Bitcoin Forum

Hi guys,

I'm new to mining rigs.. hence the newb form..   ;)
I've read quite a few articles on this but I want to have your opinion. The information I've founded so far is confusing. What is the better option:
3x SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB with Boost  (11196-19-20G) (which is able to pull 650 kH/s according to ltcwiki) (E239,-)
3x GIGABYTE 280x GV-R928XOC-3GD (which is able to pull 740 Kh/s according to ltcwiki) (E279,-)
3x any other suggestions?

I know the 7950 is less power consuming, but I think I'll be able to sell the 280x more easier in like 6 months. Because it is a later model. (yes I know it's just a rebranded 7970, but ordanairy gamers don't know/care)
What is the best option looking performance/cooling wise? Lctwiki has some nice stats but I cant find alot of information regarding the Sapphire 11196-19-20G..

Your opinions?

if your mining BTC,
Other suggestion is to get a ASIC miner for the price of 3 video card, might be able to offload it later on also.

say 3 vga card ( 7950 ) @ $450 each ; total $1350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=7950&N=-1&isNodeId=1


http://minr.info/
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining_hardware_comparison

Block Erupter Cube will do 30MH/s for the same outlay as 3 vga cards.

280x!

I would go with 280x, but not Gigabyte, as far as I know you cannot undervolt it. Like you said, you'll be able to sell the 280x more easier. About power consuming, you can undervolt most x280, except Gigabyte, I undervolt mine Asus 280x DC2T to 1.075 V.
If there is no other option than Gigabyte 280x, take Sapphire 7950.
I would go with 3x Asus 280x DC2T.

I have some 7950 and they are nice. Low wattage.
Dunno about the others though

I've five R9 280x cards running, they're all pulling 760 - 763 khs each. They're on a total of 2 mainboards, each with a 1200 watt PSU, though I think they could be on one mainboard if i had some powered risers and an open rig. Together with my laptop I'm currently using 7 amps, which is around 1500 watts in total.

Another option that's mostly theoretical, but you might luck out, is that some 7870s were made with the same Tahiti core as in the 7950s. 7870XT etc.. They got hard to find though. Anyway, the advantages of these were cheapth, and reasonable power consumption, for the same $$$ you ended up getting between 20 and 40% more hash than 7950s. i.e. get 2 7870XTs for price of one 7950 and get 500ish out of them.

It's a question of scale though, if you were only planning running a couple of 7950s, then running 4 7870XTs on risers ain't that much different, can get it all in one machine, but if you were planning 10 7950s then you'd have to run more boards with 7870XTs.

go with 280x, it will be easier to sell

I have two Saphire Toxic 280X's, quite satisfied with mining performance. 760ks/s per each. And just one advice: Get maximum from every pci-e slot for maximum profit..

280x if you wanna sell it. 7950 if you wanna use it.
7970 would be ideal if you find one for cheap since it's basically a 280x.

Also you can crossfire all three of those so take that into consideration.

take the 280x. it is cheaper.

i recommand you the 280x - have it myself and i'm very satisfied with it

gpu which brand?

But don't forget about the power consumption, it could be insane. And according to wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_AMD_graphics_processing_units there would be really small difference between 7950 Boost and R9 280X, like 25W +- (R9 280X uses more).

There is no point at this dificulty level to use gpus to mine, you should buy asics.

If you live in europe this shop has good prices www.sinosigma-europe.com, if you live in us or asia use alibaba sinosigma store.

Regards,

Marcos.

Is the same.
Take what you can get it first  ;D

+1 to this. I've been trying to find any decent GPU cards to mine but they are sold-out everywhere. Any suggestions where I could find one? (well, not the 290x ones, they are still too expensive.)

You guys think 3x Sapphire Radeon R9 280X, 3072MB, Toxic is a good deal for 289euro pp? Except for the power consumption ofcourse, but does this make a huge difference in the end?

Also.. does it matter which pci-e riser I use? Eg 16x 16x / 1x 16x/ etc From I understand it is recommended to have one with a molex..

Sapphire Vapor-X R9 280X - 3 GB GDDR5

I keep hearing this...

I have six of these mining Alt coins and all are undervolted -20%...

They average 730kh/s and run 24/7.

+1 to Asus 280x DC2T
This card 3 slot size and have great cooling system. Undervolted it's very quiet, which is great if you like me don't have room dedicated for mining hardware.

280x, ofc no reference, with 2x coolers.

@Vection Nothing stays confusing permanently however the SAPPHIRE HD 7950 or Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X are both of them very cheap.

I would suggest to buy R9 280X if you want to go with GPU mining.

I have 7950s and even 280Xs.. and I would recomend 7950..
Why? It gives almost same hashrate (650 7950 VS 730 for 280X), but I can have 3 7950 on 750W PSU.. but only 2 280X on 750 W PSU.. also 280X are damn hot! so it is problem to cool them.. (7950 are running around 60, 280 aroun 80 degrees..)
maybe only selling afterwards would be 1 small point for 280X.. othervise 7950 are kings

The temperature indeed gets hot, but the speed is higher mine consistently reach 760 khs each.

I would have to say 7950 because it was best bang for your buck but now that's it's freaking rare the price went up... better off with 280x

Why not a 290x?  :D

I have 5 x XFX 7950's, getting around 650 KHash per card, they run insanely hot, but the power draw isn't horrible.

kind of wish I would've sprung for the 280x, I'm addicted to hashes..

Go with what you can afford, either card requires a lot of tweaking to get to its full potential, don't expect to start hashing at what the forums say you'll get.

Heat difference is huge go with the 280x and like everyone else is saying it will be much easier to sell.

@CoinPN Sure anyone could not to choose this choice anyways looks like a socratic questioning.

Thanks for all the replies guys..

Another question..

I'm going for the GIGABYTE GV-R928XOC-3GD (280x), I'll need risers for those. Will a Powered PCI-E  x1 To x16 Cable Riser be sufficient, or do I need x16 > x16? Is there a difference? I've read somewhere that it doesn't matter for mining.

280x (rebadged 7970)

Older GPU= faster ammortisation. You will have problems selling it to gamers in 1,5 yeares. Newbie thoughts.
Happy New Year!

280x is "rebranded 7970" ,280x better that 7950 , but look for less price kH/$
i think best kh/$ own 7850