GETTING RIGGED UP!
With so much buzz about Cryptocurrency, the most common question people ask our Computer Mania technical experts is how to build an affordable mining rig that can quickly earn a return on investment. There are many decisions to make when building your first one. Computer Mania’s mining rig guru at their Canal Walk store, Devon, assists customers to choose the right components for their budget, to build, install software and test their rigs to get them up and mining.
Mining Chassis
People use many different things to build the frame for their mining rig from shoe racks to milk crates. Computer Mania offers customised metal frames, which provide the optimal fit for the motherboard and for either 6 or 12 graphics cards, whilst allowing for important ventilation.
Motherboard
The motherboards available can accommodate up to 12 graphics cards. The 12-card option is more expensive upfront. However, it allows you to run more cards on the same chassis, hard drive, and RAM, which is much more cost-effective than running 2 separate 6-card rigs.
Graphics card
The graphics cards (also known as GPUs or graphics processing units) do the actual mining – the more you have, the faster you can generate cryptocurrency. But if you have a limited budget, you can start with a few and add more over time. There are specific mining cards specially designed for this function. However, Devon suggests using quality gaming cards, which can be reused for other functions if you stop using the rig. The NVIDIA cards offer an easier plug-and-play option and use less power than AMD cards. The latter may be a little quicker though. You may combine card types in one rig but if you are inexperienced, it is advisable to focus on just using one type.
Power supply
An important consideration when choosing a power supply is the certification, which relates to power efficiency. An 80 Plus Platinum certification or higher is advised as it reduces heat, and improves electricity costs and the overall longevity of the computer. A 6-card rig requires a minimum power supply of 1 000 Watts. If your rig is much larger, then consider a combination of 700/750 Watt power supplies. Devon prefers the installation of a modular power supply, in which you can plug in only the cables you need. This avoids the clutter of loose wires. Just remember mining rigs are hungry electricity users so you should factor in your increase in the monthly bill as an additional cost.
You will also need…
- A CPU, RAM and Hard Drive
- A reliable internet connection
- An efficient cooling system: Mining rigs get hot as each card runs at about 50-70°C.
- A cryptocurrency wallet: a private database to keep your earnings until you spend or sell them.
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