ETH mining rig. Buy or Build?

[A.Delaney]

Starting from scratch with no computer or computer building experience. Is there an off the shelf desktop that would work decent for ETH mining or would you still research and build one?

[wilhb81]

That's a good question.

It depends on your own will and intention. If you're too lazy to build your own mining rig and just want to get into ETH mining faster - go with the first choice; If you're looking to gain more experience building up your own mining rig - then the latter choice would be the ideal one.

So, what's your own decision?   

[A.Delaney]

Build!!!!

Can you still use the built rig like a normal desktop to log onto other websites to check trading accounts, print pages, and run my S7 for bitcoin?

[Undefined31415]

Starting from scratch with no computer or computer building experience. Is there an off the shelf desktop that would work decent for ETH mining or would you still research and build one?

Very few "off-the-shelf" desktops would work well for ETH mining, simply because most consumer desktops don't have the number of graphics cards that you'd want. (Graphics cards are what do the actual ETH mining, everything else in the system mostly play supporting roles, albeit necessary ones.)

You could attempt to purchase a "prebuilt" rig from another miner or former miner, but do note that the miner selling it to you would probably list it at a price greater than what they consider are the potential earnings. (Perhaps they're even mining using their rig while it's listed for sale, only intending to down the rig and accept the one-time payment if the price is higher than they expect to make over the effective lifetime of the rig.)

You could also purchase a prebuilt desktop (typically a cheap used one) that has the ability to accept several graphics cards, then buy a supplementary power supply (more graphics cards = higher power requirements), and essentially just use the prebuilt system as a host for your cards. This isn't an uncommon practice.


However, learning the build a PC in general is a good skill to have. The main additional bits for mining-specific systems are [usually] extra graphics cards, beefier/more power supplies, PCIe risers, unconventional enclosures/frames, and perhaps more troubleshooting.

Also note that you need to be the judge as to whether or not this venture is somehow worth it to you, either as a learning experience or for profit. If you do not have low/free electricity (or electricity costs that are independent of use), you'd better do your research. (Even with free power, there are no guarantees here.)

[Emoclaw]

You should definitely learn and build it yourself. There isn't any decent mining rig that is pre-built and even if there is, it's probably too expensive and you could get the same for less, or better for the same money.
It's already getting less profitable. You want to go with the most cost-effective choice there is even if it forces you to learn something new.
Keep in mind that mining rigs require additional research along with PC building but is generally a very fun thing and you should definitely do it.

[CjMapope]

BUILD man, plus dont keep ETH in mind, it will be done PoW before most cards will ROI if bought today if you only mine ETH :/
building SEEMS hard off the bat, and it can have headaches, but you learn the skills REAL quick, unlike other things, i find the "learning curve" on building PCs (or "rigs") from scratch to be MUCH lower than other skills, once you are rollin you learn quick.
Most prebuilts are for sale as they are ROI for the owners + 10 month ROI prices, fuk that, buy NEW and do your OWN ROI imo
Good Luck!

[Mikaelxiong]

Build your own rig or find someone you know and trust to help you build it.  There's a lot of #youtube clips that show you how to do it.  I like the fact that I know where all my components came from and new and unused.  It's almost like buying a used car... you risk the chance of getting a #lemon

[Za1n]

Although I think it is a bad time to get into building rigs right now (you probably would be better off buying ETH directly while its down), I do agree that if you are going to do it anyway it is better to build it yourself. While the temptation may be there to buy a ready built and pre-configured rig, you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage on both component selection and knowledge to troubleshoot the rig should problems arise down the road (which they eventually will).

By researching the build process, selecting and purchasing the components, assembling the mining rig, and the configuration of both the system and mining software, you will be in a much better position to support the rig yourself versus simply buying it and plugging it in. While for the most part when properly setup they are reliable, issues do arise from time to time and it is best to know how to handle it yourself than having to call the person who built your rig.

[matthewtherry]

Building a rig is easy. Just take a video about how to do it yourself. You have a couple of videos on youtube.

[valr]

I would advise against mining right now, instead invest in your favorite altcoins/BTC.

But if you do want to go ahead with mining, go with building your own one. There are enough videos and tutorials to help you with building a mining rig. If you buy a rig, you are just helping the sellers make easy money for literally very little effort.

[A.Delaney]

Well if nothing else maybe I will just build one anyway. I need a new desktop either way so if i'm going to build one. I might as well be able to mine with it.

[biletskiy]

Naturally building your own mining rig is better. Yes, it will take your time, but soon you will start getting more and more.

Here you can watch how to do everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWVyutw3hZk

and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YMxGGXme8g

[dx_twisted]

You'll save a lot if you will just build your own rig rather than buying it. As per my experience, it only took me a month just to build my own rig and I was so eager to built it at that time. You know, that was my first time and really excited about it though. Also, keep in mind that you will do it for fun and what's not to lose with gaining some experience, right?

Another thing is that, before buying or building your own rig, you have to make calculations first, like expenses your profitability and most important is how long will you ROI.

