First off the Robinhood platform is only for android and iPhone so it should be something like why trade on such a tiny screen you’re missing out on so much of the market by trading on your phone.
Stock trading is a common activity for many, but some people choose to make a career out of it. If you want to do that, you will need not only the knowledge to make good decisions, but also a machine that can handle the workload. For those of you day trading on Robinhood, specifically, you will need a computer that can handle a lot of fast processing, and show you a lot of information at one time.
In this article, we’ll tell you what to look for in the best computers for Robinhood day trading including necessary features and give you our recommendation for the absolute best computers you can get.
Features You Need for Robinhood Day Trading
Let’s start by talking about some features that are absolutely essential for a Robinhood day trading machine. Most of these have to do with the parts of the computer, so if you are unfamiliar with computer terminology, we will try to make this as simple as we can.
RAM
RAM stands for random access memory and is an important piece of any computer. Simply put, more RAM means your computer can do more things at one time. On a standard laptop, you will typically see RAM amounts between 4GB and 8GB. For day trading, you don’t need a lot more than that, but you will see some benefits from having at least 16GB of RAM.
More RAM means that your computer can do more tasks at one time. Moreover, if you are trying to view multiple charts and graphs on multiple monitors, while also executing trades and orders, your computer will start to slow down if it doesn’t have enough RAM to help it complete all of these tasks.
CPU Processing Power
Another vital piece of your Robinhood day trading machine is its CPU or central processing unit. These are typically made by either Intel or AMD. It can be a little confusing to understand all the terminology around processing power but know that more cores or a higher gigahertz clock speed both equal more processing power.
In the business of day trading, you are typically going to want to go for a higher core count with lower clock speed. This helps your computer operate faster if it is doing multiple things or if it’s using an application that takes advantage of multiple CPU cores. The flip side is that dual-core machines typically have a higher clock speed, meaning they will be faster at performing more focused tasks.
It is important to know what your specific needs are and to purchase a computer that can suit those needs.
Hard Drive
Hard drives come in all different styles and sizes, and they are not all created equal. The two styles you will see are hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD). The difference between these two is in the way they read information.
An HDD has a physical disk and needle, not that dissimilar to a record player. HDD reads the information at given rotations per minute (5600 or 7200 RPM typically). An SSD, on the other hand, has no moving parts. It works by reading flash storage, similar to how a thumb drive works.
An SSD is always going to be faster, and it is more durable since there aren’t any moving parts that can break or fail. That said, SSDs are also much more expensive if you want the same amount of storage. For day traders, you don’t typically need a lot of storage space, as the information you need is being updated online constantly.
We recommend choosing a computer that has a smaller SSD. This will allow you to boot up your applications and switch between them much faster. And since you don’t need all the extra space, you can save money there, rather than by buying an HDD.
Why Multiple Monitors Are Vital for Robinhood Day Trading
Out of all the PC specs, you should keep in mind, your display options are arguably the most important. Some machines only have one or two connections for a monitor. The more screens you can have at your workstation, the better when it comes to Robinhood day trading. You want to be able to see all the available information as easily as possible.
Make sure the machine you’re looking at has as many monitor outputs as possible. In fact, some day traders have as many as 8 monitors set up at their station. That may sound like a lot, but the extra information in front of you can be the difference in making a profit and missing an opportunity.
Start Robinhood Day Trading With a Trading Computer
There are a lot of options out there on the market, but we recommend trading computers from Falcon Trading Systems. Falcon offers a wide range of machines built specifically for trading.
Their A10 model is one of their more affordable, coming in at under $1,000, and it will still fulfill all of your needs. It comes with an AMD Ryzen processor, an SSD, and the capability to connect to 4 monitors.
If budget is not an issue, they offer a lot of other options, too, with even more speed and connectivity. For Robinhood day trading, there isn’t really a better machine than a Falcon Trading System.
