Mining Rig - Plans, Suggestions, Improvements?

[paulsterio]

Hey Guys, 

 

I'm looking to get into LiteCoin mining, given how profitable it is for me personally. I've tried punching things in on the online LiteCoin calculator and I get pretty favourable outcomes. 

 

I've got a few bits and pieces of hardware lying around which I intend to use. At the moment, I've got:

• ASUS P8P67 Pro - 3 full length PCI-e and 2 PCI-e 1x slots
• Gigabyte H61M-D2-B3 - 1 full length PCI-e and 3 PCI-e 1x slots

I'll be coupling both these boards with a cheap Celeron and a 4GB stick of RAM. I also have a couple of old hard drives lying around which can be put to good use. So all I'll be needing is graphics cards.

 

 

I've seen 7850s on sale for $159 AUD which is a great price here in Australia. I'm thinking of getting 6 of them, shoving 4 onto the ASUS board (one with a riser) and and two of them onto the Gigabyte board (one with a riser). 

 

I looked at the stats here - https://litecoin.info/index.php?title=Mining_Hardware_Comparison&redirect=no - and it seems that the 7850 can hash at AROUND 380 kH/s and consumes 130W of power. 

 

So all together, for the ASUS, I'll be running on 4 x 130 = 520W, so a 1000W PSU should be sufficient (I have a spare Corsair HX1000) and for the Gigabyte, I'll be running on 2 x 130 = 260W, so a 650W should be sufficient (I can grab a Corsair TX650 off my brother who has one spare). 

 

So in total, I'll be hashing 380 x 6 = 2280 kH/s and I'll have an expenditure of 520 + 260 = 780W for the graphics cards, so I assume around 900W all up. 

 

This means I'll be able to make significant profits. Since I am new to mining, I have a few questions to ask. 

 

1) I've heard that mining makes the cards HOT, HOT, HOT, so I've decided to get some XSPC Raystorm Universal waterblocks to cool the cards as I cannot afford to have noisy fans. I was wondering if 120mm of rad space would be enough to cool each GPU, so 2 x 240mm on the ASUS and 1 x 240mm on the Gigabyte, or will this be too hot?

 

2) I know that the difficulty increases, so as each month passes, what percentage decrease to the amount I am earning could I expect?

 

3) Which of these options would be best, provided they all cost the same?

 

- 6 x 7850

- 3 x 7970

- 2 x R9 290

 

4) Any other tips and criticism anyone wants to direct at me about my proposed mining setup?

[atom608]

350 hash rate with a 7650? I only get 320 with my 7870. 

[Titanicium]

How much does the 7950s cost in your country? They are generally the best for mining

[Levent]

350 hash rate with a 7650? I only get 320 with my 7870. 

i get 430 with my 7850 ,tweak your overclock or miner settings

i currently have 2 7850's overclocked (one 1250mhz other one 1100mhz) (430khash - 380khash) i would suggest getting 7970 or 7950 

[atom608]

Whats your thread concurrency and intensity at? btw even when i overclock the core and mem 100mhz it doesnt do anything may might increase it by 3 kh but thats it

[Levent]

Whats your thread concurrency and intensity at? btw even when i overclock the core and mem 100mhz it doesnt do anything may might increase it by 3 kh but thats it

the card is MSI HD R7850 1GB and it overclocks to 1250mhz(1300mhz mem) also can overclock to 1300mhz but i will need to use all the fans on my case to keep the card cool with enough cold air

Concurrency : 11000

Intensity : 18

Worksize : 256

for Sapphire HD 7850 2GB OC that wont overclock over 1100mhz(625mhz mem) no matter what 

Concurrency : 12404

Intensity : 18

Worksize : 256

[RuecanOnRails]

Here's a general guide on building a miner.

http://www.cryptobadger.com/2013/04/build-a-litecoin-mining-rig-hardware/

 

With recent interest in Litecoin mining and price per coin increasing, I'd expect within the coming month difficulty to sky rocket. Litecoin adjusts difficulty every 3 days. In the past 6 days we have had nearly a 30% increase in difficulty from 1523 to 1965. As more people get their miners up and running it will lead to a higher difficulty, how high is anyone's guess. Look around at online and in retail stores you will notice most of them are sold out of 7950/7970/280X which are currently the most profitable in terms of $ to hashrate to power consumption.

 

http://bitcoinwisdom.com/litecoin/difficulty

 

 

The cards do run hot, very hot most of the time. 80C in most cases is considered to be running "cool" in the mining space. 90 - 100 isn't unseen with multiple cards stacked near each other.

[Beefmaster]

How much money does a hash get u

[RuecanOnRails]

How much money does a hash get u

 

Easiest way to find out, add up your current/potential hardware.

https://litecoin.info/Mining_Hardware_Comparison

 

Add the total into a calculator.

https://www.litecoinpool.org/calc?hashrate=&difficulty=1964.83427079&power=&energycost=0.10&currency=USD

 

 

The difficulty and price jump around a lot. Expect calculators to give only a max of 3 days of relevant information. With recent interest in mining, the difficulty will increase to adjust to the newcomers lowering overall profitability for everyone.

http://bitcoinwisdom.com/litecoin/difficulty

[Hans Christian | Teri]

Get 3 7950's if you can still find them in stock, if not get 2 or 3 280X's.

