Most traders now agree that one screen can be very limiting because you find yourself constantly flicking through charts such that you can actually miss a stock price change. Depending on what you’re trading, your securities could be changing very quickly.
Then again, you don’t necessarily want too many screens either and you’ll need to find the best arrangement for you and your style of trading. Having said that, you can find the best screens and arrays for your 6-monitor setup. Why not send your name, and email address and get more information to decide for yourself?
Pros and Cons of Vertical versus Horizontal 6 Monitor Setup
Arranging your multi-monitor setup is very personal but here are some ideas to get you started:
- Charts with horizontal lines
- Other sources of information
Charts with horizontal lines
Every trader has to work out their time frame before they can even get working on their 6-monitor setup. For example, if you’re doing day trading then you’ll be tracking 5 minutes and up to hourly charts. On the other hand, some long-term forex traders will also be interested in weekly charts.
All of these are much easier to read along a horizontal line and therefore a horizontal screen. You should therefore make sure that some of your 6 monitor setups have some horizontally arranged monitors in your multiple monitor setup.
Other sources of information
Don’t forget that as a trader you’ll also be reviewing new sources to understand any potential political or macroeconomic impact on your securities. Most people find it easier to read articles in a vertical orientation. This is clearly true regardless of whether you prefer Windows 10 or Mac.
You might therefore consider combining orientations in your 6-monitor setup. Then again, you could simply have vertical windows open on a large monitor display. This is when the choice becomes very personal for monitor setups and how many charts you choose to run.
Setting up your 6 Monitor Setup for Trading
You’ll probably find that most traders arrange their setup in rows of horizontal monitors. That display layout just feels easier on the neck because you don’t have to look too far up. Then again, you’ll have to determine what suits you best:
- Design your layout
- Critical charts
- Optimize your 6-monitor setup
Design your layout
To give you another example, some traders like to have two horizontally arranged monitors on top of each in a 4-box square. They then have a vertical monitor on either side for their messages and articles. One approach is to just do some trial and error when arranging your setup.
You can also go through your workflow and arrange your monitor display accordingly. Of course, you’ll have to remember to get the right cables that reach your power supply unit and work for the ports in your monitors. Most cables come in HDMI, VGA, DVI, or USB types.
Critical charts
When working out your workflow display, don’t fall into the trap of trying to have too many charts on display. Overloading information won’t make you a successful trader. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need the time charts of what you’re tracking as well as any index, S&P and Nasdaq futures you need to correlate against your multi-monitor setup.
Optimize your 6-monitor setup
Once you’re happy with your workflow and potential multi-monitor setup, you’ll have to optimize your approach. That means making sure that you are ergonomically safe when working on your setup. It’s therefore often good to invest in adjustable mounts so that you can have all your monitors arranged at the optimum height and angle. Remember again though, to double-check what display port your monitors have so you get the right cables that can go around all your mounts.
Choosing the Equipment for your 6 Monitor Setup
Naturally, having a setup isn’t just about the monitors and their display. You also need to have the right equipment to power everything properly with some key specifications:
- Resolution and screen size
- Refresh rate
- Graphics card or video card
Resolution and screen size
Not only will you be spending a lot of time working on your 6 monitors but you also need to be able to rely on the details you’re reading off your charts. Most traders use 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 23 or 24-inch screen. Then again, if you can afford it, you’ll be much happier with a 32-inch screen.
Refresh rate
This refers to how quickly your graphs update. If you’re a scalper, for example, then you’ll be interested in how prices change over seconds. You, therefore, need to be able to rely on how quickly your screen refreshes. Although, you should be set with a 60Hz refresh rate.
Graphics card or video card
Of course, you need a computer with enough CPU to cope with your setup. You’ll find that most trading computers have an Intel or AMD processor with a quad-core design to be able to do work simultaneously. Nevertheless, a key component is your integrated graphics card. This is what allows your computer to create charts. Again, the brand names for the best graphics cards are Radeon and NVIDIA.
Final Thoughts on Screen Orientation for your 6 Monitor Setup
As you can see, there’s no right or wrong answer to whether you should have horizontally or vertically arranged monitors. When it comes to building your setup, you’ll have to make it unique for your trading style and workflow. So, determine your trading strategy and what charts and information you need to follow. From there, you can arrange the perfect 6-monitor setup to be a successful trader.
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