[This week we have a special guest post on the BDN Content blog courtesy of TechWarn.com! This article looks at some recommended factors to consider when choosing the right crypto trading laptop.]
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| Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels |
People hold cryptocurrencies for different reasons today.
For some, it is a means of exchange with which they can anonymously and seamlessly make payments for goods and services over the web. For others, it is a speculative asset that they hold in hopes of a pump in price after which they dispose of the coins they have.
There is, however, a third group that trades cryptos.
If you are a day trader too, your choice of hardware can make all the difference. That is why we have put this piece up today – to help you find the right crypto trading laptop.
How Important Is the Hardware on Your Crypto Trading Laptop?
Trading requires a unique skill set and mindset to happen – every trader worth their salt knows this. From the knowledge of fundamental and technical analysis to the mastery of emotions, a trader is always on his or her toes.
However, all of that will not count for much if the trader does not have the right tools to digitally express their skills.
Combing through the news feeds from a couple of weeks ago, a recent launch from HP caught my eyes.
To many, this is just another flagship computer from a globally-known brand, but it was so much more than that to me. In fact, it stood out as a laptop that held much promise for not only crypto traders but enthusiasts too.
How?
Choosing Your Hardware Well
Whether you will be going with the HP Spectre x360 13 or any other pick, ensure these requirements are met.
1 Brand Recognition
This is the first thing I consider when making a crypto trading laptop purchase.
Brands that have been in the market for longer tend to have established a reputation of service and product efficiency, so I know what I’m working with. While I am not against giving the new guys a chance, I would rather stick with what I know to work than what I think would be a great idea too.
Of course, this is one of those things that will come down to personal preference. However, think of the ease of repair and servicing you would get with a known brand over the hassles and hoops you would have to jump for a relatively unknown company’s product.
2 Size
The majority of crypto traders are digital nomads. Thus, they need the freedom to move from one location to the other without feeling weighed down by the mass or sheer size of their units.
At 13 inches, this laptop is just the right size – not too small, neither too big – to be shuffled around with you. In fact, HP shaved off about 13% size of the last unit in this line-up to make this current device. In other words, you are promised an even smaller unit with more powerful configurations.
To buttress the whole point, the small size doesn’t steal screen real estate from you. Seeing as the bezels are cut to be as minimal as can be, you don’t have to worry about getting your charts and candlesticks all cramped up.
3 Disk Type
Even if not for trading, I have always been conscious of the kind of disk drive that’s on my laptop.
There was a time when Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) were the in-thing. They did serve their purposes, but their physical form came with its own limitations.
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| Photo by Pixabay from Pexels |
For one, they are slow – much slower when compared to the Solid-State Drives (SSDs) – and that is something I would not settle for in this time and age. Knowing how important every minute can be to entering or exiting a trade position, you want something that gives you all the speed you can get.
Likewise, SSDs are at a lesser risk of crashing than their HDD counterparts, making SSDs the better choice for a crypto trading laptop.
On the off-chance that you like to save a lot of files on your devices too, SSD doesn’t have to be the dealbreaker here. After all, the HP Spectre x360 13 comes with up to 1TB SSD.
4 Graphics
Speaking of charts, candlesticks, and patterns, you need as much clarity as you can get to read them very well. That’s just what you get with a laptop that can achieve as much as 1000 nits of brightness on a 4K OLED screen, all the while featuring an Iris technology display.
All that doesn’t sound like English, so here’s the translation: the screen can get really bright, and the visuals are about as clear as the things you see with your eye.
5 Battery
Battery life is a very important aspect of any laptop, smartphone or other battery-powered gadgets. When trading crypto, the volatility of the market means you don’t ever want to be caught out with a flat battery when you should be entering a position, exiting it, modifying your stance or being on the ground to make winning analyses.
In short, every hour you lose being outside the market can lose you money.
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| Photo by Hilary Halliwell from Pexels |
6 CPU and GPU
Crypto-based apps and platforms are usually graphics intensive. They will task your computers and systems as much as they can, but you won’t notice any lags at all if you are prepared for it.
Honestly, a 4GB RAM CPU will get you through most, if not all, of the trading platforms we have around today. However, that is not the ideal situation, and you would not exactly be future-proofing your trading process. Thus, I recommend starting with 8GB of RAM.
Unless you intend to do mild to heavy gaming on the same laptop, I don’t recommend having a dedicated graphics card. If that unit will be your entertainment console too, though, you should not trade that dedicated graphics card for anything.
7 Online Protection
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| Photo by Pixabay from Pexels |
Cryptocurrency scams are growing by the day, and they are happening in numerous ways.
For some, it’s the High Yield Investment Programs (HYIPs) promising insane returns only to cart investors’ monies way. For others, it is the hackers always snooping around for sensitive wallet details so they can illegally access and wipe out funds.
The biggest downside to all of this is that cryptos are decentralized, so you would not even know where your money went.
That said, this is the biggest reason why the HP Spectre x360 13 caught my attention.
Apparently, HP shared the spotlight with ExpressVPN when developing this unit. This partnership means that the laptop comes with system integration of ExpressVPN Windows software aimed at improved user protection.
Thus, you are covered against the dangers of public Wi-Fi networks (remember that coffee shop network you love), insulated against all of data monitoring and tracking, and can keep yourself from being deanonymized over the internet.
If that is not something crypto enthusiasts and traders need to look into, I don’t know what is.
8 User Privacy
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| Photo by Scott Webb from Pexels |
Beyond online protection, user privacy is also important when dealing with such sensitive assets as those held on a crypto trading laptop. A unit like the HP Spectre x360 13 comes with:
- Microphone mute button – which kills the mic unit on the laptop so hackers can’t listen to what you are saying. Considering the fact that many users have labeled ad agencies being guilty of this, it is not surprising that hackers can use it to their own ends too.
- Webcam kill switch – designed as a physical button that takes the webcam out of the computer’s electrical components until you need it again. This makes access to the webcam, either onsite or remotely, impossible till the switch is toggled off. That helps put the numerous fears about webcam spying and snooping in check.
- Secure view – a feature that allows you to dim the screen’s brightness such that anyone looking over your shoulder doesn’t see what’s on your screen. Functionally, this is a great way to execute your trades, check your wallets, login and access sensitive data without the fear of being watched.
Crypto Trading Laptop Conclusion
Doesn’t sound like a bad choice anymore, does it?
Those are my honest thoughts about the latest introduction by HP which shows how much the company is working towards bettering user privacy and security. If you have any other choice laptop for trading, do let me know about it in the comments. Don’t forget to tell why you love that pick so much too.
What do you think? Would you consider the HP Spectre x360 13 for your crypto trading laptop?
*Legal Disclaimer*: This article does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any product or security. I am not a financial advisor or an electronics expert and this article shall not be taken as advice on what computing equipment you should purchase or what cryptocurrencies, assets, or securities you should buy, sell, or trade. I do not know the details of your specific financial situation, therefore I am not in a position to give you advice on what purchases or investments you should make. Consumers and traders must conduct their own research in order to conclude for themselves what products and investments are best suited to their needs.
