The Best $1,500 Stock Trading PC Build – May 2022
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.
This Month’s Build, Powered by Intel!
The May 2022 edition of the Stock Trading PC Build is better than ever, now featuring Intel’s insanely-powerful Core i9-12900 16-core, 24-thread CPU. It will make quick work of anything you throw at it. Do you have a dozen windows open, full of charts, graphs, and news feeds? No problem, the 12900 can handle it, and the built-in graphics will make it look smooth even on a premium widescreen monitor like the ultra-wide 34″ 3440×1440 model we recommend later in this guide! And the best part: while the waning cryptocurrency mining craze has left stand-alone video cards overpriced, this system isn’t affected, thanks to the built-in graphics capability.
Backing up the CPU is 64GB of fast DDR4-3600 memory, giving you an amazing combination of speed and capacity. Also in this system is an ultra-responsive 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 hogging a ton of desk space, we recommend the compact glass- and aluminum-clad Phanteks Evolv mATX chassis. Finally, to keep it running quietly and efficiently, we spec a 650W Gold-rated power supply and a fantastic tower cooler from Scythe.
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 and Newegg 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 i9-12900
$520Intel reclaimed the performance lead with its 12th-Gen “Alder Lake” CPUs, and the 12900 is the CPU to get for extreme performance in professional applications. It handily beats the Ryzen 9 5900X and 5950X in traditional apps thanks to its incredible clockspeeds, and with its 8 multi-threaded performance cores plus 8 efficiency cores, it’s also a beast for content creation or multi-tasking! Note that the 12900 is significantly less expensive than its 12900K cousin, with the primary difference being a lack of overclocking capability in the 12900, but for professional apps, that’s just fine, because instability would cost money!
The Guru’s TipThis CPU includes a cooler, but it's really not adequate for the CPU's power level, so definitely pick up the upgraded cooler we list later in this guide. Also make sure not to buy the 12900 "F" version, which doesn't have built-in graphics.
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Motherboard –MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4
$179This 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 4 video card slot, eight USB ports (including a Type-C port), and integrated WiFi 6 plus 2.5Gbs LAN. Note that it conforms to the DDR4 RAM standard, allowing the use of less expensive memory while maintaining similar performance to DDR5-based systems.
The Guru’s TipThis board's HDMI 2.1 and Displayport 1.4 video outputs in combination with the built-in graphics on the Intel CPU can drive any monitor at full resolution, and together allow for simultaneous use of two ultra-high resolution monitors. Check out our recommendation later in this guide!
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Memory –Patriot 2x32GB Viper Steel DDR4-3600
$240This ultra-dense Viper Steel kit from Patriot allows you to push your RAM capacity to the max. It offers dual 32GB sticks, running at a fast 3600MHz with impressive 18-20-20 timings for excellent all-around performance on any platform!
The Guru’s TipWith 64GB of RAM on board, you'll never run out of capacity! Note that to run this RAM at its full speed, you will need to select the XMP profile in the motherboard's UEFI (aka the BIOS).
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Solid-State Drive –WD_Black SN850 1TB NVMe
$150The fastest M.2 drive on the planet…. that title has been held by many drives, but for now, the WD_Black holds it. Powered by amazingly-fast NAND flash, and maxing out the PCIe Gen 4 bus, it’s the one you want!
The Guru’s TipInstall this in the top M.2 slot, which you can access by removing the pre-installed heatsink on the motherboard. Make sure to put it back in place after removing any protective tape on the thermal pad once the SSD is mounted!
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Case –Phanteks EVOLV mATX Tempered Glass Gray
$140The Guru’s TipThis compact, ultra-stylish case from Phanteks truly stands out from the crowd. The case is wrapped in gorgeous 3mm-thick aluminum panels, which give it a truly premium feel. It also features dual hinged glass doors, which look great and provide easy access to the interior. It doesn’t skimp in the cooling department either, with factory-installed 140mm fans in both the front and rear of the chassis! This particular version comes in Phanteks’ trademark anthracite gray color, which looks very pro!Keep in mind that this is a micro-ATX case, which means it requires a micro-ATX motherboard, such as the one we recommend.
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Power Supply –Phanteks AMP 650W Gold
$90The AMP 650W from Phanteks offers exceptional performance at a great price. It features 650W of Gold-rated power, fully-modular cables, a low-noise fan design with zero-fan mode, and an ultra-compact form factor at just 140mm deep.
The Guru’s TipWhile you don't need this much power for a system like this, the price on this power supply is unbeatable, far lower than less-capable units.
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CPU Cooler –Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B
$66The Guru’s TipOffering amazing performance thanks to its big heatsink and dual 120mm fans, along with excellent compatibility thanks to its offset design and 155mm height, this is our favorite cooler at any price. The latest Rev. B version swaps out the “classic” grey fans with more on-trend black models, and ups the RPM level from 1200RPM to 1500RPM. To keep noise in check, the new Kaze Flex II fans use a specially-designed fan frame to minimize turbulence on heatsinks and maximize static pressure.This cooler includes the Intel Socket 1700 adapter required for use with the Intel 12th-Gen CPU.
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Operating System –Windows 11 Home USB
$139Windows 11 take everything people loved about Windows 10, and then takes 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!
The Guru’s TipWindows 11 is definitely the OS you want to take full advantage of the hybrid design of Intel's latest high-performance processors.
Optional Products
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The 34-inch Widescreen Monitor –Philips 346E2CUAE
$390 The Guru’s TipBoth the HDMI and Displayport outputs on the Stock Trading PC will support a monitor of this resolution, so feel free to grab two if you have the space for them!
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The Ultimate Business Keyboard –Logitech MX Keys Wireless Illuminated Keyboard
$120 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 3
$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
$50 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
$70 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: $1510
Required Components
- CPU – Intel Core i9-12900 ($520)
- Motherboard – MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4 ($179)
- Memory – Patriot 2x32GB Viper Steel DDR4-3600 ($240)
- Solid-State Drive – WD_Black SN850 1TB NVMe ($150)
- Case – Phanteks EVOLV mATX Tempered Glass Gray ($140)
- Power Supply – Phanteks AMP 650W Gold ($90)
- CPU Cooler – Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B ($66)
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home USB ($139)
Optional Products
- The 34-inch Widescreen Monitor – Philips 346E2CUAE ($390)
- The Ultimate Business Keyboard – Logitech MX Keys Wireless Illuminated Keyboard ($120)
- The Deluxe Wireless Mouse – Logitech MX Master 3 ($100)
- The Deluxe PC Speakers – Logitech Z207 Multi Device Speakers ($50)
- Webcam – Logitech C920x Pro HD Webcam ($70)
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The TBG DIY PC Build Guides
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The Monitor Buyer's Guide
Upgrade the view for your PC with a new monitor - we list the best in our buyer's guide!
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The Headset/Speaker Buyer's Guide
Upgrade your audio experience with one of our top-rated speakers or headsets!
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The Wireless Networking Buyer's Guide
Your trading PC will live or die by your network connection... don't take chances on your old gear holding you back!