Building a mining computer

[thehulkk]

Thanks to everyone that has helped me. I decided to go with the radeon 7950 cards instead of the 7970.  It saves me $200 and with a difference of  0.02Mh/s/$ lower. I made my calculations with the 7970's I can hash up to 1400Mh/s if oc, with the whole system price of $1100 gives me 1.29Mh/s/$ spent. With the 7950's I can hash up to 1200Mh/s oc, with a price of about $930 for the whole system it gives me  1.27Mh/s/$ spent. So it's not a big difference it saves about $200 dollar.  I will use ubuntu 12.04 LTS on a 16 GB thumb drive I already own.

I changed my mind, I will use milk crates, it looks pretty easy to do after reading some guides. Also swiched from msi 970 mobo, to asrock 970 and switched saphire vapor x to xfx.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/thehulkk/saved/1wd1

CPU: AMD Sempron 145 2.8GHz Single-Core Processor  ($35.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($28.87 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Encore ENUWI-1XN42 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($9.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 720W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $752.77

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[FlappySocks]

A lot of money for a "broke college student"!!

With ASIC's coming online soon, you will never get your investment back.

[dogie]

Finally I can post here.  I've decided to build my own mining rig, and for about $800 I included everything I needed with the best graphics card for mining radeon 7970.  I would like some constructive criticism on how can I improve this build for better mining. This is  right in my  budget, but I could expend up to $900. I am going to use Ubuntu instead of windows.

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 270 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 12g Thermal Paste  ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card  ($413.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case  ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Raidmax 630W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($62.13 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $781.01

Dont bother with an aftermarket heatsink, you're spending $34 to cool a $55 CPU -_- just use the stock, this cpu won't be mine loading at more than 7W.
Get rid of the AS5, more waste.
Cheaper hard drive unless you already have it
Cheaper wireless, must be one
If you're going 1 GPU then you can drop down to literally 450W PSU
Optical drive, why? I don't even have one [plugged in] on my main tower.

Consider swapping down to 2x7950s, 1000MH rather than 600 and more price efficient.

A lot of money for a "broke college student"!!

With ASIC's coming online soon, you will never get your investment back.

There is a difference between having money in hand and owning that money. For example if you were -$1m in the whole and I gave you a $2m loan, you'd have $1m to hand but still owe $2m.

[thehulkk]

A lot of money for a "broke college student"!!

With ASIC's coming online soon, you will never get your investment back.

lol I'm hoping to get my investment back so I had to empty my savings.

[thehulkk]

Dont bother with an aftermarket heatsink, you're spending $34 to cool a $55 CPU -_- just use the stock, this cpu won't be mine loading at more than 7W.
Get rid of the AS5, more waste.
Cheaper hard drive unless you already have it
Cheaper wireless, must be one
If you're going 1 GPU then you can drop down to literally 450W PSU
Optical drive, why? I don't even have one [plugged in] on my main tower.

Consider swapping down to 2x7950s, 1000MH rather than 600 and more price efficient.

Thanks for the advice, I'll update my list.

[thehulkk]

This is my update to the list using pcpartpicker.com I might have to ask a friend to invest with me.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/thehulkk/saved/1wd1

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 270 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($53.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($77.88 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($32.97 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 80GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($29.99 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($411.64 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($411.64 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Encore ENUWI-1XN42 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($9.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: CoolMax 700W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1098.05

[thehulkk]

I wonder if the crossfire adapter comes with the graphics card.

[scifimike12]

There is no way in hell that CoolMax PSU will power either of those 7970's.  It's junk.

Crossfire cables do come with the video card but are unnecessary for mining.

[thehulkk]

There is no way in hell that CoolMax PSU will power either of those 7970's.  It's junk.

Crossfire cables do come with the video card but are unnecessary for mining.

Thanks, are you saying this because of the brand or the wattage?

[scifimike12]

Thanks, are you saying this because of the brand or the wattage?

Brand.  CoolMax uses the utmost lowest quality components in their PSUs.

I'd recommend checking out Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, Antec, Rosewill.

[crazyates]

There is no way in hell that CoolMax PSU will power either of those 7970's.  It's junk.

Crossfire cables do come with the video card but are unnecessary for mining.

Thanks, are you saying this because of the brand or the wattage?

The brand. Find a high quality, single-rail PSU. You might spend $60 instead of $30, but it's worth it in the long run.

My brother buys cheap PSUs, and he's on his 5th one in 4 years. I bought a CoolerMaster 1000W and a Seasonic 650W, and never had any issues.

Check out this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139040

[thehulkk]

There is no way in hell that CoolMax PSU will power either of those 7970's.  It's junk.

Crossfire cables do come with the video card but are unnecessary for mining.

Thanks, are you saying this because of the brand or the wattage?

The brand. Find a high quality, single-rail PSU. You might spend $60 instead of $30, but it's worth it in the long run.

My brother buys cheap PSUs, and he's on his 5th one in 4 years. I bought a CoolerMaster 1000W and a Seasonic 650W, and never had any issues.

