#Cost-benefit analysis of #overclocking #trading #servers

The ever faster trading speed demands more and more on trading computers and servers for their computing power and speed. So for the power-hungry traders, overclocking their trading servers presents itself as a way to squeeze every drop of computing juice out of their already state-of-the-art machines.

Overclocking allows traders to push their computers and servers over the stock speeds, hence releases the true potential power that processors harbor beyond their official specs. When done cautiously, overclocked servers will be able to crunch large amount of numbers, perform mathematical formulas and run trading models extra fast, which gives high frequency traders the precious milliseconds they want to save in order to gain a competitive edge.

However, there is risks associated with demanding extra computing power out of server processor than they’re designed. Overclocking a processor generates so much extra heat that it could damage, even destroy, the process and other components. Also traders usually desire dependability and reliability with their trading tools and overclocking runs exactly against such principal by reducing hardware’s useful life and making them unpredictable.

That said, overclocking remains a desirable feature. Companies such as SGI actually accelerates custom compute performance with overclocking added to their servers. Come to the High Frequency Trading World Chicago 2012 to hear what traders really have to say about the pros and cons of overclocking trading servers.