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From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:35 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amibroker] OT: Given unlimited budget, what's the IDEAL hardware configuration Hi, Given an unlimited budget (helps to identify what is possible, even if not practical), what hardware configuration can deliver the best AB performance? There have been a number of threads touching on the topic. But, I'd like to see if I can capture insights in a single place, and to reflect the advancements available today. Any comments on any or all sections below would be much appreciated. My personal use case is for running custom backtests against 10 years of EOD data across thousands of symbols. Others may feel free to add a slant of their own in their replies. CPU: ---- In messages #125311 and #125420 Fred has demonstrated how a multi core system can be leveraged using MCO (see files section) to have AmiBroker utilize all cores. Source: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/125311? threaded=1&l=1 http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/125420? threaded=1&l=1 - Can MCO still be used when the AFL employs AddToComposite? Does this equate to overlapping writes that Tomasz warned against in message #124368? Does MCO have a /IOPath equivalent to get around this as described by Paul regarding IO in message #124432? Source: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/124368 http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/124432 - Are there any chip sets that are particularly better suited for AmiBroker backtesting? For example; Intel offers Core 2 Extreme QX series as well as Xeon 5400 series. From what I've read, despite identical specs, "the four pre-fetchers inside an X5482 are optimised for running workstation/server applications such as CAD, 3D rendering and databases, the pre-fetchers in the QX9775 are tuned for desktop applications and games." Am I correct in assuming that AmiBroker would fall more into the desktop application category? Source: http://www.custompc.co.uk/reviews/601998/intel-skulltrail.html If the difference is not too drastic, the right motherboard paired with a $300-$400 Xeon can easily be overclocked to match a stock $1500 QX9775. Source: http://techgage.com/article/building_an_affordable_skulltrail_system/5 - Is there any evidence that AmiBroker would be better off in a single chip setup (i.e. single quad core) vs. two chips (i.e. dual socket quad core)? I've seen benchmarks where single chips outperformed paired chips simply because software could not take advantage of more than 4 cores. Yet, Fred's MCO setup would seem to have worked around that limitation. Memory: ------- In message #124353 Tomasz has said that it is the RAM that is the limiting factor for heavy optimizations since they will not fit in the L2 cache. Similarly, in message #125651 Tomasz has said that "For optimum performance, as much RAM as you can have and CPU with fast floating point unit..." is the way to go. Source: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/124353 http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/125651? threaded=1&l=1 - Does this imply that it would be better to move to a 64bit OS just to gain access to more RAM? Is the RAM access on a 64bit OS still maxed out at 4GB when running 32bit applications (compared to the standard 2-3GB on a 32bit OS) as indicated in message #94875? Source: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/94875 - Does the latency of FB-DIMM DDR2 800 have much of an impact on AmiBroker as compared to plain DDR2 memory? There are motherboards out there that allow big overclocking opportunities, but they use FB-DIMM DDR2 memory. Would increased CPU speeds outweigh the penalty of FB- DIMM memory? - Is there a recommended swap file size? Tomasz has said that having a swap file is better than not having one. Is there any benifet/drawback of having a larger file vs. smaller file? Source: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/amibroker/message/124434 Hard Drive: ----------- Hard drives typically come in 7200 RPM but are also available in 10000 RPM, either of which can be arranged in a Raid 0 setup for further gains in speed. - Running nothing but AmiBroker and having 12MB of L2 cache with 4GB of RAM, would 10 years of EOD across 8000 symbols need to access the drive beyond the first loading? - Would a 10000 RPM drive or Raid configuration result in any noticeable improvement in the above scenario? OS: --- 32bit Windows vs. 64bit Windows. - The AmiBroker website claims 25% speedup running 64bit AmiBroker on 64bit OS. It also says that 32bit plugins will not work with 64bit AmiBroker, and that there are no 64bit data plugins available. Could someone please clarify what is meant by data plugin in this context? Specifically; If running a 64bit OS, would we have to run 32bit AmiBroker to use a database from TC2007 or Premium Data? Or does this just apply to plugins like the Interactive Brokers TWS Plugin? Source: http://www.amibroker.com/x64/ - Are there any arguments in favor or against running 64bit Windows XP vs. Windows Vista? - Are there any arguments in favor or against the various versions of Vista as compared to each other (e.g. Business vs. Home vs. ...). Thanks. Mike P.S. In a perfect world, the information from this post could be cleaned up and posted as a topic in the UKB, also potentially satisfying Herman's request at http://www.amibroker.com/feedback/view_bug.php?bug_id=1461
