|
PureBytes Links
Trading Reference Links
|
>There is another question: How much will various internet items on your pc
>delay each other, e.g. yesterday I ran
>
>LOL (Lind online)
>LOS (squawk box) and
>Quote.com (continous data incoming)
>
>at the same time.
>
>I realized that this seems to be "A LOT" for
>
>my machine (PII, 233mhz, 64megs, W95) ???
>my modem 28.800 ???
>or my ISP ???
>
>Where is the bottleneck
OK, time to put on my computer engineer hat for a minute :). Of the
three pieces you've listed above, your CPU is probably acceptable for the
job, assuming you don't change from your current setup. More CPU speed
and memory never hurts and is a cheap upgrade these days. Your modem is
way too slow (the squawk box will eat up a good chunk). I'd look at
ISDN, Cable or the new ADSL modems for doing this. You can also get
custom T1 (1.5 MBpS) lines installed to your home or office but these are
expensive. Cable is proably the best becausae, even though you share the
band width with your neighbors, most will be at work during the day when
you're trading. However if the cable net goes down, what's your backup
plan?
Your ISP is a crucial player if you're planning to Internet trade.
Remember that between you and the datafeed are your ISP, possible other
ISPs, the backbone, and finally the data feed's ISP (assuming their
hooked to the backbone. Traffic on any of the pieces can have an impact
on the data coming to you. Somebody starts trannsfering a 6 mpeg porno
video down the same pipe you're receiving your feed and your real-time
feed suddenly turns into a delayed feed. So look for an ISP that is a)
connected direct to a backbone via T3 (45 MBpS links) (not T1 at 1.5
MBpS), and b) one that focus on performance rather then cost. Many ISPs
buy their bandwidth from other ISPs, so they have someone between them
and the backbone. I use Bay Area Internet Service (www.bayarea.net) for
this reason, althought not for trading, but if your not in the San
Francisco Bay Area, shop around. Ask your ISP how they are connected to
the Internet backbone and assume the more links, the worst performance
you'll get.
Jerry
|