Happy New Years! Seventh alt coin thread!

[philipma1957]

I'm hoping you veteran miners can help this humble Jr. member out... what is the typical cause of a multicolored/snowy line scrolling up the display just before the GPU blacks out for a moment, only for the display to return to normal for a random period of time? VRAM memory errors or what?

This is with a single Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080 that is currently set with MSI AB to: 85% PL, +50 core (hovering right around 1800), +200 mem (steady at 4714). Temperature is also fairly steady at 65-67C. I am doing a head-to-head comparison between NiceHash and Nemosminer/MiningPoolHub and I am experiencing zero errors with the EVGA GTX 1080 FE that NiceHash is using while this Asus is starting to worry me.

EDIT - screen was repeatedly blanking out and on a lark I tried switching from HDMI to DP (it was either that or use TeamViewer)... So far so good, but I am posting this edit specifically to jinx it.

First go into MSI AB  set the polling for monitor from 1000 to 15000  this uses less resources.
Do you allow nicehash to switch algo's  don't  just tick zec on that card.  See what that does.

If it works you are done.  If problem still happens

Drop

  tdp to 75%

your core and memory are low so they should not be a problem.

[MagicSmoker]

I'm hoping you veteran miners can help this humble Jr. member out... what is the typical cause of a multicolored/snowy line scrolling up the display just before the GPU blacks out for a moment, only for the display to return to normal for a random period of time? VRAM memory errors or what?

This is with a single Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080 that is currently set with MSI AB to: 85% PL, +50 core (hovering right around 1800), +200 mem (steady at 4714). Temperature is also fairly steady at 65-67C. I am doing a head-to-head comparison between NiceHash and Nemosminer/MiningPoolHub and I am experiencing zero errors with the EVGA GTX 1080 FE that NiceHash is using while this Asus is starting to worry me.

EDIT - screen was repeatedly blanking out and on a lark I tried switching from HDMI to DP (it was either that or use TeamViewer)... So far so good, but I am posting this edit specifically to jinx it.

First go into MSI AB  set the polling for monitor from 1000 to 15000  this uses less resources.
Do you allow nicehash to switch algo's  don't  just tick zec on that card.  See what that does.

If it works you are done.  If problem still happens

Drop

  tdp to 75%

your core and memory are low so they should not be a problem.

When I tried to open up MSI AB to change the polling time as you suggested it was responding with glacial slowness, only to be followed by Windoze telling me what I already knew: that the program was taking too long to respond. Well, duh... So I force closed MSI AB, opened it back up and it seems to be responding normally now. The polling time was set to 500ms (!) so I changed it to 10000 - 20x longer - and it's been running okay for about 15 minutes now.

Oh, and I did go through the algos that NiceHash uses and changed quite a few of them; it seemed to check everything by default, and I didn't want it doing any dual-mining, keccak or cryptonight (using a GTX 1080 on Cryptonight is a crying shame, I feel).

EDIT/UPDATE - the previously cranky computer has been running fine for several hours now so I decided to conduct a little experiment and switched back over to HDMI and the artifacts/black-outs returned. So it's either the HDMI port or the cable itself that is bad, but increasing the polling time in MSI has improved desktop responsiveness so the earlier suggestion was a good one.

[molivil]

I would like to thank all of you for your valuable input over the years on this megathread. It's been great reading some of your inventive ideas and comments on hardware and altcoins, and it's been interesting reading the back and forth discussion about Pro's of ASICs and GPU's as times have changed. And your experiences on what has worked out, and what hasn't.

I first got interested in GPU mining around when the April 2017 gold rush hit, so I'm fairly new on the scene. I've built a few GPU miners (5 so far) and used different ways to deploy low-cost mining gear. I've followed this megathread, BBT, and several other mining related channels. I also appreciate you Voskcoin for all your hard work, great videos and your approach on low-cost ROI and rapid deployment ideas, starting with Phil's three card builds and going on to the 13 card ROI-monster builds. Phil has indeed been an inspiration to many of us. I would like to contribute my own experience and success story regarding some pre-built computers I've used.

A while ago Phil tried a refurb PC miner, and thanks to his efforts, I was motivated enough to look into it myself, since I'm also prioritizing ROI, rapid deployment and small initial investments. Finding the right model was a challenge though, as with limited documentation there is always the risk that the feature set of proprietary computers don't align with the requirements of mining. I figured that I'd experiment anyway. I started looking for commonly available cheap PC's, emphasizing quantity of PCIe slots and lowest price. I went through many models from Dell, Lenovo and HP.

