Looking for your advice. I wanna buy a laptop but since it won't be used a lot I'm not looking to spend a ton on it. I may use it occasionally for trading so I don't want it to be under performing.

Can someone give me some specs I should look for so that I can pick a decent product and include any must haves you think I would need.

I will mainly be using it for generic purposes but lets say I happen to be in a Starbucks and the setup of a lifetime pops up I would like to have the ability to use it for a trade.

I will be using it for web conferencing a lot so that will be important.

Got a refurbished Commodore 64 that I'd be happy to part with for the right price. I'm sure that it satisfies all your requirements and then some. The thing blazes!

The game joy stick costs extra ... but here it is.

A few weeks ago I got an EliteBook.

Pros: Works seamlessly with a docking station so most of the time I'm using an ergonomic keyboard, mouse and two large monitors. Web cam and speakers also plug into the docking station so you don't even know you're operating off a laptop. It's Solid State Drive (SSD) means that it's fast enough to run anything. Ergonomic enough to use in flight as well.

Cons: Large and heavy if you're going to be carrying it a lot.

Unknown: Don't know about the battery life yet as I haven't run out of power on it.

Another option is to buy an economical laptop like a $200 Chromebook and then remote (RDP) into your powerful desktop when you need to trade. I've never tried this but research says that Chromebooks allow you to RDP. If your desktop is running on a standard ISP from your home with an IP address that can change anytime then you can use a product like DynDNS to keep a domain name updated with your home's IP address so that you can always reach it.

Con: You need to leave your desktop/home pc running while you're away from home and using your laptop. If you desktop crashes or freezes there might not be a way to remotely reboot it. Might need to give your neighbor your keys to restart your workstation when you call them.

Originally posted by MonkeyMeat

The game joy stick costs extra ... but here it is.

Click image for original size

Thanks MM but I said "I DIDN'T want to spend a lot of money"

Minimum must haves...

$600 - $1000 range
14 inch Screen
Intel i5 processor
6-8 GBs ram
1 GB ram build on Video card
500 GB hard drive Minimum
Solid State Drive (would be a sweet bonus)

$300 - $600 range
15.6 inch Screen
Intel i3 processor
4 GBs ram
?? Ram on video card
500 GB hard drive

I've traded with less of a system with no problems, but these days the i3 with 4 GB Ram is pretty much low level standard.

re: screen size is personal preference. I like the 14" for size and weight, but a bigger screen size has its obvious benefits. Plus, I don't know why, but the 14" size screen is ALWAYS more money. go figure???

Hope this helps

If I know that when I reach my destination I'm mostly going to be working from one place and the laptop won't be on my lap but on a desk or similar structure I usually also pack a USB keyboard and mouse to improve productivity.

Thanks everyone. I was comparing the specs you listed TQ with the laptops that "Trading Computers" offers and they still use the i5 processor in one of their models, the others use i7. I bet for what I'm trying to do the i3 would work.

Like I mentioned I may never even use it to trade but just in case I'm a Starbucks sometime arguing with the counter person trying to get just a simple cup of black coffee with no frappe, crappe or anything else and a trade develops I may wish to use it for trading.

You can get the [url]http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/yoga/yoga-13/index.html[/url] within your $1,000 price range and it’s a screaming hot machine

When I first bought my robotic trading software, I needed either a laptop or a desktop. I lucked out cause when my laptop needed repair at my computer shop, I saw a Windows XP tower that I was able to buy for only $175. I already had a keyboard, mouse & monitor.

So don't ignore your local computer repair shop and they can recommend specs. You won't need a super computer.

Turns out the Robot is headed to "The Cloud" so shortly I won't even need this desktop anymore.....my son can play his games in peace:-)))

Good Luck!