Jump to content

Help me to build my first beginner mining PC

Hello guys, please help me choose my mining PC Parts. As a starter, I'm just regular person who try to make my side income from mining in NiceHash. Last year i just build my first entry level PC and now i'm thinking to build another PC for mining. while my Current PC is for entertainment the new PC I'm Gonna build is for investing. So, i have a decent basic knowledge for building an entry level PC but i barely know a thing for mining PC.

I do not plan anything big for now, just a beginner mining PC with budget around US $1500 equivalent. For now, $150-250 profit per month would be a good start for me. I don't plan to build this PC until around Dec 2021 or later since the price on parts still crazy.

For refference here are my rough plan on parts:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3600
GPU: RX 5600 XT/ RTX 2060/RTX 3060 (whichever i can realisticly afford at the time of build)
Mobo: Asrock B450 Phantom Gaming
PSU: 750W, 80+ Gold Certified
SSD: 256GB Sata III or M.2
HDD: 1TB 3,5" 7200 RPM

The explanation:
From my understanding by "playing" a bit with  NiceHash Profit Calculator and reading some blogs, for CPU Red Team Wins. Ryzen 3600 can make more income than intel i9-10900k, so of course i choose the amd. for GPU, I understand that RTX 3000 series and AMD 6000 series is better, but since the price is crazy (till who knows when), i can settle for something less as long at it is realistic. If the price goes down or i have enough profit, I plan to have 2 GPU (or more). For Mobo, I still in the dark. But, my plan is to have a decent Mobo which support atleast 2 installed GPU.

The Question:
As I explained above, i am bit confident for choosing the CPU and GPU, but do you gents have a better idea? and how about other parts? For Mobo, I still in the dark. But, my plan is to have a decent Mobo which support atleast 2 installed GPU. I also have no idea which ram is good for mining, "is more ram is better? is faster ram is better?". and what kind of storage is needed? Is HDD even required at all?

Any kind of comments and advice is very welcome. I would like to apologize in advance if i say or write anything stoopid, I'm a really complete noob about this all XD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

For tidying up my question, my question more less are:

  1. What kind of Motherboard is required for mining? Is a decent B450/B550 enough?
  2. What kind of RAM do i need?
  3. What kind of storage setup i need for mining?
  4. Is 750W on Gold Certified PSU enough for Ryzen 3600 and 2 RTX 3060?
  5. Do i need to overclock the CPU or GPU? (additional)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Legoxi said:

Hello guys, please help me choose my mining PC Parts. As a starter, I'm just regular person who try to make my side income from mining in NiceHash. Last year i just build my first entry level PC and now i'm thinking to build another PC for mining. while my Current PC is for entertainment the new PC I'm Gonna build is for investing. So, i have a decent basic knowledge for building an entry level PC but i barely know a thing for mining PC.

I do not plan anything big for now, just a beginner mining PC with budget around US $1500 equivalent. For now, $150-250 profit per month would be a good start for me. I don't plan to build this PC until around Dec 2021 or later since the price on parts still crazy.

For refference here are my rough plan on parts:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3600
GPU: RX 5600 XT/ RTX 2060/RTX 3060 (whichever i can realisticly afford at the time of build)
Mobo: Asrock B450 Phantom Gaming
PSU: 750W, 80+ Gold Certified
SSD: 256GB Sata III or M.2
HDD: 1TB 3,5" 7200 RPM

The explanation:
From my understanding by "playing" a bit with  NiceHash Profit Calculator and reading some blogs, for CPU Red Team Wins. Ryzen 3600 can make more income than intel i9-10900k, so of course i choose the amd. for GPU, I understand that RTX 3000 series and AMD 6000 series is better, but since the price is crazy (till who knows when), i can settle for something less as long at it is realistic. If the price goes down or i have enough profit, I plan to have 2 GPU (or more). For Mobo, I still in the dark. But, my plan is to have a decent Mobo which support atleast 2 installed GPU.

The Question:
As I explained above, i am bit confident for choosing the CPU and GPU, but do you gents have a better idea? and how about other parts? For Mobo, I still in the dark. But, my plan is to have a decent Mobo which support atleast 2 installed GPU. I also have no idea which ram is good for mining, "is more ram is better? is faster ram is better?". and what kind of storage is needed? Is HDD even required at all?