Check out this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139040

thanks for the advice, what do you think about this one? it looks pretty good, some what more expensive but I get $40 instant savings plus $25 off mail rebate. I'm going to buy this one first before the the deal ends 5/1, then when I have enough money I'll buy the rest of the gear.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171067

[dogie]

I'd still recommend dropping down to 7950s. When price is such an issue they are more efficient per $ per hash. The only reason people do go 7970s is because density is a factor.

Be wary of going such a cheap case in that you will probably have to buy 2 or so 120mms fans.

[thehulkk]

I'd still recommend dropping down to 7950s. When price is such an issue they are more efficient per $ per hash. The only reason people do go 7970s is because density is a factor.

Be wary of going such a cheap case in that you will probably have to buy 2 or so 120mms fans.

Thanks, you are right, I made my calculations with the 7970's I can hash up to 1400Mh/s if oc, with the whole system price of $1100 gives me 1.29Mh/s/$ spent. With the 7950's I can hash up to 1200Mh/s oc, with a price of about $930 for the whole system it gives me  1.27Mh/s/$ spent. So it's not a big difference it saves about $200 dollar, and I added a case with 3 fans.

[thehulkk]

I'm kind of undecided between the gigabyte and saphire vapor x.

[phillyj]

drop the HDD and get an 8gb flash drive to load up linux. Forget the athlon and get a sempron CPU for $30. You can probably find cheaper ram, without all that fancy heatsink stuff. Forget the case and use a milk crate.

You do want to save money, don't you? From the rumors around here, there's no way you can profit nowadays. I'm building for fun; I don't expect much return.

Edit: PSU is important. Get the good ones with single 12V rail.

[ISAWHIM]

I wonder if the crossfire adapter comes with the graphics card.

It isn't needed... unless you are going to "play games" and try to use both cards as "one card"... Even then, it is a wasted connection, unless you have an ultra-HD resolution.

[ISAWHIM]

I'd still recommend dropping down to 7950s. When price is such an issue they are more efficient per $ per hash. The only reason people do go 7970s is because density is a factor.

Be wary of going such a cheap case in that you will probably have to buy 2 or so 120mms fans.

Thanks, you are right, I made my calculations with the 7970's I can hash up to 1400Mh/s if oc, with the whole system price of $1100 gives me 1.29Mh/s/$ spent. With the 7950's I can hash up to 1200Mh/s oc, with a price of about $930 for the whole system it gives me  1.27Mh/s/$ spent. So it's not a big difference it saves about $200 dollar, and I added a case with 3 fans.

OCed, they pull a constant 288W each...

If you can handle linux, go for the USB boot...

If not, get a cheap 32-64 SSD that is older and used... they draw 2-4W running, and 0.2-0.8W idle... unlike a HDD which is closer to 18W-80W...

Also, if you do not have the CPU and MOBO yet... get one for a pentium (T) format chip... EG... Celeron G650T (Not G650)... the (T) = "Low thermal design", thus, 7w-35W idle/operating as opposed to normal chips which are 18w-85W. (Eg, smaller fan for cooling, less power draw, more power to your GPU's)

[thehulkk]

I'd still recommend dropping down to 7950s. When price is such an issue they are more efficient per $ per hash. The only reason people do go 7970s is because density is a factor.

Be wary of going such a cheap case in that you will probably have to buy 2 or so 120mms fans.

Thanks, you are right, I made my calculations with the 7970's I can hash up to 1400Mh/s if oc, with the whole system price of $1100 gives me 1.29Mh/s/$ spent. With the 7950's I can hash up to 1200Mh/s oc, with a price of about $930 for the whole system it gives me  1.27Mh/s/$ spent. So it's not a big difference it saves about $200 dollar, and I added a case with 3 fans.

OCed, they pull a constant 288W each...

If you can handle linux, go for the USB boot...

If not, get a cheap 32-64 SSD that is older and used... they draw 2-4W running, and 0.2-0.8W idle... unlike a HDD which is closer to 18W-80W...

Also, if you do not have the CPU and MOBO yet... get one for a pentium (T) format chip... EG... Celeron G650T (Not G650)... the (T) = "Low thermal design", thus, 7w-35W idle/operating as opposed to normal chips which are 18w-85W. (Eg, smaller fan for cooling, less power draw, more power to your GPU's)

I think I can candle Linux I already have a 16 th flash drive. about trying to use older chip versions, I read they are a bottleneck andlower the hash rate of the cards. I haven't bought the parts yet, I'm gathering the money.

For the person that told me to use a milk create, I'm not sure I'm going to have the time to figure out and build a crate for all the parts. Alsomy wife wouldn't like the sight of it

[crazyates]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171067

Ya that PSU is fine, and should handle 2 GPUs no problem.

Milk crates are great if you're going for absolute cost saving, and you can shove it somewhere out of mind. If you're only mining with 2 GPUs, a PC case should be just fine tho. Remember, it's still going to have to be secluded, as the fan noise can be pretty decent. Your wife won't like the constant humm.

As for Win vs Linux, it doesn't matter as far as hashrate is concerned. I've used both, and they each have their pros and cons, but they're pretty minor, and mostly dealing with remote access issues. As far as the actual mining software and drivers go, they're pretty much exactly the same.