[paulsterio]

I can't get 7950s anywhere, they are all sold out. 

 

I can get 280X's, but what is better, three 280X's or two 290s?

 

Also factor in that I'm watercooling to keep noise down, so two 290s are cheaper due to only needing two waterblocks. 

[Zeo2002]

Hey Guys, 

 

I'm looking to get into LiteCoin mining, given how profitable it is for me personally. I've tried punching things in on the online LiteCoin calculator and I get pretty favourable outcomes. 

 

I've got a few bits and pieces of hardware lying around which I intend to use. At the moment, I've got:

• ASUS P8P67 Pro - 3 full length PCI-e and 2 PCI-e 1x slots
• Gigabyte H61M-D2-B3 - 1 full length PCI-e and 3 PCI-e 1x slots

I'll be coupling both these boards with a cheap Celeron and a 4GB stick of RAM. I also have a couple of old hard drives lying around which can be put to good use. So all I'll be needing is graphics cards.

 

 

I've seen 7850s on sale for $159 AUD which is a great price here in Australia. I'm thinking of getting 6 of them, shoving 4 onto the ASUS board (one with a riser) and and two of them onto the Gigabyte board (one with a riser). 

 

I looked at the stats here - https://litecoin.info/index.php?title=Mining_Hardware_Comparison&redirect=no - and it seems that the 7850 can hash at AROUND 380 kH/s and consumes 130W of power. 

 

So all together, for the ASUS, I'll be running on 4 x 130 = 520W, so a 1000W PSU should be sufficient (I have a spare Corsair HX1000) and for the Gigabyte, I'll be running on 2 x 130 = 260W, so a 650W should be sufficient (I can grab a Corsair TX650 off my brother who has one spare). 

 

So in total, I'll be hashing 380 x 6 = 2280 kH/s and I'll have an expenditure of 520 + 260 = 780W for the graphics cards, so I assume around 900W all up. 

 

This means I'll be able to make significant profits. Since I am new to mining, I have a few questions to ask. 

 

1) I've heard that mining makes the cards HOT, HOT, HOT, so I've decided to get some XSPC Raystorm Universal waterblocks to cool the cards as I cannot afford to have noisy fans. I was wondering if 120mm of rad space would be enough to cool each GPU, so 2 x 240mm on the ASUS and 1 x 240mm on the Gigabyte, or will this be too hot?

 

2) I know that the difficulty increases, so as each month passes, what percentage decrease to the amount I am earning could I expect?

 

3) Which of these options would be best, provided they all cost the same?

 

- 6 x 7850

- 3 x 7970

- 2 x R9 290

 

4) Any other tips and criticism anyone wants to direct at me about my proposed mining setup?

 

I like your plan, but also make sure you check the equipment you have is capable of running the equipment you want. Would suck to buy a card that you can't actually use.

If your 1000W PSU is this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007 , it sounds like you may be limited to three cards instead of 4 for the ASUS board. Though in looking at the 7850, it looks like it only has 1 6pin power cord, so you could be all set if that's true.

From the site: "Six PCI-E Connectors With six 6+2-pin PCI-E connectors, the Corsair CMPSU-1000HX is ideal for building up a SLI or CrossFire gaming system."

[RuecanOnRails]

I can't get 7950s anywhere, they are all sold out. 

 

I can get 280X's, but what is better, three 280X's or two 290s?

 

Also factor in that I'm watercooling to keep noise down, so two 290s are cheaper due to only needing two waterblocks. 

 

Are you planning on using the computer at all?

Most GPU's like the 7950, 290, and 290X require a high intensity to mine. This renders the computer completely unusable while mining.

7970/280X's  Are one of the few cards which mine at full speed with a low intensity, this allows anything from web browsing, office work, emails, and youtube videos (standard def) to work perfect without stutter or issues.

 

I also wouldn't recommend water cooling them, use risers and an open case such as a crate to keep temps down. Use the money saved from water cooling to purchase some coins directly.

http://www.cryptobadger.com/2013/04/build-a-litecoin-mining-rig-hardware/

 

7970/280X can get about 730K/hash x 3 = 2190

290, while people are still finding optimal settings 830 K/hash x 2 = 1660

 

https://litecoin.info/Mining_Hardware_Comparison

[FlakeyBanana]

i would reccommend the 7970's just avoid the Ghz editions

[paulsterio]

Are you planning on using the computer at all?

Most GPU's like the 7950, 290, and 290X require a high intensity to mine. This renders the computer completely unusable while mining.

7970/280X's  Are one of the few cards which mine at full speed with a low intensity, this allows anything from web browsing, office work, emails, and youtube videos (standard def) to work perfect without stutter or issues.

