Computer
Treat yourself to a new PC. The latest machines are ridiculously cheap and powerful. Make sure it's a Windows machine -- irony of ironies, you can't count on supposedly cross-platform Java when you're connecting with brokers from a Mac or Unix box. Budget $3,000 and you'll be screaming -- enough megahertz (more than 400) to cruise through the worst graphing applets, enough memory to keep nine windows cooking in the background. Speaking of those extra windows, don't settle for any screen smaller than 17 inches. If you want to spend money to make money, blow the three or four grand needed for one of those pricey new 20-inch flat panel displays. And for the Y2K survivalist in you, splurge for the ultimate surge protector -- an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

Internet Connection
A direct connection is best, although the one at work probably also comes with a boss looking over your shoulder. At home your best bet is cable modem or DSL service if either is available in your area. If not -- and you really want the dream rig experience -- splurge for a dedicated frame-relay or T1 line. Earthlink, Mindspring or some local ISP can help you navigate the phone company options. Barring that, just get a 56K modem and make sure your ISP is reliable. America Online and WebTV are not allowed because they sometimes run into browser conflicts with specific Web sites and Java applets.

Wireless Connection
Discount brokers Fidelity and Siebert introduced wireless trading products in the first half of 1999 although the service will probably become a standard option as wireless data services improve. Both started with the Research in Motion (RIM) Inter@ctive Pager 950, a second-generation two-way pager. The four-ounce 950 has a small QWERTY keyboard, a roller wheel for navigating services and a six-line LCD display. It runs on an Intel 386, an early brain for Windows, and a single AA battery. Palm users have wireless access with the Palm VII or through add-on modems from companies like Novatel Wireless. Go America, a provider of pager services for the 950, also offers services for Windows CE portables using products such as the Sierra Wireless Aircard 300. If you're cheaping out, check to see if your digital mobile phone or pager can accept e-mail -- most do. AT&T, for instance, has just such a service for its PCS phone customers.

Separate Voice Line
You're going to be logged in all day, so make sure you're not tying up your only phone connection to the outside world. Even if you're not commiserating with fellow Net traders, you need the separate line for calling brokers or -- in the event of Internet troubles -- placing trades through the broker's touch-tone system.

Cable-Connected Television
Not every source of information is online. You want the same trading soundtrack as Wall Street, and that's CNBC. The Squawk Box gang clips on mics at 7 AM New York time, two-and-a-half hours before market open. Parent NBC distributes some streaming clips online during the day but this is one case where the Net is no substitute. You may, however, be able to run the cable signal through the computer and keep CNBC open in a videofeed window.

Software & Streaming Quote Service
The heart of the dream rig. Online brokers are adding services all the time -- E*Trade offers free NASDAQ Level II quotes to active traders through Bridge -- but none compares with the number-crunching menace of a good PC-side package. Leaders include TradeStation from Omega Research and Internet Trader Deluxe from Window on Wall Street, and either will track boatloads of technical indicators. Even fancier is MetaStock Professional which requires a separate real-time data feed from Reuters or Data Broadcasting. DBC's eSignal feed is top of the line, with annual fees starting at $1,000.