Moving to Demo Account Testing - How to go about it?

[ucttton]

I went through this path in the past.

I think that both approaches VPS/PC need to get tested. The VPS is good if you find one that is reliable and not too much expensive.
In my instance I had reliability problems so I changed to my home PC so much are delighted with it.

If you go with house computer, think about those small ultra-portable machines, they are cheap, not much strong but unless you are performing HFT, they'll do the job.

For example, I use an Asus eee computer, see image below, on which I have an EA that runs 24/7 on a live account and it does the job just fine.

https://www.forexforum.co.za/attachments/1528371377.jpg

[rutt89]

Well, I went through this path in the past. I think that both approaches VPS/PC have to be tested. The VPS is great if you find one that is reliable and not too much costly. In my case, I had reliability problems so I changed to my home PC and so far are delighted with it. If you go with home pc, consider those tiny ultra-portable machines, they are inexpensive, not much strong but unless you're performing HFT, they'll do the job. For instance, I personally use an Asus eee pc, see image below, on which I've an EA that runs 24/7 on a live account and... Hi Broketrader,

Thanks for the answer.

Don't you have some reliability problems with your PC or web? Is there anything that I need to be looking for or writing into my code?

Any information most welcome...

[ucttton]

quote Hi Broketrader, Thank You for the reply. Don't you have any reliability problems with your PC or internet? Is there anything I should be looking for or writing into my code? Any information most welcome.... No issues with the PC but one net issue last month when I lost the connection for the whole day!

However, this is equal to that which I experienced on VPS in which occasionally I had the device restarted without any reason and sometimes no access to it during several hours.

For my Online issue I had just to restart the router, so after looking on Google it seems that it's possible to automatically restart your router when net connection is lost but that requires extra programming and hadn't time to do so...

My adviceis that you need to test both, maybe the easier is the VPS and maybe you'll be more blessed than me and find one that's dependable, the disadvantage is you will need to pay for that.

[rutt89]

Thank you Broketrader

[rutt89]

Given the number of traders onforexforum.co.zaseem to trade / evaluation on demo accounts, I would be interested in others views approaches to the way they do so and also the possible pros cons with their approach.

Genuinely interested...

[chingesSak01]

A couple more thoughts to throw into the mix (not recommendations since I haven't tried either):
Amazon provide a VPS that free for a year: http://aws.amazon.com/
MetaQuotes themselves now run virtual hosting: http://forum.mql4.com/65542

[rutt89]

A couple more thoughts to throw into the mix (not recommendations as I haven't tried either): Amazon provide a VPS that free for a year: http://aws.amazon.com/ MetaQuotes themselves now run virtual hosting: http://forum.mql4.com/65542 Thank you HonestK.

At this stage I believe I will proceed the buy a inexpensive laptop and leave it on 24/7 route.

[rutt89]

quote Thanks HonestK. At this stage I believe I will proceed the buy a cheap notebook and leave it on 24/7 route. Hello Everybody,

I've now decided to bought a 2nd hand refurb pc to conduct MT4 24/7 and would welcome remarks views as to what spec I should be looking for? My goal is to end up running multiple EAs on different charts.

I'm currently considering a few options:

Dell Latitude E6410 laptop
Processor
Core i5-520M (around 2.93 GHz)
Chipset
Mobile QM57 Express
Memory
4 GB DDR3 RAM
Upgradeable to 8 GB
Storage
320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
Optical Drive
DVD /-RW
Pictures
HD Graphics
Audio
High Quality Speakers
Stereo headphone jack
Microphone jack and integrated, sound reducing microphone array with language enhancement
Display
14.1 Widescreen WXGA Anti-Glare LED
1280x800 Resolution
Ports
Network jack (RJ-45)
USB V2.0 (4) 1 USB/eSATA combo
Microphone jack, Headphone/speaker out
IEEE 1394
6-in-1 card reader
54mm ExpressCard or Sort I/II PCMCIA
Docking Connector
VGA
DisplayPort
SmartCard Reader
Connectivity
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
Electricity
Lithium-ion Battery
AC Adapter
Dimensions
Width: 335mm
Height: 25.4-31.2mm
Depth: 238.3mm
Weight
1.93 Kg
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)


----------------------------

Dell Inspiron M102z notebook
Processor
AMD E-450 Double Core 1.65 GHz, featuring AMD Fusion technology
Memory
4 GB DDR3 RAM
Storage
320.0 GB Hard Disk Drive
Camera
1.3MP webcam using 1x digital Mike
Pictures
AMD Radeon#8482; HD 6320 Graphics
Audio
SRS premium Surround sound
2 X 1.5W speakers to get total of 3W
Display
11.6 HD Widescreen, with 1366 x 768 resolution
Power
6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion Battery
AC adapter
Wireless
Standard 802.11b/g/n
Ports
Combo PowerSaver / USB 2.0 (1)
USB 2.0 (2)
Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
15-pin VGA video connector
Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 mic-in)
7-in-1 Media Card Reader
AC adapter jack
HDMI
Dimensions Weight
Width: 205mm
Height: 24.3mm front 35mm back
Depth: 292mm
Weight: 1.5Kg
Operating System
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Premium

