Building a New Rig - ETH

[puprush]

Hello Fellow Forum Members,

I am looking to add a new rig to my farm and I would like to start mining ETH. I am currently 100% Nivdia cards (1070's and 1080ti's), but would entertain AMD cards for this build. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what the best mining card(s) would be for ETH. The budget is not really an issue, I am willing to spend $6k+ (USD) for all the equipment (CPU, MB, Power supply, So on).

The list of hardware that I know I will buy:
- EVGA PSU - Platinum ( Watt depends on needs)
- 120 GB SSD - Micron
- 4 GB ram (Would it help to get more?)
- Bio Star MB
- Pentium / equivalent


Thank you for any advice you can share!


Edit -- Spelling

[wacko]

Either 570s, or 580s, or vegas — depending on the prices you can get them at. RX 570 are probably the most efficient for ETH in terms of $/Hash/Watt.

[eleceng1979]

1. How many gpu per mb are you planning?  EVGA's largest psu's will limit you...  i would suggest server psu's if your serious.  I run a single 2400w with 7 nvidia + 2 amd on win 10 without it breaking a sweat.  No dual psu crap, but requires 240v power.  If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.
2. 570 & 580 in that order.  Stupid deals lately...570 4gb for $199 usd after rebate.  4gb is a short sighted purchase but I don't usually mine eth.  I just bought 4 more to max out my rig...check newegg.Com
3.  #1 dictates your mb.  I am on h110 pro btc+ and rock solid out of the box.
4. IMHO Vegas are power hungry but are getting better with recent mods...but $$$

My setup...
H110 pro btc+, I run 8gb memory, m.2 ssd and decent celeron cpu.  I use a 250w pico psu and a 10 port Pwm fan controller.  All cables are pcie 6 pin from server breakout to all devices, no molex or sata shit.  Risers are v008s with 6 pin pcie power.  7 x 1070ftw, (4 x rx570 on the way), 1 x rx470, 1 x rx480.  All on spotswood extruded aluminum frame.  Total cost about $3800 by adding up in my head.  Mostly used stuff from eBay and newegg fire sales.

My advice...
Get 8gb memory for mb... run a m.2 for faster virtual memory, i run a 30Gb swap file and the m.2 does help...get something better than G3950 cpu...buy new cards, used is more than new...buy good cards with no less than 2 yr warranty.  Rx480 is great, rx580 is less efficient, rx570 offers good performance with less power and price.  I will not buy a 580 and my 480 reference card lays down some good numbers but fools on ebay are paying $250+ for a 480 when you can buy a 570/580 for $200/220 new?  Wtf?

[RealSwissMiner]

If prices continue to rise across the board we will have another huge nethash increase wave similar to june this year mainly due to ETH price splking
In August the daily income was basically down 50% compared to 1 month earlier

Topic: RX 570 for various reasons!

[puprush]

1. How many gpu per mb are you planning?  EVGA's largest psu's will limit you...  i would suggest server psu's if your serious.  I run a single 2400w with 7 nvidia + 2 amd on win 10 without it breaking a sweat.  No dual psu crap, but requires 240v power.  If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.
2. 570 & 580 in that order.  Stupid deals lately...570 4gb for $199 usd after rebate.  4gb is a short sighted purchase but I don't usually mine eth.  I just bought 4 more to max out my rig...check newegg.Com
3.  #1 dictates your mb.  I am on h110 pro btc+ and rock solid out of the box.
4. IMHO Vegas are power hungry but are getting better with recent mods...but $$$

My setup...
H110 pro btc+, I run 8gb memory, m.2 ssd and decent celeron cpu.  I use a 250w pico psu and a 10 port Pwm fan controller.  All cables are pcie 6 pin from server breakout to all devices, no molex or sata shit.  Risers are v008s with 6 pin pcie power.  7 x 1070ftw, (4 x rx570 on the way), 1 x rx470, 1 x rx480.  All on spotswood extruded aluminum frame.  Total cost about $3800 by adding up in my head.  Mostly used stuff from eBay and newegg fire sales.

