The Best $1,500 Stock Trading PC Build – April 2024
Turbocharge Your Trading!
If you’re looking for the ultimate Stock Trading PC Build, this is the one! It’s informed by three guiding principles: it must be fast, quiet, and classy. You’ll have all of this and more for around $1500, and indeed this system will instantly start paying for itself as it maximizes your trading potential.
Now, to be realistic, we know that given the current market, today may not the best time to pick up trading (although hindsight might prove that stocks are a value at the moment!). Even so, if you’re already trading, or you have other professional endeavors that demand a seriously-powerful PC at a great price, this is the one! With that said, if you want something with nearly the same capabilities at a lower pricepoint, check out our $1000 Content Creation PC, which will work great for trading as well!
This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel and AMD!
The April 2024 edition of the Stock Trading PC Build features Intel’s insanely-powerful Core i9-14900K 24-core, 32-thread CPU. It will make quick work of anything you throw at it thanks to all those threads plus an impressive turbo speed. Do you have a dozen windows open, full of charts, graphs, and news feeds? No problem, the 14900K can handle it. Backing it up is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 8GB video card, which will allow you to run up to four ultra-high-definition monitors. That’s something a lot of our readers have asked for in the Stock Trading PC, but if you only need a maximum of 2 monitors, you can actually skip the video card and save $200 in the process, bringing the price of this system down to around $1300!
This system features 32GB of DDR5-6400 memory, meaning you can have as many windows open on your system as you’ll ever need. Also in this system is a top-of-the-line 1TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive. For a Stock Trading PC Build, serious speed is important, because when you’re in the groove, you’ll be getting multiple streams of data hitting your drive constantly, and this one can take it! To make your Stock Trading PC Build look great without using a ton of desk space, we recommend the compact mesh-clad Asus AP201 micro-ATX chassis. Finally, to keep it running quietly and efficiently, we spec a 750W Gold-rated power supply and a fantastic dual-tower CPU cooler.
A Few Other Notes
If you’re looking to complete your system, feel free to browse our Monitor Buyer’s Guide and Peripherals Buyer’s Guide, although you’ll also find our favorite picks for a trading PC listed later on this page. Throughout our guides, we provide direct product links to Amazon in the US, and these links will auto-convert for our readers in Canada, the UK, and several countries in the EU, with regional substitutions made based on availability. To support this site, please use these links if you purchase any of the products we list.
Required Components
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CPU –
Intel Core i9-14900K
$540The 14900K, based on the cutting-edge Raptor Lake architecture, takes everything that was great about the 13900K and pushes it to the max. It packs in 8 Hyperthreaded performance cores that can boost up to 6.0GHz. Combined with an incredible 16 efficiency cores, it offers a total of 32 threads. That makes it both an incredibly-effective gaming processor and an elite-level multi-tasking monster. Simply put, it’s what you want in a killer PC!This CPU actually has built-in graphics, which is enough to support two UHD monitors. If you need more than that (and many traders do!), please make sure to add the video card we list later in this guide.
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Motherboard –
MSI MAG B760M Mortar WiFi II DDR5
$180This full-featured Socket 1700 board from MSI is a perfect match for Intel’s latest CPUs. It offers a potent 12+1+1 VRM design, two PCIe Gen 4 M.2 slots, a PCIe Gen 5 video card slot, eight USB ports (including a Type-C port), and integrated WiFi 6E plus 2.5Gbs LAN. And making it truly cutting-edge is its support for next-gen DDR5 RAM!This motherboard is a new release developed specifically for 14th-Gen Intel CPUs. Unlike most other boards, it will boot these new processors out of the box.
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Video Card –
PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Fighter 8GB
$200Jump into serious PC gaming today with the Radeon RX 6600 8GB. It has plenty of power to tackle any modern game, easily beating any Nvidia GeForce GPU anywhere near its pricepoint. And this model offers a compact yet effective cooler at a great price.While this is technically a gaming card, we're selecting it for another reason: it has four ultra-high-definition video ports, allowing you to run as many huge monitors as you could fit on a desk! But take note: if you only need support for two monitors, you can skip this video card, as the 14900K CPU has built-in graphics that can be used with the motherboard's dual video outputs. You can always upgrade later on, which is the beauty of building your own PC!
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Memory –
G.Skill 2x16GB Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6400 CL32
$110For the ultimate in speed, you must go with DDR5 RAM, but not just any DDR5 RAM, because you need high-frequency DDR5 to blow past DDR4 RAM performance. And that’s what you get with G.Skill’s Trident Z5 kit running at DDR5-6400 with timings of 32-39-39-102 at 1.40V. This is the real deal when it comes to DDR5 performance!We're recommending DDD5 RAM, which is the right match for the motherboard we recommend. DDR4 is not compatible.
