MAC User Seeks PC Laptop for Trading

[nelsonnelson]

As a MAC user, I need to get a PC laptop for trading. I want something under $800, light-weight, smaller screen.

Processor: Is there an advantage in using Intel Core i3 over anything else? My tech wiki is poor in PC world.

Any brands/models jump to mind?

Appreciate your thoughts

Thanks

[jupiejupe]

parallels or vm ware i have nt 6.5 and 7 running on both and it's way cheaper, altho i suggest parallels over vm ware as of currently.

[nanook77]

As a MAC user, I need to get a PC laptop for trading. I want something under $800, light-weight, smaller screen.

Processor: Is there an advantage in using Intel Core i3 over anything else? My tech wiki is poor in PC world.

Any brands/models jump to mind?

Appreciate your thoughts

Thanks

agree with earlier post. Am running NT7 and NT6.5 on my macs. (MacBookPro & MacBook) Use Parallels 5 (current edition). Recommend you set Parallels up in a separate space and avoid the Coherence modes and shared profiles. Have found the best solution to use "full window" mode, with extended windows if you have a second monitor.

Set your parallels to operate in a different space (use space 2 & 4 personally) and then run your windows in those spaces exclusively. Allocate 3GB of ram, if you have it, to the Win space (1.5bg is about the minimum to run NT6.5 or NT7) Have 8GB so allocate 4GB to Win7 platform and 2.5GB to Win XP platform). (Yes, okay run both Win platforms at the same time, with NT6.5 in XP and NT7 in Win7).

Size of available ram will determine how many complex charts system will support. With current setup , consistently run 20 to 30 charts and multiple strategies in Win7 and 12 charts in Win XP, at the same time. (The mac's are much more stable and even faster than any windows platform that i have and they are my choice for running my trading, even though Win machines are available - fwiw)

Suggest you read forum posts regarding how to isolate your Win platform from your Mac. If you run into problems, drop me a note.

Save your money for trading - lol. Hope this helps.

nanook77

[Jim-Boulder]

Just another vote for MAC--I am running Bootcamp on a MACMini--so I boot into full XP mode--for trading----I have run NT 7 and it did fine, but am running NT6.5 for real trading....I echo the sentiment of others--I have run the MAC Mini in this mode for 9 months-and it is the most stable of ALL my PC's--period. It is my best windows machine--strange but true.

I can't compare/contrast Bootcamp from the other methods mentioned-if I want to use it as a MAC-I do have to reboot--but my thought is that if I am trading--I shouldn't be toggling over to the MAC to do whatever--there's enough distractions as it is...just my opinion.

[btezcan]

I don't have a Mac Book but have the Mac Pro Desktop. Running W7 on this booting with bootcamp. Super machine, 5 gig ram so far, SSD hard drive, super fast, no problems. Running NT7 without any problems. So I am guessing a macbook will act the same. Highly recommend..

[JoshDance]

I also have a mac mini for home, but this person wants a laptop. Are you suggesting buying a macbook of some kind and then running parallels? The question is why? You can get so much more hardware for the money in a Windows-based laptop computer.

The cheapest macbook is $999 USD, has a 2.4 dual core processor, and 2GB of ram. Then you have to buy windows, and parallels (or just use boot camp).

An average windows-based notebook (like an Acer Aspire) is around $699 and also has a 2.4 dual core processor with 4GB of ram. No windows to purchase either.

I love my mac, no doubt, but for the purpose of running NT on a mobile computer I can't imagine why you'd get a mac.

[nanook77]

JoshDance
there is no question - that you are right. And this is just my personal and humble opinion. fwiw.

1. No WinXP/7platform, imo, is more stable that a MacBookPro running Win7 SP1, 32B and 64B thru Parallels6. when I am trading live - I want platform stability more than anything else. At 10 contracts ($100/USD per tick) want certainty in my buy/sell clicks. My Mac/Parallels6/Win7SP1 platform has a 41ms (average) latency. Have 10 to 16 charts online live. Often run 30 days between restarts of my MacBookPro platform.

