Will this setup work for my first mining rig? (Diagram included)

[philfromqueens]

Will this rig of 10 gpus work as I have envisioned it? I am planning on plugging it into a standard US wall outlet. I assume its 15A so that would be about 1500-1600W. I want to get two 850W PSUs with 6 pcie connections and 6 peripheral connections. I would hook up one card to each of the pcie slots and run a molex cable to power two risers from each periph slot. each riser would be plugged into the motherboard via usb obviously. I would have 6 cases fans to start with (will add more if space permits) and they will be connected to the motherboard via splitters. The two psus will use an adapter to hook up to the atx board.

 i have some questions, assuming this set up is good to go.

1.Will this board support 10 gpus? I accidentally bought the b250 mining expert for 19 cards but that board can only do 7 nvidia cards at most. are there any such restrictions for this board?
2.the risers draw power from the psus, so do I have to add them to my estimates for power draw? every guide I have read so far says that I only need to calculate the wattage per gpu and add 150 for the fans, cpu and ram.
3.Can I plug the two wall socket plugs into a surge protector so that they only use one wall socket? or should each go into their own plugs on the wall socket?
4. Is it worth buying a used psu (like an evga g2) since the warranty isn't really covered for the second owner? I feel like having the 10 year warranty is a big plus.

[WhyMe]

2*850w psu is overkill for 900w of gpu !
just buy less power models and take some good dual pcie cables if it's your point.

I'm running 12 RX 570 on a Fintech without any problem. Don't know about Nvidia.

[philfromqueens]

2*850w psu is overkill for 900w of gpu !
just buy less power models and take some good dual pcie cables if it's your point.

I'm running 12 RX 570 on a Fintech without any problem. Don't know about Nvidia.

I was just buying this psu model because it had 6vga/6perif connections whereas smaller models only had 4/4. I was going under the assumption that each gpu needed a dedicated 8 pin pcie cable coming directly from the psu.

[deadsix]

1.Will this board support 10 gpus? I accidentally bought the b250 mining expert for 19 cards but that board can only do 7 nvidia cards at most. are there any such restrictions for this board?

The B250 supports upto 13 GPU's of ANY kind, what error are you getting when you use more than 7?

2.the risers draw power from the psus, so do I have to add them to my estimates for power draw? every guide I have read so far says that I only need to calculate the wattage per gpu and add 150 for the fans, cpu and ram.

Yes and no. The risers do draw power, but that is a part of the GPU power draw, so if a GPU is rated at 90 wats, its drawing a part of it - lets say 70w - from the PCIe 6/8 pin connector and the rest - 20w - from the PCIe slot itself - in this case the riser.

3.Can I plug the two wall socket plugs into a surge protector so that they only use one wall socket? or should each go into their own plugs on the wall socket?

You can, and I prefer doing that for multi PSU systems, but make sure you get a high quality surge protector, rated at atleast 10a per socket.

[philfromqueens]

The B250 supports upto 13 GPU's of ANY kind, what error are you getting when you use more than 7?

I haven't received it yet actually, just ordered it a couple days ago but I was looking over the manual and this is the page where I got the info from.  

Yes and no. The risers do draw power, but that is a part of the GPU power draw, so if a GPU is rated at 90 wats, its drawing a part of it - lets say 70w - from the PCIe 6/8 pin connector and the rest - 20w - from the PCIe slot itself - in this case the riser.

Thanks for clearing it up! That's reassuring.

[philfromqueens]

Another question I have now: Is it worth buying a used psu (like an evga g2) since the warranty isn't really covered for the second owner? I feel like having the 10 year warranty is a big plus.

[huntingthesnark]

Another question I have now: Is it worth buying a used psu (like an evga g2) since the warranty isn't really covered for the second owner? I feel like having the 10 year warranty is a big plus.

True, but some will give you a receipt, which will give you the warranty. Also about upfront cost - you'll get G2s (even T2's) for a third of their new value on feebay. THere is a risk, but...

[Wotan Wipeout]

When you are a newbie, you shouldnt start with a 10 GPU Setup.
My advise is to get a 6 GPU Mainboard and start with 1 PSU and 6 GPUs.

[Lunga Chung]

Honestly 8xGPU setup is a sweet spot, mixed with server PSU or LC1650 mining edition

[Wotan Wipeout]

+1 Mr. Chung.
This is a nice and not expensive PSU.

[philfromqueens]

When you are a newbie, you shouldnt start with a 10 GPU Setup.
My advise is to get a 6 GPU Mainboard and start with 1 PSU and 6 GPUs.

I plan on starting with 6 1660ti at first. Try it out and see how it works. I hope to add more gpus later if my blueprint is theoretically sound. Of course if something comes up during the upgrading process I can always buy a second mobo and use the other psu to make a second 6 gpu rig if the 10-12 gpu rig doesn't work out.

