Building a mining computer

[phillyj]

 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.

It's not an older chip. These are the new Celeron procs he is refering to. The G550 and such. I think they use the Sandy Bridge structure. But it's your choice, go with AMD Sempron or the Intel Celeron G5xx or G4xx procs. These are cheaper and use less power.

There's a sale on Newegg for cheap Crucial 4gb ram. Sale ends on the 29th. $28, I think

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148539&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Wow, I got 8gb ram last year for $30...Should have stocked up

[thehulkk]

 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.

It's not an older chip. These are the new Celeron procs he is refering to. The G550 and such. I think they use the Sandy Bridge structure. But it's your choice, go with AMD Sempron or the Intel Celeron G5xx or G4xx procs. These are cheaper and use less power.

There's a sale on Newegg for cheap Crucial 4gb ram. Sale ends on the 29th. $28, I think

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148539&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Wow, I got 8gb ram last year for $30...Should have stocked up

Thanks for the clarification, let me take advantage of that sale. I'm going to update the list with the new parts.

[thehulkk]

I did find the intel celeron g550t not the g650t google shopping. They are more expensive than amd chips

[thehulkk]

I think this is the cheapest I can go so far without using used parts or going diy. Prices vary from day to day, hopefull downward. There are some parts on sale so I have take advantage of those before the sales end.

CPU: AMD Sempron 145 2.8GHz Single-Core Processor  ($35.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.37 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($322.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($322.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Encore ENUWI-1XN42 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($9.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 720W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $914.26

[thehulkk]

Since I'm going to use a USB, I'm not sure which one should I use  Lubuntu or Xubuntu?

[dogie]

Since I'm going to use a USB, I'm not sure which one should I use  Lubuntu or Xubuntu?

Depends how confident you are with Linux. After a lot of messing, it would have been far more price efficient for my time just to buy a $15 hard drive [which I did.]

[thehulkk]

Since I'm going to use a USB, I'm not sure which one should I use  Lubuntu or Xubuntu?

Depends how confident you are with Linux. After a lot of messing, it would have been far more price efficient for my time just to buy a $15 hard drive [which I did.]

I think I'm intermediate with Linux, Ubuntu in particular, I've been using it for about 9  years, usually I'm very good finding solutions and following directions.

[phillyj]

I think I'm intermediate with Linux, Ubuntu in particular, I've been using it for about 9  years, usually I'm very good finding solutions and following directions.

I'm trying to get xubuntu working. Here is an initial guide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gw7YPYgMgNNU42skibULbJJUx_suP_CpjSEdSi8_z9U/edit?pli=1#

I suggest you join ubuntuforums.com and read up. You'll also have to get that USB Wifi adapter working, and it might be a pain depending on the company/model.

[thehulkk]

I think I'm intermediate with Linux, Ubuntu in particular, I've been using it for about 9  years, usually I'm very good finding solutions and following directions.

I'm trying to get xubuntu working. Here is an initial guide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gw7YPYgMgNNU42skibULbJJUx_suP_CpjSEdSi8_z9U/edit?pli=1#

I suggest you join ubuntuforums.com and read up. You'll also have to get that USB Wifi adapter working, and it might be a pain depending on the company/model.

Thanks for the advice, I think I had that bookmarked somewhere. I think going Linux saves me about $200, because I don't have to buy a hard drive or a Windows copy. I do enjoy a challenge once in a while.   

[dogie]

I think I'm intermediate with Linux, Ubuntu in particular, I've been using it for about 9  years, usually I'm very good finding solutions and following directions.

I'm trying to get xubuntu working. Here is an initial guide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gw7YPYgMgNNU42skibULbJJUx_suP_CpjSEdSi8_z9U/edit?pli=1#

I suggest you join ubuntuforums.com and read up. You'll also have to get that USB Wifi adapter working, and it might be a pain depending on the company/model.

Thanks for the advice, I think I had that bookmarked somewhere. I think going Linux saves me about $200, because I don't have to buy a hard drive or a Windows copy. I do enjoy a challenge once in a while.   

Refurbished hard drives literally cost $15-20 off ebay, not sure about US pricing but in the UK they're dirt cheap. And windows can be err, you know....

[thehulkk]

I think I'm intermediate with Linux, Ubuntu in particular, I've been using it for about 9  years, usually I'm very good finding solutions and following directions.

I'm trying to get xubuntu working. Here is an initial guide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gw7YPYgMgNNU42skibULbJJUx_suP_CpjSEdSi8_z9U/edit?pli=1#

I suggest you join ubuntuforums.com and read up. You'll also have to get that USB Wifi adapter working, and it might be a pain depending on the company/model.

Thanks for the advice, I think I had that bookmarked somewhere. I think going Linux saves me about $200, because I don't have to buy a hard drive or a Windows copy. I do enjoy a challenge once in a while.   

Refurbished hard drives literally cost $15-20 off ebay, not sure about US pricing but in the UK they're dirt cheap. And windows can be err, you know....

I used to download a lot of "err" files through torrents or p2p, until my ip started sending me warning letters to stop, until they cutoff my internet. So now I just try to do everything legit.

[grue]

I used to download a lot of "err" files through torrents or p2p, until my ip started sending me warning letters to stop, until they cutoff my internet. So now I just try to do everything legit.

find some digitalriver windows 7 ISO links.

[thehulkk]

I changed my mind about using milk crates, after reading some guides, it seems pretty easy and straight forward to build plus it saves me money not having to buy a case. Also switched from saphire vapor x to xfx cards which have a better price. Also switched the msi 970 mobo to asrock 970.

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

[bitcoiner49er]

I changed my mind about using milk crates, after reading some guides, it seems pretty easy and straight forward to build plus it saves me money not having to buy a case. Also switched from saphire vapor x to xfx cards which have a better price. Also switched the msi 970 mobo to asrock 970.

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

XFX are not well received.  (And they have lower resell value.)

I would recommend the following, but also note that you might not recoup your investment. You can always sell the cards to gamers for $200 each, but BTC is gonna get more and more cost prohibitive. LTC? Not sure yet.

Anyways:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278065 Sapphire 2x 7950 Combo $640
Less with $20 rebate, and selling the game codes that come with for $30-40 each = $510
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138373 Biostar MOBO w/ 8GB RAM = $62
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103888 Sempron 145 = $38
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151107 Seasonic 750W = $80 with code SEPSU20, ends 5/1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180074&Tpk=Encore%20ENUWI-1XN42&IsVirtualParent=1 Encore Wireless = $10

TOTAL= $830 - ($20 rebate, $90 for AMD games) = $720

[thehulkk]

@bitcoinger thanks for the list. What i'm going to do is buy both the saphire vapor x, but one of them will be bought by a relative, so I can get both discounts and games decreasing the value by $200.  I rather keep the mobo I selected, it has more pci conections just in case i want to add more cards to it later on.