2. Personally - trade Futures and Forex. Cl GC EU-GU-EJ-EG. Average open/close spread using PFG is less than 2 pipson both futures and Forex. If anyone has any better, with more than 200 trades per year, please let me know.

3. Run multiple computers (6) and multiple VM's (virtual machines). Have 2 Win7 and 3 WinXP platforms running NT7 and 3 MAC 10X platforms running both WinXP and Win 7 platforms with NT7 running. trade live only on Mac platforms - that is pretty plain.

4. Obviously many - many folks trade on Win based platforms. With much success. The MacBookPro is expensive - very expensive in fact. However, it only takes 1 problem - 12 to 20 pips in a year, one freeze, to offset that cost.

My point - do not discount the Mac system - out of hand.

5. Hear lots of talk otherwise - lol - and very little real evidence. Have been trading my MacBookPro.

6. Am haveing Trading Computer build me a new system, all Win7 based, for my office trading. Have heard great stuff about them and stability. Will report 3 months after deliver. Still running my MacBookPro - for 14 months - has been flawless.

this all is fwiw.

[billr]

I also converted from PC clunkers to MAC. iMac with Bootcamp and windows 7. So far so good. More than I can usually say for any 7 day period with any PC I've ever owned. (but frankly, I have not owned many. I have been a MAC user for a long time.) But from what I have seen, Apple simply puts in the effort to design products that work. I have spoken with many converts over the last year and every person I have ever spoken to that has tried it, says that MAC's are the best PC's they have ever owned. FWIW. (while I'm sounding like a MAC salesman, I have also solved virtually all my wireless connection quirks by switching to AirPort/TimeMachine in lieu of the numerous 'name brand' routers out there. Even if you don't use Mac's, seems to work better for your PC's too.)

[The3Pearsons]

JoshDance
there is no question - that you are right. And this is just my personal and humble opinion. fwiw.

1. No WinXP/7platform, imo, is more stable that a MacBookPro running Win7 thru Parallels5. when I am trading live - I want platform stability more than anything else. At 10 contracts ($100/USD per tick) want certainty in my buy/sell clicks. My Mac/Parallels5/Win7/NT7 platform has a 41ms (average) latency - fwiw. I often run 30 days between restarts of my MacBookPro platform - fwiw.....

2. Personally - trade 6 Forex currencies. EU-GU-EC-GC-EJ-EG. Average open/close spread using PFG is less than 2 pips. If anyone has any better, with more than 200 trades per year, please let me know.

3. Run multiple computers (6) and multiple VM's (virtual machines). Have 4 Win7 and WinXP platforms running both NT6.5 and NT7 and 3 MAC 10X platforms running both WinXP and Win 7 platforms with both NT 6.5 and NT7 running. Can choose whichever I want - fwiw - I only trade live on Mac platforms - that is pretty plain.

4. Obviously many - many folks trade on Win based platforms. With much success. the MacBookPro is expensive - very expensive in fact. However, it only takes 1 problem - 12 to 20 pips in a year, one freeze, to offset that cost.

My point - do not discount the Mac system - out of hand.

5. Hear lots of talk otherwise - lol - and very little real evidence.

this all is fwiw.

COST vs RISK. I couldn't agree more with the key point that it only takes one "freeze","hang",or "crash" on any computer to cost you 10-20 tics/pips. If this happens only once in an entire year, it still offsets the cost of investing in a more stable platform. When trading LIVE, stability and speed are paramount. As an ex-IT professional (database administrator) I made my living on supporting Windows and Unix based systems. Critical corporate systems were always deployed on Unix, but many key apps and all users were Windows based. Point is, I am not a MAC bigot at all, but I will only do my LIVE trading on a MAC, my sim work an analysis is sometimes done on Windows just to leverage certain trading software.....but execution is done on the MAC. It would be great to have at least one "robust" trading software for the MAC in native mode.......Ninja for MAC should be developed...what a following it would have then......thousands and thousands more than now......