My advice...
Get 8gb memory for mb... run a m.2 for faster virtual memory, i run a 30Gb swap file and the m.2 does help...get something better than G3950 cpu...buy new cards, used is more than new...buy good cards with no less than 2 yr warranty.  Rx480 is great, rx580 is less efficient, rx570 offers good performance with less power and price.  I will not buy a 580 and my 480 reference card lays down some good numbers but fools on ebay are paying $250+ for a 480 when you can buy a 570/580 for $200/220 new?  Wtf?

I would like to avoid Vega's if I can. I planned on using one of the 1200 Watt EVGA platinum, with 6 GPUS.

I am currently running 1080ti's on a few rigs with a similar setup as above and there is no power issues, I always under clock to about 70% power for stability.

I will look at the the 580's.

[dadesu]

If you want to go on amd because of lower price go to sapphire rx 580 nitro+ (must be+) because very good cooling and quality.
In past sapphire have problems with cards but last one are very good for mining.
But I will always pay little more for nvidia 1070 cards, very durable, especialy gainward phenix and palit jetstream.

[eleceng1979]

Maybe you should see some detailed specs on the rx series cards... some non reference 580 cards can see as high as 220-240 watts of total draw.  No less than 150 at the pcie power plug and another 50 at the slot/riser.  This obviously assumes you run at full boogie.  I feel your 1200W  psu leaves no room for the mb, cpu and mistakes.

Do not underestimate ethereum dual mining.  There are significant surges during mining, especially when intensity values are at the ragged ege or just plain too high.  The cards will tdp limit, pull clock, release limit, rebound clock to setpoint and repeat.  Under severe situations they will drop usage to 0% and back to 100%.  My experience is that the tdp hammering is noticeable and cause current spikes on the psu's.

If you do not undervolt + reduce power limits severly you will have problems IMHO.  Such a severe underpower will cripple mining hash.  Many use 1200's for 6...I am stating facts and experience.  I had 3 rx series on a good 750w psu surge up/down enough to trip the overcurrent protection and shutdown the whole system due to my stupidity and shit dual claymore settings.  In the process the hot gpu's were sizzling and popping like bacon as the thermal paste and pads started boiling/melting.  If I wasn't there to save the day all cards would have been lost.

Reference power is 150+50=200, non ref = up to 240.  Suppose you pull down the power 25%.  Now your at 150 or 180.  X6=900 or 1080.  Add at least 50 for the cpu, another 50 for the mb...now your at 1000 or 1180.  Factor in surges and at least another 10% for safety margin and you are well shy of the requirements.  Yes I know there is 1200w on the 12v rail alone, save the lecture...  I am simply doing simple math to stress my point.

Don't take my word for it.  Read the power draw from these test jockeys rig slap together using a shit cpu that cant handle the job and using risers with sata connections on the power hungry rx series.  All that is missing is the magic smoke and insurance claim.  1020w at the wall with dual 750's and moderate power savings applied.  I do like their hash rate though...

http://1stminingrig.com/amd-sapphire-nitro-rx-580-8gb-limited-edition-mining-rig-tutorial-190-mhs/

Ps...power limit reduction doesn't equal stability, only power consumption and indirectly temperature/lifespan.  I guess one could argue temperature and instability...but we're splitting hairs here.  70% tdp shouldn't be a requirement for a stable system.  I can run all 1070's at 112% all day long if I wish...it's stupid but totally stable there.  Amd is no different.  I frequently go from economy mode to kill mode when I see huge market surges or new coin offerings at low difficulty...

[g3rr01]

If prices continue to rise across the board we will have another huge nethash increase wave similar to june this year mainly due to ETH price splking
In August the daily income was basically down 50% compared to 1 month earlier

Topic: RX 570 for various reasons!

are the 570 even reach the same speed as 580? are they even future proof at 4gb?

[eleceng1979]

Do your own dag size calculations...  4gb will be useful until initial roi or a market crash.

