In today’s digital world, successful day traders require high-quality laptops capable of efficiently running all of their software. To ensure a trader keeps their business running productively, the laptop must quickly, and reliably, perform all needed tasks.
In this post, True Trader compares thirteen quality laptops for trading stocks. We considered the following crucial features for evaluating the laptops: display quality, system specifications, physical layout and battery life.
Display Quality
Screen Size
While larger screen sizes provide a more comfortable work experience for day traders, traders on the move must balance the laptops’ size and portability. Many consider the 15.6-inch laptop to be the ideal size. Also, an anti-reflective screen allows viewing from multiple angles, which cuts down on eye strain.
You can get thin and light 17in notebooks, especially if you are just going to trade from ONLY a laptop you must have a 17in notebook, if you plan on having another monitor hooked up then you can get away with a 15.6
Screen Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of pixels that make up the image on a screen. The higher the pixel count, the sharper the picture, and the more space for displaying web pages and applications, along with side-by-side programs. Horizontal and vertical pixel counts indicate the display resolution; for example, HD resolution (1366 X768), Full HD resolution of 1080p (1920 X 1080), and Ultra HD (UHD) 4K (3840 X 2160).
You can also get QHD (2560 x 1440) which is between those two giving a perfect balance of pixel to batter ratio but more of a niche screen resolution.
Trading on a laptop with more pixels = more data to display on charts.
Ultra HD 4K offers exceptional sharpness but has several problems: reduced battery life and some Windows users have experienced diminished screen clarity.
In general, Full HD provides the best resolution for a high-quality laptop for stock trading.
Ports
Having multiple video out ports like Display port, HDMI or even VGA can allow you to hook up additional monitors to your laptop for even more charts and screen real estate.
Keyboard
Entering trades quickly is a vital part of being a day trader so whenever possible make sure your keyboard includes a 10-key numeric keypad. When seconds matter this hardware perk will ensure you can enter trades quickly and accurately.
The Minimum System Requirements
Achieving top performance as a stock trader requires a laptop with these optimum features in order to run all of the essential trading software.
16GB or higher of RAM
The laptop must have high random access memory (RAM) to handle the multi-tasking requirements of a day trader. The RAM of a system provides short-term data storage; it stores the actively used information which allows for quick access. The more programs a system runs, the more memory it will need.
512 GB solid-state drive (SSD)
The SSD stores data on interconnected flash memory chips that retain the data even when there’s no power. SSDs are faster than mechanical hard drives and can offer safer, more robust utility for travellers since they have no sensitive moving parts.
Intel i5 CPU or above processor (i7+ Preferred)
Day traders require fast and reliable computers to keep up with the current stock market. A high-performing central processing unit (CPU) provides the hardware that enables a computer to interact with all of the installed applications and programs quickly.
While many traders focus on huge GPUs, your processing power can really limit your ability to run all the applications that typical traders run. More threads gives you all the processing overhead you need to ensure your system doesn’t glitch during that critical moment in a trade.
All in all, a Quad-core processor or better is fine, you can get i5s and i7s with quad-core configurations.
Windows 10 or macOS Catalina (version 10.15) operating systems
A computer’s operating system (OS) manages all of the hardware and software on the computer.
Long-Lasting Battery Life
Day trading requires a second by second awareness of the market. Therefore, for day trading, look for a power-efficient laptop with a long-lasting battery (6-8 hours) if you plan on trading remotely and can’t plug in.
The 11 Best Laptops for Day Traders in 2020
1 LG Gram 17
Display Quality
- Screen Size 17 inch
- Screen Resolution 2560 x 1600
System Specs
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor 1.3 GHz (Turbo to 3.9 GHz) Intel Core i7 processor
- Operating System Windows 10
Battery Life 17 hours
Price $2,399.00
2. MacBook Pro 16”
Display Quality
- Screen Size 16 inch
- Screen Resolution 3072×1920
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 processor
- Operating System macOS Catalina (version 10.15)
Battery Life 11 hours
Price $2,399.00
3. Dell XPS 15
Display Quality
- Screen Size 15.6 inch
- Anti-Reflective Screen Yes
- Screen Resolution 3840×2160
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor 9th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
- Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life 12 hours
Price $949.99
4. ASUS ZenBook
Display Quality
- Screen Size 13.9 inch
- Screen Resolution 1920×1080
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 12 GB
- Processor 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8565U Processor
- Operating System Windows 10 Professional
Battery Life 15 hours
Price $1,499.99
5. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo
Display Quality
- Screen Size 15.6 inch
- Screen Resolution 3840×2160
- Lower Screen Size 14 inch
- Lower Screen Resolution 3840×1100
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 1TB
- Processor Core i7-9750H
- Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life 5 hours
Price $2,299.99
6. Microsoft Surface Book 3
Display Quality
- Screen Size 15 inch
- Screen Resolution 3240×2160
System Requirements
- RAM 32 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor Intel Core i7-1065G7
- Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life 11 hours
Price $2,799.99
7. Thinkpad P17
Display Quality
- Screen Size 17 inch
- Screen Resolution 3480 x 2160
System Requirements
- RAM 32 GB
- SSD 1 TB
- Processor Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
- Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64
Battery Life 9 hours
Price $2799.99
Separate number pad Yes
8. HP ENVY x360 Laptop
Display Quality
- Screen Size 15.6 inch
- Screen Resolution 1920×1080
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 1 TB
- Processor Intel® Core™ i7-10510U
- Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64
Battery Life 14 hours
Price $1516.99
9. ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 (14”) Laptop
Display Quality
- Screen Size 14 inch
- Screen Resolution 1920×1080
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-10210U
- Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64
Battery Life 18 hours
Price $1,889.30
10. Dell Precision 3541
Display Quality
- Screen Size 15.6 inch
- Anti-Reflective Screen Yes
- Screen Resolution 1920 X 1080
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor 9th Gen Intel® Core i9-9880H
- Operating System Windows 10 Pro
Battery Life 12hours
Price $1836.94
11. LG gram 15.6” Ultra-Lightweight
Display Quality
- Screen Size 15.6 inch
- Screen Resolution 1920×1080
System Requirements
- RAM 16 GB
- SSD 512 GB
- Processor 8th Gen. Intel® Core™ i7
- Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life 11 hours
Price $1500.00