 

I also wouldn't recommend water cooling them, use risers and an open case such as a crate to keep temps down. Use the money saved from water cooling to purchase some coins directly.

http://www.cryptobadger.com/2013/04/build-a-litecoin-mining-rig-hardware/

 

7970/280X can get about 730K/hash x 3 = 2190

290, while people are still finding optimal settings 830 K/hash x 2 = 1660

 

https://litecoin.info/Mining_Hardware_Comparison

 

I was thinking that maybe I could connect my monitor to the DVI port on the board and use the iGPU on the CPU so that shouldn't be affected at all by the mining. Would this work?

 

The thing is, I already have watercooling gear ready, I just need waterblocks, so $100 each - not a huge investment. Either way, I'm not doing this as a super serious way to make money, I'm just hoping to be able to make back the amount I spend on the system, anything more will be a bonus, so essentially getting a few graphics cards for free. I build computers and tweak things and all that as a hobby, so I enjoy it. The reason why I want water cooling is because of noise moreso than heat. 

 

Okay, what I don't get, though, is why some people get 730kH/s but some only get like 660kH/s, that's a really big difference and it could potentially sway me to get a 290 setup instead. 

[RuecanOnRails]

I was thinking that maybe I could connect my monitor to the DVI port on the board and use the iGPU on the CPU so that shouldn't be affected at all by the mining. Would this work?

 

The thing is, I already have watercooling gear ready, I just need waterblocks, so $100 each - not a huge investment. Either way, I'm not doing this as a super serious way to make money, I'm just hoping to be able to make back the amount I spend on the system, anything more will be a bonus, so essentially getting a few graphics cards for free. I build computers and tweak things and all that as a hobby, so I enjoy it. The reason why I want water cooling is because of noise moreso than heat. 

 

Okay, what I don't get, though, is why some people get 730kH/s but some only get like 660kH/s, that's a really big difference and it could potentially sway me to get a 290 setup instead. 

 

Yeah you can use the iGPU without issues I believe. I haven't done it myself but there's no reason for it not to work.

 

Not all cards are created equal. Mining is a very complicated beast with many variables that can limit a GPU to 30% lower then the expected amount. You can also spend countless hours trying to find the perfect balance of settings. Here's an example of tuning a 7970, taken from the scrypt-readme file included with CGminer.

 

You can follow a similar method for other GPU's. Even with hours of testing and trying different settings it's always recommended to look up model numbers prior to ordering. Researching issues or success others have had with the model you're planning on purchasing can let you know what to expect.

---TUNING AN AMD RADEON 7970Example tuning a 7970 for Scrypt mining:On linux run this command:export GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT=100or on windows this:setx GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT 100in the same console/bash/dos prompt/bat file/whatever you want to call it,before running cgminer.First, find the highest thread concurrency that you can start it at. They shouldall start at 8192 but some will go up to 3 times that. Don't go too high on theintensity while testing and don't change gpu threads. If you cannot go above8192, don't fret as you can still get a high hashrate.Delete any .bin files so you're starting from scratch and see what bins getgenerated.First try without any thread concurrency or even shaders, as cgminer will try tofind an optimal valuecgminer -I 13If that starts mining, see what bin was generated, it is likely the largestmeaningful TC you can set.Starting it on mine I get:scrypt130302Tahitiglg2tc22392w64l8.binSee tc22392 that's telling you what thread concurrency it was. It should startwithout TC parameters, but you never know. So if it doesn't, start with--thread-concurrency 8192 and add 2048 to it at a time till you find the highestvalue it will start successfully at.Then start overclocking the eyeballs off your memory, as 7970s are exquisitelysensitive to memory speed and amazingly overclockable but please make sure itkeeps adequately cooled with --auto-fan! Do it while it's running from the GPUmenu. Go up by 25 at a time every 30 seconds or so until your GPU crashes. Thenreboot and start it 25 lower as a rough start. Mine runs stable at 1900 memorywithout overvolting. Overvolting is the only thing that can actually damage yourGPU so I wouldn't recommend it at all.Then once you find the maximum memory clock speed, you need to find the sweetspot engine clock speed that matches it. It's a fine line where one more MHzwill make the hashrate drop by 20%. It's somewhere in the .57 - 0.6 ratio range.Start your engine clock speed at half your memory clock speed and then increaseit by 5 at a time. The hashrate should climb a little each rise in engine speedand then suddenly drop above a certain value. Decrease it by 1 then until youfind it climbs dramatically. If your engine clock speed cannot get that highwithout crashing the GPU, you will have to use a lower memclock.Then, and only then, bother trying to increase intensity further.My final settings were:--gpu-engine 1141  --gpu-memclock 1875 -I 20for a hashrate of 745kH.Note I did not bother setting a thread concurrency. Once you have the magicendpoint, look at what tc was chosen by the bin file generated and then hardcode that in next time (eg --thread-concurrency 22392) as slight changes inthread concurrency will happen every time if you don't specify one, and the tcto clock ratios are critical!Good luck, and if this doesn't work for you, well same old magic discussionapplies, I cannot debug every hardware combo out there.Your numbers will be your numbers depending on your hardware combination and OS,so don't expect to get exactly the same results!