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Solid-State Drive –
WD_Black SN850x 1TB NVMe
$85WD started off with the SN850, blowing by the competition, and only made it better with the “x” model. Powered by amazingly-fast NAND flash, and maxing out the PCIe Gen 4 bus, it’s the one you want!Install this SSD in the upper slot on the motherboard.
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Case –
Asus AP201 White Mesh
$70This compact, ultra-stylish case from Asus truly stands out for its elegance and performance. The case is wrapped in mesh, comprising 57,000 precision-machined 1.5mm holes, which give it great airflow along with a unique industrial look. While we think the white color enhances its aesthetics, it’s also available in black.This case is a micro-ATX case - make sure you do not buy a full-size ATX motherboard!
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Power Supply –
SilverStone DA750R White
$100Offering up 750W of power and top-notch build quality, this PSU is a great value among high-end models. Thanks to its fully-modular cables and compact 150mm length, it’s very easy to install, allowing you to minimize cable clutter by leaving out cables you don’t need for this build. It’s also forward-looking, with both traditional video card power cables and a 12V-2×6 connector (an improved version of the 12VHPWR connector), allowing you to directly connect to any current or future GPU. The best part: thanks to its Gold-rated efficiency and zero-fan mode, the power supply will operate in silence most of the time!The system will pull about 300W (or 450W if you sneak some gaming in), meaning this PSU has more than enough headroom.
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CPU Cooler –
DeepCool Assassin 4S
$80Deepcool has been around a long time, but only recently did they truly aim to dethrone all the top contenders on the cooler market with well-priced, ultra-performance models. The Assassin 4S builds on the original IV (yes, the numerals have changed!), by simplifying the design for even better performance. It drops the rear 120mm fan, which didn’t add that much performance, and instead features an optimized single-fan design, utilizing a 140mm center fan for quiet, high-end performance. It offers perfect clearance over the RAM slots, along with the most refined looks of any cooler on the market. Deepcool has truly turned cooler design into an art form!The 14900K requires a serious cooler to keep it running at maximum boost, and this model can handle it!
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Operating System –
Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg
$139Windows 11 built on everything people loved about Windows 10, and then took it to 11! It adds significant under-the-hood changes to make it faster and more secure, and of course, the interface is sleek too! Note that we’re linking to Newegg, because Amazon long ago stopped selling this physical USB version of Windows, which is the most convenient one to use.Windows 11 is definitely the OS you want to take full advantage of a modern PC.
Optional Products
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The 34-inch Widescreen Monitor –
Philips 346E2CUAE
$400 The Guru’s TipYou can run up to four of these on the Stock Trading PC, so feel free to grab a couple to start if you have the space for them!
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The Ultimate Business Keyboard –
Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Illuminated Keyboard
$110 The Guru’s TipThis is the perfect complement to the MX Master 3 mouse recommended below!
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The Deluxe Wireless Mouse –
Logitech MX Master 3S
$100 The Guru’s TipThis mouse can even be used with multiple systems at once, like a laptop and this desktop PC!
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The Deluxe PC Speakers –
Logitech Z207 Multi Device Speakers
$60 The Guru’s TipYou'll want a set of speakers for Zoom calls or market news!
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Webcam –
Logitech C920x Pro HD Webcam
$63 The Guru’s TipAvoid no-name webcams at all costs. They've flooded the market as more people work from home, and they are almost always of dubious quality!
Total Cost: $1505
Required Components
- CPU – Intel Core i9-14900K ($540)
- Motherboard – MSI MAG B760M Mortar WiFi II DDR5 ($180)
- Video Card – PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Fighter 8GB ($200)
- Memory – G.Skill 2x16GB Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6400 CL32 ($110)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_Black SN850x 1TB NVMe ($85)
- Case – Asus AP201 White Mesh ($70)
- Power Supply – SilverStone DA750R White ($100)
- CPU Cooler – DeepCool Assassin 4S ($80)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home (USB) @Newegg ($139)
Optional Products
- The 34-inch Widescreen Monitor – Philips 346E2CUAE ($400)
- The Ultimate Business Keyboard – Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Illuminated Keyboard ($110)
- The Deluxe Wireless Mouse – Logitech MX Master 3S ($100)
- The Deluxe PC Speakers – Logitech Z207 Multi Device Speakers ($60)
- Webcam – Logitech C920x Pro HD Webcam ($63)