Of course 570 speeds are a bit slower..  Its more complicated than speed...

Stock 570 / basic mod 570 ethereum hash
22 /27 mh  115w/135w @ the pcie plug. 5.22w/mh / 5w/mh

Stock 580 / basic mod 580 ethereum hash
24 /29 mh  136w/153w @ the pcie plug.  5.66w/mh / 5.27w/mh

Oh and the 570's are cheaper too!

Any other algo's the 4gb argument is invalid.  Not to mention in some circumstances the 570 shines even more...  if you are setting up a rig for ethereum you might want to broaden your horizons.  I have been making money elsewhere on my amd's.  I design and build for all coins and mine the most profitable, even if that means buying used ebay 4gb cards from ignorant people to do so.

[jmigdlc99]

1. How many gpu per mb are you planning?  EVGA's largest psu's will limit you...  i would suggest server psu's if your serious.  I run a single 2400w with 7 nvidia + 2 amd on win 10 without it breaking a sweat.  No dual psu crap, but requires 240v power.  If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.
2. 570 & 580 in that order.  Stupid deals lately...570 4gb for $199 usd after rebate.  4gb is a short sighted purchase but I don't usually mine eth.  I just bought 4 more to max out my rig...check newegg.Com
3.  #1 dictates your mb.  I am on h110 pro btc+ and rock solid out of the box.
4. IMHO Vegas are power hungry but are getting better with recent mods...but $$$

My setup...
H110 pro btc+, I run 8gb memory, m.2 ssd and decent celeron cpu.  I use a 250w pico psu and a 10 port Pwm fan controller.  All cables are pcie 6 pin from server breakout to all devices, no molex or sata shit.  Risers are v008s with 6 pin pcie power.  7 x 1070ftw, (4 x rx570 on the way), 1 x rx470, 1 x rx480.  All on spotswood extruded aluminum frame.  Total cost about $3800 by adding up in my head.  Mostly used stuff from eBay and newegg fire sales.

My advice...
Get 8gb memory for mb... run a m.2 for faster virtual memory, i run a 30Gb swap file and the m.2 does help...get something better than G3950 cpu...buy new cards, used is more than new...buy good cards with no less than 2 yr warranty.  Rx480 is great, rx580 is less efficient, rx570 offers good performance with less power and price.  I will not buy a 580 and my 480 reference card lays down some good numbers but fools on ebay are paying $250+ for a 480 when you can buy a 570/580 for $200/220 new?  Wtf?

Quoted post is great advice. Thats exactly how I would build more rigs myself. However, i'd opine that RX VEGAs are extremely efficient and profitable right now mining electroneum/monero and with the power play registry edits (1950+ H/s on 130watts). But if you want to strictly stick to ETH then the cards mentioned are fine.



Just one question, when you say:

If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.

Do you mean better power efficiency? If so, how do you configure PSUs to run at 240v? At stock they run at 220v right?
Would love to know more.

[wacko]

Just one question, when you say:

If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.

Do you mean better power efficiency? If so, how do you configure PSUs to run at 240v? At stock they run at 220v right?
Would love to know more.

He's probably from US, where they have 110V. And since PSUs are more efficient at 220+V, they sometimes use some extra hardware to get higher voltage than they're supplied with. We've got 220V in Europe straight from our outlets, so we just plug our PSUs in. But most decent PSUs can run off anything in between 100V and 240V. I suppose if you're going to "mod" you power to get higher voltage, you might as well go all the way up and make it 240V.

[eleceng1979]

Most auto switch the voltage input.  We are talking about euro 240v --> neutral and usa 120/240 split phase.  In usa it is 120 +120 + ground, no neutral...much like a dryer.
National Electric Code (nec) states a continous load shall be derated to 80% of breaker ampacity.  So your 20 amp breaker is now 16 amps.  120 wiring nets you only 1920 watts continous max.  240 nets you 3840 watts, over the same 2 wires, no neutral, same wire size but needs an additional breaker.  120 is for lights, 240+ is for equipment.  This is why my new pole barn / mining expansion has a 400A 3 phase panel...  shhhh...don't tell the irs...  anybody wanna colo?