[JoshDance]

Ninja for MAC should be developed...what a following it would have then......thousands and thousands more than now......

Not a chance. Ask Investor R/T, who has a Mac version for equities only (I think it's only for equities) what their ratio of Mac to Windows users is and I'll bet it's tiny. Macs are stable platforms, but they are way overpriced, and I have not had a single crash or problem with Windows 7 since I started using it-- if you haven't tried it, you really should. As long as you don't get a clunker for hardware, your crashes will be much more likely due to software errors like in Ninja, or an internet outage, than anything having to do with OS or hardware. The days of Mac being able to claim superiority because of crap like Windows ME are simply over. They had no competition, but Windows is now a very stable OS. I sold my Mac and for the price I got for it used, I got twice the hardware brand new, an extra monitor, and a much faster and better overall experience for the money.

[jupiejupe]

first.
anyone making money trading is not worried about the fact that non mac users think they are over priced, because in truth they are not.

second.
ninja trader will only consider making changes to their code if enough ppl make noise about having that change in place.

third.
mac nt users should make noise about getting ninja trader working with "Crossover" instead of having a mac version as if ninja trader worked with crossover that would be good enough, and we would not have to have the drain of two os running, or alt booting to trade.

imo

[nanook77]

Not a chance. Ask Investor R/T, who has a Mac version for equities only (I think it's only for equities) what their ratio of Mac to Windows users is and I'll bet it's tiny. Macs are stable platforms, but they are way overpriced, and I have not had a single crash or problem with Windows 7 since I started using it-- if you haven't tried it, you really should. As long as you don't get a clunker for hardware, your crashes will be much more likely due to software errors like in Ninja, or an internet outage, than anything having to do with OS or hardware. The days of Mac being able to claim superiority because of crap like Windows ME are simply over. They had no competition, but Windows is now a very stable OS. I sold my Mac and for the price I got for it used, I got twice the hardware brand new, an extra monitor, and a much faster and better overall experience for the money.

Josh - you may be right, and when i wrote that, was beta testing Win7 for MS. It was not stable, imo. Is much better now, and as noted, have ordered new Win7 system from Trading Computers myself. However, do not intend to sell my MacBookPro for when i travel. As you probably know, we can all now run multiple monitors with usb 2.0 options available. have 3 montiors on mine - as we speak.

Just did a restart on my mac to update, first time in 34 days. which is not bad.

take care

nanook

[nanook77]

first.
anyone making money trading is not worried about the fact that non mac users think they are over priced, because in truth they are not.

second.
ninja trader will only consider making changes to their code if enough ppl make noise about having that change in place.

third.
mac nt users should make noise about getting ninja trader working with "Crossover" instead of having a mac version as if ninja trader worked with crossover that would be good enough, and we would not have to have the drain of two os running, or alt booting to trade.

imo

jupiejupe - hopefully, NT will note that market cap of AAPL is now larger that MS. Am a fan of both MS and APPL, trade both and own both stocks. IMO - apple could overtake MS in future of trading, but will run anything that makes me money. right now also trade futures on iPad, and check my trades on Android, fwiw.

Thanks for support - let's push for full cross platform systems.

nanaook

[billr]

nanook77, would you mind describing how you trade using your iPad? I have thought about that but didn't know where to start. Do you use iPad to control your main computer? Are you able to trade via Ninja Trader?

Thanks.

[JoshDance]

jupiejupe - hopefully, NT will note that market cap of AAPL is now larger that MS.

Maybe so, but Windows 7 is on about 30% of all personal computers, and it's only been released less than 2 years ago. Meanwhile, Mac OS is on less than 8% of all personal computers.

Market cap means little in this discussion--Windows versions of some kind comprise 86% of market share, and Mac runs on 8%. For a software developer looking for the widest audience, the choice is obvious.