NinjaTrader 8 on Quadro vs Regular Graphics Cards

[Unsuitable]

Hello,

Since NinjaTrader 8 benefits from dedicated graphics, do Quadro cards offer any additional benefit over regular graphics card? For workloads such as auto cad Quadros are superior, how about for NT8?

Thanks

[NinjaTrader_Spencer]

Hello Unsuitable,

Thank you for your post.

Please note that we are not able to recommend any specific card and as long as it meets the Minimum Requirements will be sufficient enough for NinjaTrader.

Depending on exactly how you intend to use NinjaTrader, certain hardware may perform better than others, however, we would not have any specifics on how different hardware performs.

[Unsuitable]

Hello Spencer,

So NinjaTrader 8 can't take advantage of a Quadro special processing units?

Thanks

[NinjaTrader_Spencer]

Hello Unsuitable,

NinjaTrader was not designed for Quadro cards specifically and therefore is not going to take advantage of their specific architecture.

They would still be able to be used with NinjaTrader if they fill the minimum requirements but I am not able to speak on what kind of difference in performance there would be.

[Unsuitable]

Hello Spencer,

If NT8 was not made to take advantage of Quadro technology then the performance difference should not differ. Given both cards have the same horsepower of course.

Thanks that will be all for today

[Vendor_NT_Mobile]

Instead of investing in expensive home hardware, have you considered trading over a server? With even just the minimum spec server, you'd be able to simultaneously run dozens of charts, indicators, strategies, etc.

Many traders use a server to fix performance issues and avoid connection problems. The way it works is instead of running NinjaTrader on your home computer, it is installed your server which is on 24/7. This approach fixes the problem of needing to run your home computer all the time.

A dedicated server for trading will always outperform a similarly spec'd home computer.
VPS connections are 1,000mbs, so the server is always connected to the broker/data source.
Would highly recommend checking out https://www.ninjamobiletrader.com/

They're also listed on the NinjaTrader ecosystem: https://ninjatraderecosystem.com/sea...biletrader-vps

Hello,

Since NinjaTrader 8 benefits from dedicated graphics, do Quadro cards offer any additional benefit over regular graphics card? For workloads such as auto cad Quadros are superior, how about for NT8?

Thanks

[Unsuitable]

That's a good idea... but I can come up with my own solution, perhaps make my own server. There's also plenty of services out there that do the same thing and are probably more cost-effective.

[Vendor_NT_Mobile]

There are cheaper windows servers, but rarely for the same performance/specs. Cheap providers put many users on the same CPU / network, so you're sharing resources.
Servers optimized for trading have dedicated CPU and RAM. They are also located as close to Chicago or NJ (depending on the instruments you're trading).

Maintaining your own home server is also possible, and the founder of futures.io, Big Mike, does this.
Redundancy is very important for home setups. What happens when you're home network loses connection for a few moments? These are risks that automated trading strategies need to plan around so you would need at least 2 separate internet connections, and hardware/software that can mix the connections together for seamless failover.
Some traders like to run their own home servers, others like to focus their efforts more on trading.

Either way, no matter which route you decide, traders that trade for a living inevitably move over to dedicated machines (self hosted or remote).

SpeedyTradingServers is a long time provider of trading servers, and although the prices are not cheap, they are very reliable and have hundreds of customers using them for running automated strategies. https://www.speedytradingservers.com/prices/

NinjaMobileTrader has similar performance with dedicated hardware and unshared networks, but more affordable. https://www.ninjamobiletrader.com/

That's a good idea... but I can come up with my own solution, perhaps make my own server. There's also plenty of services out there that do the same thing and are probably more cost-effective.

[Unsuitable]

For sure ya get what you pay for and it's important to investigate. Going the cheapest route, especially when it comes to trading, is not wise. In my case, it's all discretionary trading, so there's no fast-twitch automated trading. As long as there a good connection with ok specs (not using any fancy indicators) it's good enough.

[xabcdtrading]

Warning: Just my opinion - don't bite my head off

Had to chime in here. Just wanted to be clear for anyone looking at server vs home machine ... the only thing a server hosted in a data center provides people over a home network is a "high availability" solution. That's it, full stop.