In the end, and after weeks of deliberation, I settled with the HP Z210 CMT workstation PC. One reason is that they're pretty cheap and common on eBay, and I see them go anywhere from $90 to $150 shipped to contiguous US.

What I like about them is that they come with almost everything needed.
- CPU Intel Core 2nd Gen (Core i3-2120, Core i5-2500 or Xeon)
- RAM: 4GB or 8 GB
- Hard disk: 320GB - 500GB
- OS: Major refurbishers sell it with a licensed OEM copy of Windows 10 x64
- 5 PCI-e slots ready to go (two of them are full size PCI-e x16 slots)
- 400W power supply with one PCI-e 6-pin power. Base system power usage at idle 40 watts.

So, I buy the base system for $90, then buy a 2nd power supply for maybe $55. I also buy a $5 ADD2PSU board, 5 risers $6 each, and mount the risers on a piece of picket fence from Lowe's at $4 each. Total system cost minus GPU's is around $195.

At the time of writing I have two HP Z210 based PC's mining away for a couple of months and have had zero issues so far. Each one has five GTX 1060's connected with Molex style risers. One GPU is powered by the HP Z210 itself, and the rest are powered by the 2nd PSU with 4x PCIe power and 4x Molex connectors for the risers.

All my miners are running Windows (w/Teamviewer). Choosing to go with HP Z210 CMT I get most of everything included, so I don't really need to build cases or buy components. I don't usually buy the operating system either as it comes preinstalled.

The only problem I've run into so far is that the HP's mobo isn't compatible with standard power supplies. You'll have to run it with the included PSU. Seems like the HP's ATX mobo electrical interface is proprietary, even though the connector is the same. This is why I chose ADD2PSU instead of using a daisychaining cable to power the second PSU just in case the pinout happens to be different.

So in short;

Pros:
- Cheap. Common workstation PC's at the end of their useful lifecycle, so businesses recycle or sell to refurbishers.
- I like the idea of being able to buy a computer and just hook up the GPU's and extra power supply and start mining.
- No parts sourcing and hardware troubleshooting (also a con, see below)
- Usually no OS installation is required (if you're OK with Windows)
- Rapid deployment saves time (and time is money, right?
- Comes with one PCIe 6-pin power built-in so beginners can start mining right away.
- BIOS includes option to power-on computer after sudden power loss. Also schedule options available

Cons:
- I'm robbed from the joy of being able to build the system myself!
- Some proprietary stuff, like the non-standard ATX-motherboard power interface
- Power supply itself has a non-standard mount.
- Harder to find compatible replacement parts.
- Must use two power supplies.
- Must use risers.
- Only 5 PCI-e slots, as opposed to 6 or more with proper mining mobos

Gotchas:
- When buying the Z210, you're going to want to make sure it is the CMT model ("Convertible MiniTower") and not the Z210 SFF ("Small Form-Factor") version. Only CMT has all 5 PCIe slots. I believe SFF only has 3 PCIe slots. https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-z210-convertible-minitower-workstation/5053199/document/c02794602

P.S. Sorry for the long post. I just felt like I had a lot to share. Thanks

[philipma1957]

I would like to thank all of you for your valuable input over the years on this megathread. It's been great reading some of your inventive ideas and comments on hardware and altcoins, and it's been interesting reading the back and forth discussion about Pro's of ASICs and GPU's as times have changed. And your experiences on what has worked out, and what hasn't.

I first got interested in GPU mining around when the April 2017 gold rush hit, so I'm fairly new on the scene. I've built a few GPU miners (5 so far) and used different ways to deploy low-cost mining gear. I've followed this megathread, BBT, and several other mining related channels. I also appreciate you Voskcoin for all your hard work, great videos and your approach on low-cost ROI and rapid deployment ideas, starting with Phil's three card builds and going on to the 13 card ROI-monster builds. Phil has indeed been an inspiration to many of us. I would like to contribute my own experience and success story regarding some pre-built computers I've used.