Any kind of comments and advice is very welcome. I would like to apologize in advance if i say or write anything stoopid, I'm a really complete noob about this all XD

You going to be using it for just mining, or gaming as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, jrhaberland said:

You going to be using it for just mining, or gaming as well?

This new PC is going to be pure mining. when not in use i plan to not connecting it to monitor to save electricity. It just still for light mining tho.

Edited by Legoxi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Literally the only thing that matters for Ethereum mining, which is most common and profitable, is the GPU. In that regard, you're going to need a 3060 Ti or better to make $150/mo, and that's assuming you can manage to get ahold of an older card, as Nvidia is re-releasing all the 30-series with hash limiters now. A 3060 Ti is going to run you $800 or more now, unless you luck into a retail drop, so you'd need to mine for at least half a year, just to pay for the card.

 

If that was beating around the bush too much, let me just come right out and say it: don't build a PC just to mine with. It's not worth it. I mine on my 3060 Ti, but that's because I had an existing PC for gaming, and it's a way to make the card pay for itself when I'm not gaming. This is not something to do as a side gig, and you're definitely not going to be able to quit your day job. You could make more money flipping hamburgers.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X · Cooler: Artic Liquid Freezer II 280 · Motherboard: MSI MEG X570 Unify · RAM: G.skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 3600MHz CL16 (2Rx8) · Graphics Card: ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti TUF Gaming · Boot Drive: 500GB WD Black SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD · Game Drive: 2TB Crucial MX500 SATA SSD · PSU: Corsair White RM850x 850W 80+ Gold · Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow · Monitor: MSI Optix MAG342CQR 34” UWQHD 3440x1440 144Hz · Keyboard: Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (OPX Switch) · Mouse: Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Gaming Mouse

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

Literally the only thing that matters for Ethereum mining, which is most common and profitable, is the GPU. In that regard, you're going to need a 3060 Ti or better to make $150/mo, and that's assuming you can manage to get ahold of an older card, as Nvidia is re-releasing all the 30-series with hash limiters now. A 3060 Ti is going to run you $800 or more now, unless you luck into a retail drop, so you'd need to mine for at least half a year, just to pay for the card.

 

If that was beating around the bush too much, let me just come right out and say it: don't build a PC just to mine with. It's not worth it. I mine on my 3060 Ti, but that's because I had an existing PC for gaming, and it's a way to make the card pay for itself when I'm not gaming. This is not something to do as a side gig, and you're definitely not going to be able to quit your day job. You could make more money flipping hamburgers.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm not worrying to much since i don't plan to quit my day job at all, i just wanna do my hobby to build a PC and try to have a passive income other than share investment. I don't live in US so $150 per month is okay for me, since the electricity bill is cheap here. 
Advice taken, leave the Nvidia, aim for AMD 6000 series. and after a quick reading in nicehash web, i change my mind about profit plan, for one GPU card i can settle for about $100 profit per month and $200 for 2 cards. I might start with one card first then buy another card later. btw, 6 month to pay my card or to buy another card still sounds good for me 🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Legoxi said:

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm not worrying to much since i don't plan to quit my day job at all, i just wanna do my hobby to build a PC and try to have a passive income other than share investment. I don't live in US so $150 per month is okay for me, since the electricity bill is cheap here. 
Advice taken, leave the Nvidia, aim for AMD 6000 series. and after a quick reading in nicehash web, i change my mind about profit plan, for one GPU card i can settle for about $100 profit per month and $200 for 2 cards. I might start with one card first then buy another card later. btw, 6 month to pay my card or to buy another card still sounds good for me 🙂

The AMD cards don't get as good hashrate, though better than the Nivida cards with hash limiters, I'd imagine.