[A.Delaney]

After watching those videos it does look pretty straight forward. I’ll have start researching the best parts.

[Undefined31415]

After watching those videos it does look pretty straight forward. I’ll have start researching the best parts.

Since you mentioned that you might be interested in also having a general use PC, you might want some modifications to typical mining-specific builds:

Budget/low-power CPU
Motherboard with many PCIe slots, often a mining-specific board, but they definitely don't have to be.
Minimal amount of RAM (4GB is typical, 2 is *usually* okay for a dedicated mining rig)

At least one PSU (never skimp on quality here, stick with power supplies that have their guts made by reputable OEMs, such as Seasonic, SuperFlower, FSP, etc.) Units with their guts manufactured by mid-tier OEMs (such as Channel Well and HEC) are usually okay, but not as reputable. Stay away from ones mostly unheard of. You can use multiple power supplies, but keep in mind that balancing the load nicely isn't always easy, depending on your system configuration. Additionally, you do create another point of failure; if either unit fails, your entire system may experience downtime until you fix it, depending on which PSU fails.

Boot device: Flash drives are fine for a dedicated mining rig, small SSDs are usually nicer. I just use whatever I already have (old 80GB HDDs, flash drives, unused SSDs)

Graphics cards, up to you. Balance price:performance (hashrate/$), efficiency with electricity (hashes/joule), and rig density (max hashrate you can get out of one set of a motherboard/CPU/RAM/etc.).

For your rig to also double as a general-use desktop, you may want a higher-end CPU, 8GB+ RAM, and a larger SSD or HDD. Don't forget to have some kind of frame or enclosure planned, since most standard desktop cases will not accommodate more than 3 graphics cards, and that's with a very poor cooling situation. For a single rig, DIY open-frame builds are usually the best way to go, but it depends on your needs. (Do you have inquisitive pets/children? Is noise a problem? Etc.)

[mostcrack]

After watching those videos it does look pretty straight forward. I’ll have start researching the best parts.

Since you mentioned that you might be interested in also having a general use PC, you might want some modifications to typical mining-specific builds:

Budget/low-power CPU
Motherboard with many PCIe slots, often a mining-specific board, but they definitely don't have to be.
Minimal amount of RAM (4GB is typical, 2 is *usually* okay for a dedicated mining rig)

At least one PSU (never skimp on quality here, stick with power supplies that have their guts made by reputable OEMs, such as Seasonic, SuperFlower, FSP, etc.) Units with their guts manufactured by mid-tier OEMs (such as Channel Well and HEC) are usually okay, but not as reputable. Stay away from ones mostly unheard of. You can use multiple power supplies, but keep in mind that balancing the load nicely isn't always easy, depending on your system configuration. Additionally, you do create another point of failure; if either unit fails, your entire system may experience downtime until you fix it, depending on which PSU fails.

Boot device: Flash drives are fine for a dedicated mining rig, small SSDs are usually nicer. I just use whatever I already have (old 80GB HDDs, flash drives, unused SSDs)

Graphics cards, up to you. Balance price:performance (hashrate/$), efficiency with electricity (hashes/joule), and rig density (max hashrate you can get out of one set of a motherboard/CPU/RAM/etc.).

For your rig to also double as a general-use desktop, you may want a higher-end CPU, 8GB+ RAM, and a larger SSD or HDD. Don't forget to have some kind of frame or enclosure planned, since most standard desktop cases will not accommodate more than 3 graphics cards, and that's with a very poor cooling situation. For a single rig, DIY open-frame builds are usually the best way to go, but it depends on your needs. (Do you have inquisitive pets/children? Is noise a problem? Etc.)

I want to ask how much capital is needed? whether to build the rig you suggest will be profitable? Thank you in advance

[Undefined31415]

After watching those videos it does look pretty straight forward. I’ll have start researching the best parts.

Since you mentioned that you might be interested in also having a general use PC, you might want some modifications to typical mining-specific builds:

Budget/low-power CPU
Motherboard with many PCIe slots, often a mining-specific board, but they definitely don't have to be.
Minimal amount of RAM (4GB is typical, 2 is *usually* okay for a dedicated mining rig)

At least one PSU (never skimp on quality here, stick with power supplies that have their guts made by reputable OEMs, such as Seasonic, SuperFlower, FSP, etc.) Units with their guts manufactured by mid-tier OEMs (such as Channel Well and HEC) are usually okay, but not as reputable. Stay away from ones mostly unheard of. You can use multiple power supplies, but keep in mind that balancing the load nicely isn't always easy, depending on your system configuration. Additionally, you do create another point of failure; if either unit fails, your entire system may experience downtime until you fix it, depending on which PSU fails.

Boot device: Flash drives are fine for a dedicated mining rig, small SSDs are usually nicer. I just use whatever I already have (old 80GB HDDs, flash drives, unused SSDs)

Graphics cards, up to you. Balance price:performance (hashrate/$), efficiency with electricity (hashes/joule), and rig density (max hashrate you can get out of one set of a motherboard/CPU/RAM/etc.).

