If you are thinking about replacing your old, slow trading computer with a new, high-speed Internet-ready trading computer, now is the time to do it. Due to the slow economy, prices are now lower than ever. It's actually cheaper to replace your computer than to upgrade some of the components in your old one. You can get a Pentium 4 CPU, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB 7200 RPM hard drive, 32MB dual video ports to connect two monitors, a rewritable CD-ROM for backing up your data and an Ethernet-ready port for hooking up to high-speed DSL or a cable Internet connection and the hot new Windows XP Pro operating system, all for less than $1,000. You can use your old CRT monitors or upgrade to the new flat panel monitors if you have the extra money.

Technical support and a warranty are very important when you purchase a trading computer. Make sure you have an 800 technical support line to call in case of trouble and onsite service for repair. As a trader, you can't afford to be without your computer even for a day.

The new Microsoft operating system, Windows XP Pro, has been long awaited and is the most important revision of the Windows platform in the last six years. It's more vibrant and easier to use and doesn't constantly crash like Windows 98 and ME. In our tests, it worked nicely with multiple monitors. It also has a built-in firewall to protect you from hackers on the Internet.

It's essential to have at least two monitor outputs. You should have at least one monitor for charts and another one to enter online orders, read current news, run spreadsheets and perform other tasks. The nVidia 32MB GeForce dual-port video card is an excellent choice for this. If you want more than two monitors, I would recommend the Appian Rushmore four-port video card, which is being released in January. It's a high-performance, four-port solution based on the acclaimed ATI RADEON™ VE graphics accelerator. With this card, you can expand your system by up to 16 monitors by adding additional Rushmore cards.

Flat-panel monitors are excellent if you are trading all day. These monitors are perfectly flat, and, therefore, you have none of the chart distortions that you used to have on the old curved CRT screens. No flicker strains your eyes or gives you headaches. Another benefit is that the flat monitors emit very little magnetic radiation to harm you. Once you use these flat panel monitors for trading, you'll never go back to a CRT monitor again.

Samsung has just released its new flat panel monitors based on its new PVA technology, which means a brighter and clearer screen. These monitors have the preferred trading resolution of 1280 x 1024, a high contrast and a fine dot pitch of .26 mm to give you extra sharp charts.

For more information, go to www.tradersworld.com. Larry Jacobs' articles also appear in Traders World magazine, and he can be contacted via email at publisher@tradersworld.com.