A while ago Phil tried a refurb PC miner, and thanks to his efforts, I was motivated enough to look into it myself, since I'm also prioritizing ROI, rapid deployment and small initial investments. Finding the right model was a challenge though, as with limited documentation there is always the risk that the feature set of proprietary computers don't align with the requirements of mining. I figured that I'd experiment anyway. I started looking for commonly available cheap PC's, emphasizing quantity of PCIe slots and lowest price. I went through many models from Dell, Lenovo and HP.

In the end, and after weeks of deliberation, I settled with the HP Z210 CMT workstation PC. One reason is that they're pretty cheap and common on eBay, and I see them go anywhere from $90 to $150 shipped to contiguous US.

What I like about them is that they come with almost everything needed.
- CPU Intel Core 2nd Gen (Core i3-2120, Core i5-2500 or Xeon)
- RAM: 4GB or 8 GB
- Hard disk: 320GB - 500GB
- OS: Major refurbishers sell it with a licensed OEM copy of Windows 10 x64
- 5 PCI-e slots ready to go (two of them are full size PCI-e x16 slots)
- 400W power supply with one PCI-e 6-pin power. Base system power usage at idle 40 watts.

So, I buy the base system for $90, then buy a 2nd power supply for maybe $55. I also buy a $5 ADD2PSU board, 5 risers $6 each, and mount the risers on a piece of picket fence from Lowe's at $4 each. Total system cost minus GPU's is around $195.

At the time of writing I have two HP Z210 based PC's mining away for a couple of months and have had zero issues so far. Each one has five GTX 1060's connected with Molex style risers. One GPU is powered by the HP Z210 itself, and the rest are powered by the 2nd PSU with 4x PCIe power and 4x Molex connectors for the risers.

All my miners are running Windows (w/Teamviewer). Choosing to go with HP Z210 CMT I get most of everything included, so I don't really need to build cases or buy components. I don't usually buy the operating system either as it comes preinstalled.

The only problem I've run into so far is that the HP's mobo isn't compatible with standard power supplies. You'll have to run it with the included PSU. Seems like the ATX mobo electrical interface is proprietary, even though the connector is the same. This is why I chose ADD2PSU instead of using a daisychaining cable to power the second PSU.

So in short;

Pros:
- Cheap. Common workstation PC's at the end of their useful lifecycle, so businesses recycle or sell to refurbishers.
- I like the idea of being able to buy a computer and just hook up the GPU's and extra power supply and start mining.
- No parts sourcing and hardware troubleshooting (also a con, see below)
- Usually no OS installation is required (if you're OK with Windows)
- Rapid deployment saves time (and time is money, right?
- Comes with one PCIe 6-pin power built-in so beginners can start mining right away.
- BIOS includes option to power-on computer after sudden power loss. Also schedule options available

Cons:
- I'm robbed from the joy of being able to build the system myself!
- Some proprietary stuff, like the non-standard ATX-motherboard power interface
- Power supply itself has a non-standard mount.
- Harder to find compatible replacement parts.
- Must use two power supplies.
- Must use risers.
- Only 5 PCI-e slots, as opposed to 6 or more with proper mining mobos

Gotchas:
- When buying the Z210, you're going to want to make sure it is the CMT model ("Convertible MiniTower") and not the Z210 SFF ("Small Form-Factor") version. Only CMT has all 5 PCIe slots. I believe SFF only has 3 PCIe slots. https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-z210-convertible-minitower-workstation/5053199/document/c02794602

P.S. Sorry for the long post. I just felt like I had a lot to share. Thanks

One of my z220 sff came a very good Xeon CPU but 3 slots as you said.

It is really good for running moonlander usb sticks or sidehack 2 pac

[QuintLeo]

Anyone got a bent GPU before? Thinking of returning it as I don't want a GPU that will be hard to sell.

Here's a pic of it. MSI RX 580
https://imgur.com/JX1409e

 That didn't break or at least crack the PC board?
 Amazing.

[philipma1957]

Anyone got a bent GPU before? Thinking of returning it as I don't want a GPU that will be hard to sell.

Here's a pic of it. MSI RX 580
https://imgur.com/JX1409e

 That didn't break or at least crack the PC board?
 Amazing.

Never seen that much bend pretty cool if it works.  But I would rma it.

