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Okay I'm sorry, MS-DOS was click bait  ::)

Can anyone do like a neat and clear pros and cons list for windows vs ethOS vs Linux?

I'm thinking of getting set up with ethOS but just want to make sure it's the right move - I have heard you can't undervolt the gpu's but could be wrong..?

Just wondering if anyone has any glaring good or bad points for the OS options out there


Thanks all! :)

nobody?  :-\

Windows
-if you are with rx series you have to use win 10 since you cant use 6gpu editor on 10 instead of win 7
-win 10 sux
-you will have problems with automatic updates and crappy user interface
-but you will be able to undervolt and flash your cards
-most software will work out of the box
-its free
ethOS
-its not free
-will not update itself
-you will have to put a lot of hours into tuning the thing

Linux was the best in 2013-2014 for Litecoin mining.

However right now most use Windows because the new AMD drivers are too much of a headache for most in linux.

They either don't install properly, don't detect all the cards, very difficult to undervolt, bios flash, etc. So most call it a day and just stick with Windows 10.

Biggest difference I've had was the stability of EthOS. Windows I could OC to ~29.1 Mh/s before it tapped out. I can get about 1 Mh/s more on ethOS.

However, it is Linux so expect a little learning curve if you've never used anything other than Windows. If you're just running a small rig (<6 cards) then Windows will do just fine for you. If you have 12, 18, 24 cards etc., then that aggregate extra hashing speed is like having a free RX 570 (-$35) in your system.

Windows requires more setting up initially, you have to disable updates, sleep settings, anti-virus, etc....

It also requires a larger ssd

but it is "free", has a gui i'm sure you already know, applications you may have already used like afterburner or gpu-z

If you have only a rig or two, it is the way I would go.

The cost of SSDs, the setting up, etc. is a pain if you have many rigs.

Once you're over maybe 3-8 rigs, I'd personally switch to smOS (linux based). It costs $2/month per rig right now but requires less setup and can manage many rigs remotely.

HOw is it free? Where are you getting a valid key from?

Have you tried mining on a trial windows version?

Windows 10 is free as long as you upgrade to it from a previous version that has a license.

You can buy a Win XP license off ebay for like $5, and get a free upgrade to Win10.

Windows is and has always been a pain for me and the security issues are what make big companies and normal users alike cry....
both ethos and linux are the unix derivitive. ethos is a paid OS and i have a hard time trying to pay for a simple program applied ontop of a free operating system.
leaving us with linux....

linux ; there are more flavors of linux then i have hair on my head! most have tried in ways to simplify the user experience for a more friendly user experience.
although that is still not my preference... debian that is not user friendly and requires a working knowledge of the operating system  is one of the better linux systems but please remember that the only reason to use Ubuntu is because your not knowledgeable enough to use SLACKWARE

personally i run all my linux instances from my trusty and faithful QNX allowing me to assure safety and security . this OS is also a paid OS and much more then most others all put together and the hardware list is very short but the option to write your own drivers is integrated in the os. QNX (http://QNX) is certainly not for many if only a few in total but you will never find a more rock solid real-time platform

Thanks everyone

I think I'm going to go the route of ethOS
EthOS plus a USB drive is cheaper than an SSD and free win10

Plus I'm not normally near my rigs so remote access is useful
Plus I'm looking to scale my hardware as turnover comes in so would be good to get used to the OS from the beginning


When you say you couldn't modify the bios to get more than +1mhs in ethOS I thought ethOS allows you to modify the clock speeds etc in the same was as afterburner etc?

So what do you recommend for someone who can poke around in OSX and has a couple Raspberry PI's running Raspian which is based on Debian. I wouldn't say I'm close to a power user, or even a knowledgable user, but I manage to get around in there and do things like mounts and updates and stuff.

I was planning on Xubunu cause it's slimmed down. But I'm getting confused now that everyone seems to just use Simplemining or buy Ethos..

I have not, pray tell how it behaves long-term? Usable?

Use what you know best. I use Arch Linux because I use it for Everything else too.
If you are into CPU mining you can often get higher hashrate in Linux.
I feel I have more Control when using Linux.

Edit: Old thread...

Ethos vs windows is like day and night

ethos runs from usb stick
no install required
no drivers required
just edit config file and mine!
Just 39.99 one off license payment
Very stable, remote access, OC settings built in

It just works out of the box.

SMOS is another awesome solution.  http://simplemining.net offers an entire rig mining solution.

I am not affiliated with SimpleMining.

HiveOS is the best for me !!

I've had experience in the past with booting Linux and ethOS off USBs and both ran great. There are people using pirated versions of Windows out there, but Linux is free and works great for mining. It doesn't take a whole lot of knowledge to start mining on Linux despite what most people think, and it's just great to learn how to use Linux at least a bit anyways. Drivers are a bit of an issue on Linux, but that still doesn't deter me from using it for mining.

Does Windows still give the highest hash rates or have the Linux options caught up yet?

I have tried Ubuntu, Windows and Hive.

I have had issues with Ubuntu drivers so I tried Hive. Hive is good but because of my setup, mix between AMD and Nvidia on one rig, this didnt work out well.

I am currently on Windows and don't have any problems. So my choice is Windows. :)

Hope this helps.

I have mixed rigs and they running perfectly fine on Hive. To add to it, you have to be patient to setup the mix rig with right config for you cards. Took me few days to tweak it to optimal performance but it`s stable a F... now

I prefer hiveos on my small rig. It has awesome features like one-click overclock change, flight sheets, web based dashboard, etc.