For your rig to also double as a general-use desktop, you may want a higher-end CPU, 8GB+ RAM, and a larger SSD or HDD. Don't forget to have some kind of frame or enclosure planned, since most standard desktop cases will not accommodate more than 3 graphics cards, and that's with a very poor cooling situation. For a single rig, DIY open-frame builds are usually the best way to go, but it depends on your needs. (Do you have inquisitive pets/children? Is noise a problem? Etc.)

I want to ask how much capital is needed? whether to build the rig you suggest will be profitable? Thank you in advance

Everybody wants to know those things, but they are situation-specific. Capital is the simplest to predict, all you need to know is what hardware you want to purchase (and how big you wish to go), and how much those components cost at the time you wish to purchase them.

The second question, on profitability, is extremely difficult to predict. If you have negligible electricity costs or electricity costs that are independent of use, AND you can reasonably assume that, after a few months, you could resell your hardware for close to the price at which you bought in, AND you can reasonably assume that the cryptocurrency you choose to hold will not crash significantly, then you will most likely profit.

As you have likely read already, mining is not a guaranteed get-rich quick scheme. Mining difficulty, exchange rates, etc. are all varying wildly. The best you can do is assess your power costs, expected initial investment, your confidence in certain cryptos, etc. and then reach your own conclusion.

The general advice for a profit-oriented rig is to avoid spending unnecessarily on components that do not contribute directly to your hashrate. (Choose a cheap CPU, minimal RAM, etc.) (And having a quality PSU is almost always considered a necessary expense.)

For example, if you built an entire rig from scratch only to host one 1060, it will be rather difficult for that one card to pay off the entire costs of the other components, since that overhead cost is so far out of proportion to the ability of actual mining device to produce revenue. If you build an entire rig from scratch to host, say, 6x 1060, then you are getting a superior rig density, and should have a better chance at paying back the cost of your graphics cards, and the base components, save for the additional risers and PSUs required. (I.e. minimize the proportion of funds spent on non-mining components wherever possible without sacrificing functionality.)

Note that the OP expressed a desire to have a general-use desktop, and not a dedicated mining rig, so it's not purely $-oriented, since the expectation is that the OP would benefit from having that desktop system, in addition to being able to mine.

[A.Delaney]

After watching those videos it does look pretty straight forward. I’ll have start researching the best parts.

Since you mentioned that you might be interested in also having a general use PC, you might want some modifications to typical mining-specific builds:

Budget/low-power CPU
Motherboard with many PCIe slots, often a mining-specific board, but they definitely don't have to be.
Minimal amount of RAM (4GB is typical, 2 is *usually* okay for a dedicated mining rig)

At least one PSU (never skimp on quality here, stick with power supplies that have their guts made by reputable OEMs, such as Seasonic, SuperFlower, FSP, etc.) Units with their guts manufactured by mid-tier OEMs (such as Channel Well and HEC) are usually okay, but not as reputable. Stay away from ones mostly unheard of. You can use multiple power supplies, but keep in mind that balancing the load nicely isn't always easy, depending on your system configuration. Additionally, you do create another point of failure; if either unit fails, your entire system may experience downtime until you fix it, depending on which PSU fails.

Boot device: Flash drives are fine for a dedicated mining rig, small SSDs are usually nicer. I just use whatever I already have (old 80GB HDDs, flash drives, unused SSDs)

Graphics cards, up to you. Balance price:performance (hashrate/$), efficiency with electricity (hashes/joule), and rig density (max hashrate you can get out of one set of a motherboard/CPU/RAM/etc.).

For your rig to also double as a general-use desktop, you may want a higher-end CPU, 8GB+ RAM, and a larger SSD or HDD. Don't forget to have some kind of frame or enclosure planned, since most standard desktop cases will not accommodate more than 3 graphics cards, and that's with a very poor cooling situation. For a single rig, DIY open-frame builds are usually the best way to go, but it depends on your needs. (Do you have inquisitive pets/children? Is noise a problem? Etc.)

Very informative post. Thank you. I’m sure I’ll go a little over board but that’s just how I do things.  I do have a dog. She wouldn’t bother it though. She mostly lays around. I was thinking 1070’s for the gpu’s and I thought about designing my own frame. I own machining equipment so I shouldn’t have a problem making it. I’d have to figure out the noise part. My wife probably won’t want to listen to it all the time if it’s loud. I’ll just locate it in a different part of the house. Hopefully it’s not too bad. Time to start making a list.

[m.vina]

You can easily be an open air mining rig with minimal to no noise. Basically the loudest component will be the PSU. To beat that just get a high rated platinum PSU, those usually are quiet as hell.

Anyway let me cast my vote for BUILD! You're in this (mining) for profits. Why waste money by letting someone build it for you when you can easily do so. You can even watch youtube videos on how to build one.

[A.Delaney]

https://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-Platinum-Certified-SNOW-SILENT-1050/dp/B00Q6CAZ4M/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1509902427&sr=1-1&keywords=seasonic+power+supply&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6906988011

Is this the psu that your are referring too? Snow silent?