I'm now building My first mining rig.

[Burned_Follower]

Ok, I finally decided to build my first mining rig, but to save as much money as possible, I'm cannibalizing parts from a gaming rig I'm not using anymore. These are the exact parts that I currently have to work with:

 

Motherboard: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144115?Item=N82E16813144115

CPU: https://www.newegg.com/core-i7-8th-gen-intel-core-i7-8700k/p/N82E16819117827?Item=N82E16819117827

CPU Cooler: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16835352029?Item=N82E16835352029

M.2 Drive where my Operating System(Windows 10 pro 64bit) is stored: https://www.newegg.com/samsung-970-evo-500gb/p/N82E16820147690?Item=9SIA12K7968212

GPU: https://www.newegg.com/asus-geforce-gtx-1070-ti-cerberus-gtx1070ti-a8g-gaming/p/N82E16814126231?Item=9SIA0ZX7AT3555

RAM: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0134EW44S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PSU: no longer have one. Gave it to a friend of mine who needed it. 

 

Here are my questions I have regarding turning this into my first mining rig: 

1. Are these the correct GPU risers I need to get? ----> https://www.newegg.com/p/2BX-00F0-00005?Description=risers&cm_re=risers-_-2BX-00F0-00005-_-Product

2. How many extra GPUs can I attach to the motherboard I have via risers? 

3. How do I decide the correct wattage when shopping for a PSU once I finish getting the extra GPUs? Also what else am I supposed to 'look for' in a PSU when shopping for one for this mining rig?

4. How much RAM do I actually need? Asking because I'd like to save one of my 2 RAM sticks for a 2nd rig I might build into the future.

 

As far as I know, the parts I currently need to get are:

1. A PSU

2. A small, cheap monitor (already have extra keyboards and mice scattered around the house)

3. a mining rig frame (thinking of getting this: https://www.amazon.com/Assletes-Server-Mining-Stackable-Bitcoin/dp/B08ZKTFC8H/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=mining+rig+frame&qid=1617017797&sr=8-14

4. risers for GPUs

5. extra GPUs

6. A extra cooling fan per each GPU that I'll be using to suck the hot air away from those GPUs

 

Am I missing anything? This is my attempt to apply what I've learned so far about mining rigs. 

[Moonzy]

13 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

1. Are these the correct GPU risers I need to get? ----> https://www.newegg.com/p/2BX-00F0-00005?Description=risers&cm_re=risers-_-2BX-00F0-00005-_-Product

yep

 

13 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

2. How many extra GPUs can I attach to the motherboard I have via risers? 

6, as many pcie slots as your board have

 

13 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

3. How do I decide the correct wattage when shopping for a PSU once I finish getting the extra GPUs?

you need to know what gpu and how many are there to begin with, and their mining wattage (which can be different from gaming load under proper setting up)

 

ie, a 3080 when setup properly draws ~220-240W when mining compared to 300W+ under stock conditions

 

i recommend you get higher wattage than you need, because i tripped my RM850x under ~650W sustained load, the 30-series GPU are very spiky in term of power draw.

 

13 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

4. How much RAM do I actually need? Asking because I'd like to save one of my 2 RAM sticks for a 2nd rig I might build into the future.

6 or 8gb is fine, you'll need to give it more virtual memory though

 

13 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

GPU: https://www.newegg.com/asus-geforce-gtx-1070-ti-cerberus-gtx1070ti-a8g-gaming/p/N82E16814126231?Item=9SIA0ZX7AT3555

i wouldnt touch a 1070ti at $1100 with a 10-foot pole

and because it's a very old architecture, you'll be the first to become unprofitable when difficulty rises/crypto value drops due to the efficiencies

 

but if you already own it, sure

 

13 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

A small, cheap monitor (already have extra keyboards and mice scattered around the house)

i use a USB portable monitor, it's handy

[Burned_Follower]

awesome, thanks! 

 

that just leads me to two questions then:

 

1. As for the portable monitor, do you mean this?------> https://www.amazon.com/Capacitive-Raspberry-4-800x480-Touchscreen-Portable/dp/B082F3K84X/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=usb+portable+monitor&qid=1617019609&sr=8-10

 

2. What should I should look for in GPUs when shopping for 5 extra ones? 

    When it comes to shopping for extra GPUs to mine with, this is what I've learned so far:

    1. Non-quadro GPUs get better hash rate per dollar than quadros

    2. I should calculate the hash rate that a GPU is capable of to help decide if it's a waste of money or worth getting

    3. Which GPUs I get will also depend on what my budget for them will be (haven't calculated a budget yet)

    4. Because of the specific frame I'm looking to get, I shouldn't need to worry about how long or short they are, just as long as they're compatable with the PCIE X16 slots in the risers. 

[boggy77]

41 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

5. extra GPUs

have you decided on what extra gpus?

keep in mind that ethereum is moving from proof of work to proof of stake soon ( 2021-2022) which will make mining obsolete.

make sure you calculate your ROI and are happy with it in this timeline.

[Burned_Follower]

8 minutes ago, boggy77 said:

have you decided on what extra gpus?

keep in mind that ethereum is moving from proof of work to proof of stake soon ( 2021-2022) which will make mining obsolete.

make sure you calculate your ROI and are happy with it in this timeline.

no, I'm still in the "figuring out the shopping list and figuring out what my budget will be" phase of building my first mining rig. I wasn't aware of what you just mentioned. I just googled it to confirm. That sucks! lol. So what are ETH miners going to do when they can't mine ETH anymore? Will they just program their rigs to mine a different crypto currency? 

 

My honest reaction to what you said, lol : 

 

[boggy77]

2 minutes ago, Burned_Follower said:

So what are ETH miners going to do when they can't mine ETH anymore? Will they just program their rigs to mine a different crypto currency? 

possibly, although eth is currently the most profitable for gpu mining, so switching to a different coin might be a hit to miner's profits