Bitcoin Forum

I'm thinking about building a rig.  I have a few questions, though.

MOBO/Motherboard/Mainboard
What does this do, and why is it necessary?  Does the type of motherboard you buy for your rig matter?  Can't you just buy a GPU and CPU card and be set?

RAM
The computer needs RAM to carry out the mining operations.  Higher RAM equals more Mining Capacity?

CPU
Should I just buy the cheapest CPU since miners don't use it?

GPU/FPGA
Which is better, and why?  What is the cost difference?

How do I power, cool, and use the rig?

Thanks!

I won't recommend any parts to you as I don't mine. Others will chip in (pun intended) with their opinions and anecdotes.

The motherboard holds the RAM, CPU and GPU, and supplies power to them. You must have this.

The amount of RAM is you need is just enough for the operating system, plus the mining software, plus the wallet software of your choice (if you decide to keep it on the same computer).

The CPU should be the cheapest one you can get.

I've read about cards derived from the AMD Radeon 5770 reference have the best dollar per Mhash/s ratio at ~$0.5 USD. That is only if you set up the operating system and mining software properly.

The power supply is the most important part of the rig. Find out the power requirement for the system as a whole and add 20% to that figure. That'll insure you from power spikes.


That's all I can give you for now after my doing my own research over the past few weeks.

Thanks for "chipping" in!  :D