 

You need to think about more than just paying for the card. Mining 24/7 is not what graphics cards are designed for, and there's a greater risk of killing the card prematurely. You might be fine for years, but you need to plan for failure. If the card fails before it's paid off (unlikely but anything is possible), you're in the hole.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X · Cooler: Artic Liquid Freezer II 280 · Motherboard: MSI MEG X570 Unify · RAM: G.skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 3600MHz CL16 (2Rx8) · Graphics Card: ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti TUF Gaming · Boot Drive: 500GB WD Black SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD · Game Drive: 2TB Crucial MX500 SATA SSD · PSU: Corsair White RM850x 850W 80+ Gold · Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow · Monitor: MSI Optix MAG342CQR 34” UWQHD 3440x1440 144Hz · Keyboard: Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (OPX Switch) · Mouse: Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Gaming Mouse

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Chris Pratt said:

The AMD cards don't get as good hashrate, though better than the Nivida cards with hash limiters, I'd imagine.

 

You need to think about more than just paying for the card. Mining 24/7 is not what graphics cards are designed for, and there's a greater risk of killing the card prematurely. You might be fine for years, but you need to plan for failure. If the card fails before it's paid off (unlikely but anything is possible), you're in the hole.

How about the motherboard and storage, do they have a role in mining?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Legoxi said:

How about the motherboard and storage, do they have a role in mining?

No, you could run a single core processor from 10 years ago and it wouldn't make a difference, and for storage you need enough for OS+Programs and that's pretty much it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, AugOwnz said:

No, you could run a single core processor from 10 years ago and it wouldn't make a difference, and for storage you need enough for OS+Programs and that's pretty much it.

This is a good news, I can use my unused Pentium g5420 then. Just gonna change the motherboard to the one that supports SLI/AMD Crossfire then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just now, Legoxi said:

This is a good news, I can use my unused Pentium g5420 then. Just gonna change the motherboard to the one that supports SLI/AMD Crossfire then.

Unless you're running multiple graphic cards you don't need another motherboard, for mining a pci-e 1x slot is enough. A thing I would focus on is getting a good PSU if the system is gonna run 24/7.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, AugOwnz said:

Unless you're running multiple graphic cards you don't need another motherboard, for mining a pci-e 1x slot is enough. A thing I would focus on is getting a good PSU if the system is gonna run 24/7.

thanks for the reply, my old system that i was planing to throw away is h310cm Mobo paired with intel pentium g4520. The Mobo have 1 pcie 1x and 1 PCIE 16. from what you say, i conclude that if i still use 1 graphic card, that mobo is enough, but if i gonna add another or multiple graphic card, i will have to buy another mobo with more pcie slots. Is that correct? If is, it's a good insight since i can start small with old parts and upgrading while on the process....

Noted. Not gonna skimp on PSU. Will 750W gold PSU adequate? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Legoxi said:

thanks for the reply, my old system that i was planing to throw away is h310cm Mobo paired with intel pentium g4520. The Mobo have 1 pcie 1x and 1 PCIE 16. from what you say, i conclude that if i still use 1 graphic card, that mobo is enough, but if i gonna add another or multiple graphic card, i will have to buy another mobo with more pcie slots. Is that correct? If is, it's a good insight since i can start small with old parts and upgrading while on the process....

Noted. Not gonna skimp on PSU. Will 750W gold PSU adequate? 

Tbh you can just get a PCI-E riser from that 1x slot to a 16x slot and put a graphics card in there aswell, any more and you pretty much need another motherboard (that's why mining specific motherboards have lots of 1x slots). As for PSU I would check the PSU tier list, a generic 750w could be bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

<insert obligatory ETH will move to proof of stake "soon(TM)" warning>.

Seriously though, Ethereum is slowly moving towards proof of stake (i.e. no more mining), although they keep pushing it back. It was set for this year, but now it's more likely to be somewhere next year I believe. Still something to keep in mind when investing in equipment though, as you'll need to earn that money back.

Crystal: CPU: i7 7700K | Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z270F | RAM: GSkill 16 GB@3200MHz | GPU: Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti FE | Case: Corsair Crystal 570X (black) | PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 1000W | Monitor: Asus VG248QE 24"

Laptop: Dell XPS 13 9370 | CPU: i5 10510U | RAM: 16 GB

Server: CPU: i5 4690k | RAM: 16 GB | Case: Corsair Graphite 760T White | Storage: 19 TB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you want to build a rig for the sole purpose of mining then you should not use nicehash, actually you should never use nicehash anyway because they suck, but i digress.

