $104
under the details section it says:
SLI: Ready
CrossFire: No

Will this work with two 6850's?
how do I know a PSU will work - does it just need to have two 6+2-Pin connectors?

Would this PSU work:
OCZ ZT Series 650W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Bronze? I like the modular design of it

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Stza]

I'll check that out, thanks!

Couple more questions:
first the mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P
This seems like a pretty high-end motherboard. Since we wont be doing any overclocking, would it make sense to get a less expensive motherboard (maybe around the $100 range?) or would it be sacrificing reliability or something?

Also, looking on newegg they have the
Core i5-2500 @ 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) for $194.99
vs.
Core i5-2400 @ 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) for $189.99

That seems worth the $5... any thoughts?

 

[Lunacat78]

$5 isn't much so I would say go for the i5 - 2500 because it is faster so um.. not much more to explain. Go with the i5-2500, worth the $5.

I don't know much about Mobos so I am not sure about that.

 

[geofelt]

I think you can do with using the integrated graphics an a H67 or Z68 based motherboard.
That will get you two displays at 1920 x 1080P

Then, get two inexpensive pcie graphics cards. Each card can support two additional 1080P displays. for a total of 6 displays.
The cards should be <$50 each. You have no need for fast gaming cards or cf/sli.

A simple duo like the 2120 should be fine, but it would not be wrong to go to a 2400quad.
I do not see the need for lots of cpu power.

Get a Z68 based motherboard. That gives you integrated graphics, and is suitable for a future upgrade to a 2500K or ivy bridge.

Do get lots of ram. Ram is cheap, and you will have lots of windows and apps open. Get a 16gb kit(4 x 4gb)

Since you will want responsiveness, get a SSD for the os and some apps. Look for about 120gb. If 240gb will hold all the files you need, then get one.
Otherwise, use just the 120gb for the os, some apps, temp files, etc. and use a hard drive for large volume storage.

With low powered non-gaming cards, you only need a minimal psu, perhaps 300w. The 450w psu's are actually chaper, and there is no harm in going a bit stronger.

 

[Stza]

Best answer selected by Stza.