Rig Build Advice

[MrBoing]

Hey Fellow Coinfreaks,

I'm trying to see whether I can re-configure my existing PC to make better use for it and start some mining to see what I can 'Dig Up'

So basically I'm running an ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe with an Intel 2.4Ghz Core2Duo E6600 and an ATI X1950 XTX for de greffixx..

Powered by Antec TrueControl v2.0 550 Watt inside a Antec P180 Super Mid Tower.

Bought this gear in 2008 and haven't really upgraded, so..... yeah- not much to work with I know.
After looking at my options over the last few days, it seems like I might be able to get away with running two ATI 5850's without changing anything. Ideally I would like to be able to to run two 6990s in there but I think they would blow the PSU.

Do you get good results if you combine cards? say if I installed a 6990 with another card like the 5850?

Cheers

[1713908777]

1713908777

[gzup]

My rig currently consists of a 6990 and a few 5770s and their hash rates haven't affected each other.

You would be correct in upgrading your PSU as just running a single 6990 can eat up ~440w by itself depending on how much you OC. Also be sure to check out this pro worksheet that BkkCoins put together (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=41111.0) while planning your approach to mining.

Good luck bro.

[Bitcraft]

What motherboard do you have? How many pci-e slots do you have? you can probably get away with adding more cards using pci-e x1 extenders.

[DiaperedDynamo]

You're up against hardcore miners and the difficulty is going to spike again sometime soon. It's not profitable to mine right now, you'd be better off buying. Seriously, search for bitcoin mining rigs on youtube and you'll see what you're up against.

[fluxlite]

For mining purposes, it doesn't matter which series of cards you mix (compared with crossfire, in which you must use the same series of card).

You should be able to run two 5850s with that PSU, but certainly not two 6990s. CPU and ram can be almost anything - it doesn't affect hashrates.

Many will tell you not to bother, but to me (and to many others) mining is a hobby, though I think it's fair to say that those of us mining with big hashrates typically paid their hardware costs off a long time ago.

[DeaDTerra]

I have 2x5850 on  their way to me from a auction site i bought them used for a pretty cheap sum 130 USD. Gone put them in a old computer and just add a couple of fans to keep it cool

[MrBoing]

Cheers for the advice guys, especially fluxlite!

I might find myself a pair of 5850's for casual mining a couple of days a week. I'm not expecting to bring in huge dollars, just a way to create bitcoin at a decent rate without forking out thousands and turning my house in a giant GPU Hive.

Also who knows what the deal with the ATI 7 series is? It could be in my best bet to bide my time and wait to see whats coming our way..

[BTC guy]

Dont wait. Get yourself a few 5830 / 5850 and stat earning now.