Straight from EVGA manuals...I just grabbed random psu manuals from their support site...


The SuperNOVA Gold series has outstanding electrical performance with ultra stable voltage and extremely clean
power output. This can help you achieve the highest possible overclock (optional) and provide the most stable and
reliable power to all components. The SuperNOVA Gold series also provides up to 90% (115VAC) / 92% (220VAC~
240VAC) efficiency and is 80 PLUS GOLD certified.

The SuperNOVA PLATINUM series has outstanding electrical performance with ultra stable voltage and
extremely clean power output. This can help you achieve the highest possible overclock (optional) and provide
the most stable and reliable power to all components. The SuperNOVA PLATINUM series also has high efficiency
greater than 92% (115V) / 94% (220VAC~240VAC) and is 80 PLUS PLATINUM certified.

Almost every major psu has this built in, so their models for europe amd usa are the same.  Higher incoming voltages = less losses due to IR drop.  Resistance is fixed by the psu, incoming current is dictated by the incoming voltage.  So more volts = less amps and less losses on a given load.  Any questions?

Ps yes I'm from the usa for reference...

[puprush]

Just one question, when you say:

If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.

Do you mean better power efficiency? If so, how do you configure PSUs to run at 240v? At stock they run at 220v right?
Would love to know more.

He's probably from US, where they have 110V. And since PSUs are more efficient at 220+V, they sometimes use some extra hardware to get higher voltage than they're supplied with. We've got 220V in Europe straight from our outlets, so we just plug our PSUs in. But most decent PSUs can run off anything in between 100V and 240V. I suppose if you're going to "mod" you power to get higher voltage, you might as well go all the way up and make it 240V.

Hi there -- Yes I am from the USA :-).

If the new AMD series is working at 200+ Watts, I will just stick with 1080tis and mine something else and buy the ETH. I was hoping that they would be more efficient to mine but it seems that might have been the wrong thought.

For the total system, I cant get everything else running at 75 Watts total (MB, HD, Ram, Processor) and I am just cloning my current hard drives to make life easier.

I do disable onboard Audio / Wifi (if MB has it) and anything else I might not need. All rigs are open air, so cooling is not an issue (plus we are in winter here and this will be stored in the garage, which is +10F from outside normally and this am when I woke up it was 25F outside).

[Mister1k]

Either 570s, or 580s, or vegas — depending on the prices you can get them at. RX 570 are probably the most efficient for ETH in terms of $/Hash/Watt.

570 is the most of the people choosy cards to start mining. Since the Gpu is more profitable in altcoin mining now many people are directly going to mine the ethereum or monero since the profit rate is more than you can find in the bitcoin mining.
Hash power would be more than expected in these cards others would not give more hash powers to start the mining process.

[QuintLeo]

Just one question, when you say:

If you are serious run your atx at 240v.  Better efficiencies no matter the brand.

Do you mean better power efficiency? If so, how do you configure PSUs to run at 240v? At stock they run at 220v right?
Would love to know more.

 220 and 240 are generally used interchangeably when talking about US power - the "nominal" value for US split-phase is 117/234 volts, but ACTUAL voltage at the outlet varies widely even excluding "brownout" conditions.

 Vega is a VERY good and efficient Monero (XMR) miner, it's only so-so at best directly mining ETH (more than twice the cost and ballpark twice the power draw of the RX 470/480/570/580 cards for well UNDER twice the hashrate).
 Since AMD RX 5xx cards have dropped semi-sorta-close to MSRP level pricing in the last couple weeks, there is no reason to even LOOK at anything else on ETH mining (unless you can get a REAL GOOD deal on a used R9 290/290x or the like).


 Gold-rated power supplies in general offer ballpark 2% higher efficiency when run from 220 instead of 110 - the exact amount varies a bit depending on the load ON the PS and the specific PS, but at 50% plus load values 2% is a good "ballpark" figure for all of them.