[VyprBTC]

Good lawd - yes - RMA that bad boy

[philipma1957]

--server equihash.usa.nicehash.com --user 3HP8JBimhSyEiXDMsxtHXb6ArRDaPwESDw.Joe --pass x --pec --port 3357

\
\

pj1415

[Mattdk]

No cracks on the PC board and it still worked. Plugged it in for 12 hours and on 1150/2150 with stock bios it was a doing amazing at 31.5 Mh/s on ethereum. I ended up returning it to the store as it wouldn't fit in a computer case with such a bend.

[Storx]

Hey Everyone, been busy with life recently so ive not had a real chance to come on here much, plus i was kinda licking my wounds on the whole Bitconnect thing and stepped away from crypto for a few weeks... granted i technically didnt loose any money, because i withdrew more than my initial amount, but i had a nice little nest egg built up in that system and had done a new loan of 30k+ 2 days prior to the site shutting down and exiting.......

So....been just letting the newer rigs just do what they do best working out some kinks i had with my watercooling system and actually redesigned it compared to the origional way i was going about things.. I had 2 industrial inline waterpumps fail on me in the first month of running the watercooling system due to the bushings around the shafts getting to tight and causing resistance on the motor to overcome, leading to excess motor temps, now im running some submergable pumps in hopes of longer life out of them, if these end up failing im planning to switch to externally driven waterpumps that a friend of mine recommened... basically pulley driven chevy automotive waterpump.......

I have really come to a standstill with my mining setup due to the lack of GPU's available at reasonable prices... curious what all of yall been involved with...... Im only up to 47 GPU's at the moment, wishing i could get more around MSRP pricing... , My rigs have been super super stable with the new watercooling setup, the ability to maintain temps on all the cards within +/-3 degrees has allowed them to produce more overall hash power and less buggy lockups and restarts that i had prior to going watercooling. Currently i have 100% of my entire mining rigs running on watercooling.

 

[RealSwissMiner]

Pricing is crazy right now. I bought my last 1070 Ti right after xmas for 499 bucks each and they are now priced over 600 and mostly unavailable. The last RX 570 I bought during black friday sales for 219 bucks now they are 340+ and mostly unavailable.
The only upside is that the difficulty won’t increase since there is an obvious shortage.
The RX Vegas really killed all Cryptonight coins the difficulty is insane

[Daaaveee]

I'm just keeping my eyes peeled for good second hand deals at the moment. New prices here in the UK are just too high on what little stock there is!

I'm only on 12 GPUs now so small fry compared to you guys. The recent dip in BTC also came at a bad time as I was looking to cash out 0.2 BTC of earnings, but I guess I don't need the money and as there are no cards to buy, HODL it is!

Just feeling like we're stuck in limbo at the moment, with crypto taking a dip and cards being out of stock. Looking forward to Volta.

[MagicSmoker]

I only managed to amass 9 cards before prices went completely nuts, and haven't even bothered trying to buy more in the last couple of weeks. Instead I've been kicking around the idea of getting some used server blades and setting them up for cryptonight, or maybe some bare, single PCIe-x16 slot Ryzen mobos for the same (single GPU slot should make it much less desirable for mining, methinks).

[KaydenC]

It's still possible to get 1080tis for $800 or lower on Amazon but you must be really fast, like within 30s of seeing the email alert and have 1 click buy ready. They still restock 2-3 times a day, limit 3 cards per order.

[philipma1957]

I purchased 2 sli 1080 ti gaming rigs  for

2327 each

and 196 in coupon off

2131  for a complete 2 card  1080ti gaming rig  is good.

Now I have to hope it ships  when it is supposed to.

and the sale ended as I tried to get more with a friends account.

[Venon]

I am  fully riser free.. Thanks to my Seller Sidonia on aliababa .

I am running 6 slot and 8 slot boards with zero risers.

Hi!
Do you prefer server PSU for 6-slot riserless? I've ordered M06 (integrated CPU) from Letine but now I am unsure what PSU should I buy for it, cause the M06 have lot's of MOLEX and SATA connectors onboard.

I like Corsair rm1000i. Refurbished from Corsair website.

But if you plan on using nvidia and smos

Set tdp to pull under 750 watts.

That would be 6 1070 at 100 to 120 watts.

I have a few Corsair Ax1200i refurbished. The warranty is one year. Two out of four died at 18 months point.

[philipma1957]

I am  fully riser free.. Thanks to my Seller Sidonia on aliababa .

I am running 6 slot and 8 slot boards with zero risers.