Most people are probably do not require that sort of "uptime". Maybe if someone is in certain spots in the Caribbean or somewhere where power and internet is more flaky? But i'd be willing to bet most of us can deal with 98% uptime ... and the trade off is that with your home machine you can have it spec'd out like crazy compared to what you could have online. Take for example your site offers 12GB of ram on a 3 cpu core server. Well 32 GB ram (almost 3x as much) cost only 3 months of this service) .. so anyone investing longer term into their trading could spend about $1500 on a really decent machine which would be much higher spec than the top of the line on the site your mentioning ... Recently did this to get some of the most value specs (cost vs price etc) and posted a list here: https://www.xabcdtrading.com/blog/ne...omputer-setup/ if your curious...

Does your power really go out that much? Maybe getting a generator would be cheaper Hosting is expensssive when you consider what your getting...

[Unsuitable]

Hello xabcdtrading,

I would agree with you. I can see the point in servers for automated/algo trading, however, I do not participate in that type of trading. In terms of reliability (longevity as well), get a business-grade laptop. I prefer and use Lenovo ThinkPad lineup. With that said, ol' reliable is starting to show its age. For NT7 it works great, but NT8 is more graphics demanding. The saving grace is that I don't use any indicators to trade from so in that aspect NT8 remains relatively gentle on resources.

With the advent of AMD pushing laptops forward, powerful laptops are becoming slimmer without sacrificing thermals which is a huge problem with spec'd out intel laptops. There are other smaller laptop manufacturers that have a good offering but use a "gamer" aesthetic. It's not as bad as a few years ago, but Lenovo is the go-to for my aesthetic preferences. The market is slowly adopting AMD and mobile GPUs are getting pretty good. RTX 2060 (overkill for NT8 for my purposes) is a solid baseline and the 3000 series is promising.

Beyond that, my modem/router is running on a UPS (uninterrupted power supply). Depending on the broker, the orders are stored on the exchanges server. Although some don't offer OCO support. Servers are a good idea, but to claim they are cheaper than a decent system is a bit of a stretch, yes and no. All this to say, looking for a laptop upgrade 1-2 years from now. The Carbon X1 Extreme, P15s, or something similar looks pretty good, however going for the next generation. They are premium in price, but that's a small price to pay. Just wanted to verify that Quadro does not offer any additional performance which they don't for NT8.

[timko]

Hello,

Since NinjaTrader 8 benefits from dedicated graphics, do Quadro cards offer any additional benefit over regular graphics card? For workloads such as auto cad Quadros are superior, how about for NT8?

Thanks

no. NT8 won't be able to take full advantage of "regular" graphics cards. Quadros are not that "superior" as well...

[brucerobinson]

Unsuitable - to your original question re: Quadro cards/advantages for NT8 - My personal experience as a user of several gaming, non- and Quadro (currently using). For my purposes.... Quadro don't give the benefits (i.e. NT8 can't benefit from the advantages they offer) they do for CAD, massive graphics modelling/number-crunching etc. They do, however, in my personal use/experience offer many other advantages (which may not be relevant for your use case - just passing on in case they do).
Firstly I would note they are 'Professional Grade' - simply put this means everything always works, drivers are written to exacting industry standards etc. Can't have trillion dollar industries like medical, aerospace design/manftr coming to a standstill due to a flaky driver release
Next, for my purposes - I run 6 4k monitors (1x4 port card and 1x2port). Not easy with other cards, and if you start needing motherboards with more than graphics 2 slots able to handle throughput it further complicates - but again seamless integration of drivers etc
Following on from the above, the drivers include desktop management software for creating grids, sending Windows from one to another etc. A total pain aligning if you have 50 Windows over 6 screens. A delight if you have excellent software (unfortunately NT8 doesn't play nicely with the drivers due I believe, to the wpf Windows NT uses). Quadro cards are used extensively in the Financial industry.

By no means suggesting you go Quadro - just info in case it is helpful in your use/decision-making. 'Quadro' per se (graphics crunching) isn't a benefit, but there are others.

As it has been raised, - in a similar vein - personal experience, I also use a gaming laptop for occasional use/travel. It is MSI which I have found to be excellent for my needs, i7 chip and graphics way more than capable. I attach a couple of external flat panels (laptop screens) either side of it run off the DP ports to increase my screen real estate and it runs just fine.

Hope it helps

[Unsuitable]

Hello brucerobinson,

That is something I haven't considered, stable drivers. It would appear in my case, that's the only real benefit to Quadro. So perhaps Quadro is worth considering after all. Of course, that's not to say regular GeForce drivers are unstable, however, Quadro drivers are made for reliability. If I'm going with business-grade for durability, that should follow in the software department as well. Many things to consider. We'll see how the mobile market plays out in the next 1-2 years.