Should I upgrade to NT8? Currently using NT 7.

[Johnny]

Hi, all,

I'm a long time user of Ninjatrader for day trading. Since I've had access to a few custom indicators in NT7, I've stayed with it, but I don't really depend on them and am now considering if it may be worth moving on.

For now, I'm simulator trading, but I will be going live in January and as such I'm thinking if it might be worth going over to NT8. My trading needs are simple: Minute and volume charts of one symbol only (ES). Also, I'd like to execute my trades from charts.

So, my main concern then is stability, speed and ease of use.

Any thoughts or advice? Is NT 8 faster than 7? Is it easy to start using, i.e., similar user interface?

Thanks in advance!

[NinjaTrader_PatrickG]

NinjaTrader 8 was designed from the ground up with the intent of being an improvement in every way over NinjaTrader 7.

Your knowledge of NinjaTrader 7 will certainly be relevant when you begin to use NinjaTrader 8. Many aspects are similar.

You can have NinjaTrader 8 and NinjaTrader 7 installed and running simultaneously. The best way to learn NinjaTrader 8 would be to 'get your hands dirty'. I would highly suggest getting a head start by downloading NinjaTrader 8 now to get more familiar with it.

We have a whole section of our website dedicated to answering common questions that users have about NinjaTrader 8 and the transition from NinjaTrader 7. I would highly suggest reading through all pages of the FAQ:

http://ninjatrader.com/NinjaTrader-8-FAQ#!NinjaTrader-8_FAQ_GetStarted

Additionally, just like we had training videos and webinars for NinjaTrader 7, we also have these for NinjaTrader 8:

https://ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt8/en-us/?video_library.htm

https://www.youtube.com/user/NinjaTraderTracking/playlists?sort=dd&shelf_id=0&view=1

[Johnny]

Thanks, Patrick.

I'm downloading NT8 now and will probably transition to using it.

Regards,

Johnny

[i2w8am9ii2]

Hi Johnny,

If I were you, I would be very cautious about using NT8 for live trading.

NT8 freezes on me while I'm in a trade so often (requiring me to crash and restart the program), that it is very concerning to me.

The most concerning issue I've had is when I'm in a trade and try to take profits, but the position remains open regardless of all my efforts to close it.

Then I look at my charts and see that NT8 has froze again. I then see my P&L going up and down as the position that I tried to close remains open.

Only after shutting down NT8 and restarting it does my open position that I tried to close finally close out.

Sometimes I get luckly and have a larger profit then when I originally tried to close out my position, but most times my profit has turned into a sizable loss instead.

This just occurred yesterday morning, while in a simulated trade, and my profitable position ended up being a sizable loss.

It was infuriating. Then I ended up going into revenge trade mode after that loss, which caused my large winning day to turn into a nightmare losing day (simulated trading).

In my opinion from my experiences over multiple months, NT8 is not yet a stable platform.

Here is an earlier post of mine describing this freezing issue:

https://ninjatrader.com/support/forum/showthread.php?t=105503

There are also other posts of traders complaining of having freezing and crashing issues.

It could be that one of the third party indicators that I'm using is causing or contributing to this issue, and so maybe you won't have the same problem.

Just be sure you test out NT8 for a good amount of time, to be sure it doesn't freeze on you while in the middle of a trade, before going live.

[Johnny]

Hi, i2w8am9ii2,

Wow. This is very interesting and relevant information. Do you have any comparative experience with NT7?

This is exactly what I fear. I'm happy to say I did not experience this with NT 7 in live trading though.

I will probably open an account with Interactive Brokers which would allow me to manage trades there during an emergency, but this is of course very worrysome to hear.

I wonder if other users experience anything similar...?

[i2w8am9ii2]

Hi Johnny,

I had been using NT7 for quite some time before I switched over to NT8 and I do not remember having such problems with NT7.

Other users have complained about NT8 response time and so on. Here is one such thread:

https://ninjatrader.com/support/forum/showthread.php?t=104270&page=3

[Johnny]

Wow. Reading that thread made me really worried and concerned.

Maybe I should just stick with NT 7 for a while after all?

As mentioned already, NT 8 seems really fast on my computer. Off line currently of course. I've yet to test it with live data.

[NinjaTrader_PatrickG]

i2w8am9ii2, I appreciate your contribution to this thread. What you're reporting is certainly unexpected. Our goal on the Support Team is to make sure that NinjaTrader is working as expected.

The symptoms you're reporting are not experienced by all NinjaTrader 8 users. This means there are two possibilities:

• There is an as-of-yet unreported bug in NinjaTrader 8 which is causing this behavior
• There is something unique about your PC or installation of NinjaTrader which is causing this behavior.

In either case, we are highly motivated to resolve the issue. If you're not currently working with us, please write into PlatformSupport[AT]NinjaTrader[DOT]com so we may discover the root of what is causing the symptoms you're reporting.

[i2w8am9ii2]

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for your reply to my post and thanks for offering to help.

Ninjatrader platform support is currently helping me diagnose my system, and I think what I'm experiencing is probably unique to me and my setup.

I appreciate the help that I am being given by Ninjatrader support to attempt to resolve my issue very much.

Thanks again,

[Johnny]

I do hope this issue is related to the use of a 3rd party indicator.

The other user with problems also seemed to have a LOT of workspaces open at the same time? Like 12? Seemed like overkill to me.

I have one workspace only with a maximum of 5 intraday charts. So, I certainly hope and think that's manageable.