Hi!
Do you prefer server PSU for 6-slot riserless? I've ordered M06 (integrated CPU) from Letine but now I am unsure what PSU should I buy for it, cause the M06 have lot's of MOLEX and SATA connectors onboard.

I like Corsair rm1000i. Refurbished from Corsair website.

But if you plan on using nvidia and smos

Set tdp to pull under 750 watts.

That would be 6 1070 at 100 to 120 watts.

I have a few Corsair Ax1200i refurbished. The warranty is one year. Two out of four died at 18 months point.

well  here is the deal  most atx die too soon


 you can pay for  the rm1000x

 http://www.corsair.com/en-us/rmx-series-rm1000x-1000-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-fully-modular-psu-na-refurbished  140 usd   knowing it dies at year 2

or
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/rmx-series-rm1000x-1000-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-fully-modular-psu   new 190  knowing it dies at year 2 and it gets replaced


both will die  running at 800dc   900ac at the wall

so up front  I am 50 bucks ahead and it pays off in under a year.


Also notice the new one is sold out.


ATX  can't do 80% dc    7/24/365

for more then 2 or 3 years.

Seasonic
EVGA
Corsair
Fractal
Rosewill

all die off and I don't push the shit out of them.

Pretty disappointed in them all.  As none of the 1000 watt plus really last  at 80% dc

[timeshifter]

Hey Everyone, been busy with life recently so ive not had a real chance to come on here much, plus i was kinda licking my wounds on the whole Bitconnect thing and stepped away from crypto for a few weeks... granted i technically didnt loose any money, because i withdrew more than my initial amount, but i had a nice little nest egg built up in that system and had done a new loan of 30k+ 2 days prior to the site shutting down and exiting.......

So....been just letting the newer rigs just do what they do best working out some kinks i had with my watercooling system and actually redesigned it compared to the origional way i was going about things.. I had 2 industrial inline waterpumps fail on me in the first month of running the watercooling system due to the bushings around the shafts getting to tight and causing resistance on the motor to overcome, leading to excess motor temps, now im running some submergable pumps in hopes of longer life out of them, if these end up failing im planning to switch to externally driven waterpumps that a friend of mine recommened... basically pulley driven chevy automotive waterpump.......

I have really come to a standstill with my mining setup due to the lack of GPU's available at reasonable prices... curious what all of yall been involved with...... Im only up to 47 GPU's at the moment, wishing i could get more around MSRP pricing... , My rigs have been super super stable with the new watercooling setup, the ability to maintain temps on all the cards within +/-3 degrees has allowed them to produce more overall hash power and less buggy lockups and restarts that i had prior to going watercooling. Currently i have 100% of my entire mining rigs running on watercooling.

 

I'd love to hear more about your water cooling setup.  Have you posted details elsewhere already?  Care to share some?  Thanks!!

[timeshifter]

I have 4 rigs now and would like to put all four screens on one.  I'm not talking about a KVM where I switch between full screens on each, I want to be able to see all 4 screens in a matrix.

Found one of these on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Multi-Viewer-different-JTECH-MV41/dp/B078KJY78J/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1517352289&sr=8-12&keywords=J-Tech+Digital+HDMI+4x1+1080P

It's only $139 and seems like it might do the job, but I haven't ever used anything like this or am familiar with these products.  Have used plenty of KVMs.

Oh, and for mouse and keyboard I already have Synergy
https://symless.com/synergy

That will let me use one mouse and keyboard and roll it across all 4 screens on the 4x4 matrix on a single monitor.

Is that HDMI multi-viewer a good one or is there a better unit or idea??

[Moondoggie]

I have 4 rigs now and would like to put all four screens on one.  I'm not talking about a KVM where I switch between full screens on each, I want to be able to see all 4 screens in a matrix.

Found one of these on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Multi-Viewer-different-JTECH-MV41/dp/B078KJY78J/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1517352289&sr=8-12&keywords=J-Tech+Digital+HDMI+4x1+1080P

It's only $139 and seems like it might do the job, but I haven't ever used anything like this or am familiar with these products.  Have used plenty of KVMs.

Oh, and for mouse and keyboard I already have Synergy
https://symless.com/synergy

That will let me use one mouse and keyboard and roll it across all 4 screens on the 4x4 matrix on a single monitor.

Is that HDMI multi-viewer a good one or is there a better unit or idea??

Looks pretty good! Let us know how it works out.