For a mining rig you can run old processors just fine and minimum memory is fine too i got 8gb for my mining rig basically just enough to let windows work fine for a hard drive you'll want an SSD but not an m.2 because those soak a PCI lane and for mining you don't need a high end drive just some SSD with like 500gb

for the riser cards get the style that use PCI power plugs instead of the MOLEX or SATA plugs because those don't deliver enough power and fail all the time.

For PSU get what you can that can power your cards with some leftover buffer headroom, i use a 1200w server PSU and a 1000w normal PSU, a bit overkill for what i have but i plan on upgrading my cards and the ones i want will be sucking down more juice than my current RX570's.

 

14 hours ago, Chris Pratt said:

You need to think about more than just paying for the card. Mining 24/7 is not what graphics cards are designed for, and there's a greater risk of killing the card prematurely. You might be fine for years, but you need to plan for failure. If the card fails before it's paid off (unlikely but anything is possible), you're in the hole.

if a card dies just RMA the thing and you're good to go, I have RMA'd 4 cards in the last 2 years. Cards last forever but they broke from my riser cards going to crap so i RMA them saying they just stopped working (which is true) and got new cards in the mail from MSI.

Now not that id recommend such an action but in theory you could RMA a card when it is like 3 months from its end of warranty and get a brand new or refurbished one that is then good for another few years and do the same thing. Although that is pretty shitty to do but you could still do it. But cards don't break unless you have a riser issue or they get too hot. I keep my fans at 93% and the cards stay around 60c and not a single issue to be had.

 

Saying GPU's aren't designed to mine is incorrect, which is exactly what they are designed to do. mining, processing graphics for a game, or rendering all are what GPU's are designed for solving complex problems in a fast efficient manner.

4 hours ago, tikker said:

<insert obligatory ETH will move to proof of stake "soon(TM)" warning>.

Seriously though, Ethereum is slowly moving towards proof of stake (i.e. no more mining), although they keep pushing it back. It was set for this year, but now it's more likely to be somewhere next year I believe. Still something to keep in mind when investing in equipment though, as you'll need to earn that money back.

That's why its time to switch and start mining Raven and right now its damn near identical profit as ETH so not much to lose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, airborne spoon said:

Saying GPU's aren't designed to mine is incorrect, which is exactly what they are designed to do. mining, processing graphics for a game, or rendering all are what GPU's are designed for solving complex problems in a fast efficient manner.

 

I said they are not designed to mine 24/7, because they're not designed to do anything 24/7. The expected lifespan of a card, especially it's fans, is based on *normal* usage. Mining is an extreme usage. That doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it, but you need to be aware that you're putting far more stress on the card than it was made for.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X · Cooler: Artic Liquid Freezer II 280 · Motherboard: MSI MEG X570 Unify · RAM: G.skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 3600MHz CL16 (2Rx8) · Graphics Card: ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti TUF Gaming · Boot Drive: 500GB WD Black SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD · Game Drive: 2TB Crucial MX500 SATA SSD · PSU: Corsair White RM850x 850W 80+ Gold · Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow · Monitor: MSI Optix MAG342CQR 34” UWQHD 3440x1440 144Hz · Keyboard: Corsair K100 RGB Optical-Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (OPX Switch) · Mouse: Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Gaming Mouse

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, airborne spoon said:

That's why its time to switch and start mining Raven and right now its damn near identical profit as ETH so not much to lose.

Yeah I've been contemplating for a while now if I should stick with just buying ETH and take a risk mining RVN now in the hopes it'll grow big in the future.

Crystal: CPU: i7 7700K | Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z270F | RAM: GSkill 16 GB@3200MHz | GPU: Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti FE | Case: Corsair Crystal 570X (black) | PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 1000W | Monitor: Asus VG248QE 24"

Laptop: Dell XPS 13 9370 | CPU: i5 10510U | RAM: 16 GB

Server: CPU: i5 4690k | RAM: 16 GB | Case: Corsair Graphite 760T White | Storage: 19 TB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×