One of the key advantages of a desktop crypto trading bot is that you own the hardware it runs on. Unlike cloud bots that run on someone else's servers, DennTech runs on your own Windows machine - which means your hardware choices directly affect uptime, reliability, and operating cost. This guide covers the specific hardware considerations for running a bot 24/7 without losing sleep over crashes, power bills, or overheating.
Why Hardware Matters More Than Most Traders Think
DennTech is not a computationally intensive application. The computational load is modest - maintaining WebSocket connections to exchanges, executing strategy logic, and writing logs. The real hardware concerns for 24/7 bot operation are:
- Reliability - the machine must never crash or overheat during a live trading session
- Power efficiency - running 24/7 for a month costs real money; lower wattage saves $15-$40/month at US average rates
- Network stability - wired ethernet is non-negotiable for production bot operation
- Storage durability - constant disk I/O from log writes wears out spinning hard drives faster than SSDs
- Automatic recovery - the system must restart and relaunch the bot automatically after a power outage or update reboot
Recommended Hardware Tiers
Budget Setup: $150-$250 (Mini PC)
The best bang-for-buck 24/7 bot platform is a modern mini PC. Options like the Beelink EQ12, Minisforum UN100, or Intel NUC-equivalent machines offer:
- Intel N95 or N100 processor (4 cores, 3.4 GHz, 6W TDP)
- 8-16 GB DDR4/5 RAM
- 256-512 GB NVMe SSD
- Windows 11 compatible
- ~8-12W total system power draw at idle with bot running
At 10W average power draw and $0.16/kWh (US average 2026), this setup costs approximately $1.15/month in electricity. Compared to a desktop PC drawing 80-150W, the savings are $10-$20/month - enough to pay for the machine in under 2 years purely in electricity savings.
Mid-Range Setup: $300-$400 (Refurbished Business Desktop)
A refurbished business desktop (Dell OptiPlex, HP EliteDesk, Lenovo ThinkCentre) in SFF or Micro form factor offers more headroom for running multiple DennTech instances or other software simultaneously:
- Intel Core i5-10400 or i7-8700 (6 cores)
- 16 GB DDR4 RAM
- 512 GB SSD (upgrade from included HDD immediately)
- 30-45W power draw under typical bot load
Performance Setup: $400-$500
If you are running DennTech Elite with multiple exchange connections and high-frequency strategies simultaneously:
- AMD Ryzen 5 5500U or Intel Core i5-1235U
- 16-32 GB DDR4
- 512 GB NVMe SSD
- 15-25W under typical load
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply): Non-Negotiable
Power outages kill open trading positions. If your machine loses power mid-execution, the bot cannot cancel outstanding orders, and you may be left with a partial position or an unexecuted stop-loss. A UPS is the single most important reliability upgrade for 24/7 bot operation.
Recommended UPS specs for a mini PC bot setup:
- APC Back-UPS 600VA (~$65) - provides 20-30 minutes of runtime for a 10-15W mini PC; enough to survive any brief outage and initiate a clean shutdown if power does not restore
- CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD (~$150) - pure sine wave output; 50+ minutes runtime on a mini PC; displays load wattage for monitoring
Configure the UPS software to trigger an automatic graceful shutdown of Windows after 5 minutes of battery operation. This ensures DennTech closes cleanly, cancels open orders, and writes final logs before power is lost.
Windows Configuration for 24/7 Reliability
- Disable automatic Windows Update reboots - set Active Hours to cover your trading hours in Settings > Windows Update > Active Hours.
- Configure auto-login - use
netplwizto enable automatic login after reboot so the bot environment restores without human intervention. - Add DennTech to Startup - add a DennTech shortcut to your Windows Startup folder (
shell:startup) or create a Task Scheduler task set to run at logon. - Set power plan to High Performance or Balanced (never Sleep) - go to Power Options and set sleep to Never. A machine that sleeps closes all WebSocket connections.
- Disable Windows Defender real-time scanning on the DennTech log folder - constant log writes trigger Defender scans that can cause I/O spikes. Add an exclusion for the DennTech application directory.
- Enable automatic restart after power failure - in BIOS/UEFI, find 'AC Power Recovery' and set it to 'Always On' so the machine boots automatically after a power cut.
Network Requirements
DennTech maintains persistent WebSocket connections to all configured exchanges. These connections require a stable, low-latency internet connection:
- Wired ethernet over WiFi - always. WiFi packet loss causes WebSocket disconnections that can delay order execution.
- Minimum 10 Mbps download / 5 Mbps upload - sufficient for all exchange connections simultaneously.
- Router QoS - if your household has heavy video streaming or gaming traffic, configure QoS to prioritize the bot machine's traffic.
- Backup connection - a 4G LTE USB dongle as a failover connection provides continuity during ISP outages.
Monitoring: Know When Your Bot Stops
- Check DennTech's built-in position log every morning - if no trades or heartbeat entries appear, the bot may have stalled
- Set phone alerts for significant unrealized P&L moves in your exchange app
- Use Windows Task Scheduler to run a daily health check that emails you if the DennTech process is not running
DennTech is designed to run as a persistent desktop application. The documentation center covers startup configuration and log monitoring in detail. For questions about supported operating systems and hardware compatibility, see the FAQ.
Once your hardware is configured, see edition and pricing options or go directly to the Elite edition for 13-exchange support and the full 25-strategy library. Also read: DCA accumulation bot setup guide, grid trading parameter guide, and cross-exchange arbitrage with Elite.