----------------------------

Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T SSD laptop
Processor
Core i3-380UM Ultra Processor (Dual Core, 3M cache, 1.33 GHz)
(Ultra low voltage for longer battery life).
Memory
4 GB DDR3 RAM
Upgradeable to 8 GB
Storage
120 GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
Webcam
0.3 Mp Integrated Crystal Eye Webcam
Graphics
HD Graphics with 128 MB of dedied system memory, supporting Microsoft DirectX 10; Dual independent display support; MPEG-2/DVD decoding; WMV9 (VC-1) and H.264 (AVC) decoding; HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support
Audio
Dolby-optimized surround audio system with just two built-in stereo speakers; Optimized 2nd Generation Dolby Sound Room audio improvement, featuring Dolby Headphone, Dolby Natural Bass and Dolby Sound Space Expander High-definition audio support; S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital; speakers; MS-Sound compatible; Built-in Mike
Memory Card Reader
Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD)
Ports
3x USB V2.0 interfaces
1x HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support
1x external display (VGA) port
1x Headphones/speaker/line-out jack using S/PDIF support
1x Microphone-in jack
1x Ethernet (RJ-45) jack
1x DC-in jack for AC adapter
Communiion
Ethernet, Quick Ethernet
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n
Power
Lithium-Ion battery
AC Adapter
Display
11.6 HD 1366 x 768 (WXGA) pixel resolution LED-backlit TFT LCD
Physical Description
96 (W) x 42 (D) x 28.7 (H) m
1.40 kg
Operating System
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional


----------------------------


Lenovo ThinkPad T410 laptop
Processor
Core i5-520M Processor (3M Cache, 2.40 GHz)
Memory
4 GB DDR3 RAM
Upgradeable to 8 GB
Storage
320GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
Optical Drive
DVDRW SuperMulti
Graphics
HD Graphics
Audio
High Definition Audio
Ports
Express Card 34mm
DisplayPort
VGA Port
4 USB ports (1 eSATA Port, 1 Constructed USB)
RJ-45 Port
RJ-11 Port
Firewire 1394a
Combo Jack
5-in-1 MMC Reader
Communiion
Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless 802.11b/g/n
Modem
Keyboard
Ergonomically designed keyboard and multi-touch TouchPad flush with hands rest, wider left- and - right-click buttons, VoIP Fn F6 hotkey and optimized place of LEDs
Power
Lithium-Ion battery
AC Adapter
Display
14.1 Widescreen Display
Physical Description
333.5mm x 239mm x 27.6-31.9mm
2.23kg
Operating System
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional


Are some of the aforementioned recommended or should I be looking for different specs? What I'm interested in is overall performance, is one type of processor better than the other one, the way they handle heat (as they'll be on 24/7), etc?

Any help appreciated...

[rutt89]

quote No difficulties with the PC but one online issue last month once I lost the link for the whole day! But this is equivalent to that which I experienced on VPS where occasionally I had the device restarted with no reason and at times no access to it during a few hours. For my Online issue I had just to restart the router, so after searching on Google it appears that it is possible to automatically restart your router when internet connection is missing but that needs extra programming and had not time to do this... My advice,... Hello broketrader,

One final question before I commit and buy a refurb device. Can you leave your mini pc on all of the time (24/7) and if so, have you ever experienced any difficulties with it as a result? Eg overheating etc?

[ucttton]

quote Hi, One last question before I commit and purchase a refurb machine. Can you leave your miniature pc on all of the time (24/7) and if so, have you ever experienced any issues with it as a outcome? Eg? Hi Chorlton,

YesI abandon my miniature pc on from Sunday evening (before markets available ) to Friday day or Saturday/Sunday if I'm out for the weekend.

Regarding the overheating, I asked myself the same question and even the computer appeared not perceptible too much, I turnet it 90% and placed it on its flanks to maximize the evacuation of heat. See picture B. With this config, its many months now that it runs with no issue.

https://www.forexforum.co.za/attachments/15283713872128991639.jpg

[rutt89]

quote Hi, Yes, I abandon my miniature pc on from Sunday evening (before markets available ) to Friday evening or Saturday/Sunday if I'm out for the weekend. Concerning the overheating, I asked myself the same question and even the pc appeared not perceptible too much, I turnet it 90% and put it on its flanks to optimize the jet of heat. See picture B. With this config, its several months now that it runs with no situation. image Thanks broketrader...

[ucttton]

quote Thanks .... You are welcome;--RRB-

In fact I wanted to mention that I turned it 90° (90 degrees) not 90%, I think I had been dreaming about my account profit when I said that https://www.forexforum.co.za/attachments/1528371381.png
Well, anyway, I think you understood what I was saying...

Best of luck with your presentation trading!

[rutt89]

Hi All,

I have been working away developing a new system with just the egy tester for first feedback and feel it's time to proceed to the next stage of development that I believe is demo trading.

My query is what's the best way to get this done? I have opened a demo account with FXCM Australia in order to download use MT4 and would welcome some guie as to the best approach to accomplish this next stage of testing.

For those that are testing their thoughts using a demo account, would you simply run your EA in your pc and leave it switched on all day or would you use a VPS? If its a VPS can one go about setting one up on it?? running an EA

Sorry for the basic questions. Although I'm new to MT4 and forex trading, I've previously developed systems to trade stocks but this was completely different approach.

My machine focuses on the 1HR interval, if this makes any difference.

Thanks Beforehand,