[philfromqueens]

Honestly 8xGPU setup is a sweet spot, mixed with server PSU or LC1650 mining edition

I had heard about server psus but the entire breaker board thing really turned me off. Seemed pretty confusing to me.

What are the cons of the lc1650? Seems to good to be true. Does it not have a warranty? Do they sell it in America? Will it burn my house down?

[DreamBlob]

Honestly 8xGPU setup is a sweet spot, mixed with server PSU or LC1650 mining edition

I had heard about server psus but the entire breaker board thing really turned me off. Seemed pretty confusing to me.

What are the cons of the lc1650? Seems to good to be true. Does it not have a warranty? Do they sell it in America? Will it burn my house down?

Server PSUs are pretty easy to use, you need a breakout board and cables you attach the board to the end of the server PSU and just connect the rest up as you would a normal PSU, the only downside is that server PSUs are much louder than standard desktop ones like the EVGA you were looking at.

[philipma1957]

Dude I am Phil from Queens😀

Born in far rockaway.
Grew up in Ozone Park

Got my degree from Queens college.


Back to your post.  Try six GPUs to start.

Do no go server route.

Buy extra risers as they tank a lot.

I prefer using EVGA or Corsair.

Corsair rm1000x refurbished costs 139.99 I have 5 or 6 of them they run very well

[JaredKaragen]

Dude I am Phil from Queens😀

Born in far rockaway.
Grew up in Ozone Park

Got my degree from Queens college.


Back to your post.  Try six GPUs to start.

Do no go server route.

Buy extra risers as they tank a lot.

I prefer using EVGA or Corsair.

Corsair rm1000x refurbished costs 139.99 I have 5 or 6 of them they run very well

Honestly 8xGPU setup is a sweet spot, mixed with server PSU or LC1650 mining edition

This can't be conveyed more heavily.

When you get dense rigs, it is nice having fewer objects to handle;  but when one goes down, you lose a LOT of hash compared to smaller rigs.    Also;  The semantics of getting the 8+ GPU's to play friendly (usually a mix of AMD/Nvidia)... is too much for someone just starting off.

Extra risers for testing/diagnosis/failure replacements are a must.

Also;  when you are putting these high current draw miners on an electrical circuit;  lets say a 15A circuit;  you want to utilize 80% of that circuit safely if you are planning on having a consistent high load on a single circuit.  That would give you 12A to play with.   Running a 15A circuit at 15A will lead to failure and quite possibly a fire.  Nobody wants that... It may be rated to handle it;  but the wires will heat up, and you never know the quality of wire that was put into your walls a lot of the time.


Running dual PSU machines;  can be tricky, as one PSU usually starts up a little before the other.... sometimes even when they are the same model from the same batch (could be narrowed down to the variance in the current inrush limiter on the PSU giving them different startup times);  So in the event of a power failure, you must be sure they both start up at the same time, or the one that starts up second is the one hooked to the motherboard's ATX+CPU connectors.

Using a modified server PSU is a valid thing;  but It is smartest overall to not deal with any of the mess that could add to your potential problems when you are starting off and figuring things out.

[philfromqueens]

Honestly 8xGPU setup is a sweet spot, mixed with server PSU or LC1650 mining edition

This can't be conveyed more heavily.

When you get dense rigs, it is nice having fewer objects to handle;  but when one goes down, you lose a LOT of hash compared to smaller rigs.    Also;  The semantics of getting the 8+ GPU's to play friendly (usually a mix of AMD/Nvidia)... is too much for someone just starting off.

Extra risers for testing/diagnosis/failure replacements are a must.

Also;  when you are putting these high current draw miners on an electrical circuit;  lets say a 15A circuit;  you want to utilize 80% of that circuit safely if you are planning on having a consistent high load on a single circuit.  That would give you 12A to play with.   Running a 15A circuit at 15A will lead to failure and quite possibly a fire.  Nobody wants that... It may be rated to handle it;  but the wires will heat up, and you never know the quality of wire that was put into your walls a lot of the time.


Running dual PSU machines;  can be tricky, as one PSU usually starts up a little before the other.... sometimes even when they are the same model from the same batch (could be narrowed down to the variance in the current inrush limiter on the PSU giving them different startup times);  So in the event of a power failure, you must be sure they both start up at the same time, or the one that starts up second is the one hooked to the motherboard's ATX+CPU connectors.

Using a modified server PSU is a valid thing;  but It is smartest overall to not deal with any of the mess that could add to your potential problems when you are starting off and figuring things out.

what if i built two rigs with 5/6 1660tis each?  would they be allowed to be on the same circuit or is that too much draw?

[philipma1957]

Honestly 8xGPU setup is a sweet spot, mixed with server PSU or LC1650 mining edition

This can't be conveyed more heavily.

When you get dense rigs, it is nice having fewer objects to handle;  but when one goes down, you lose a LOT of hash compared to smaller rigs.    Also;  The semantics of getting the 8+ GPU's to play friendly (usually a mix of AMD/Nvidia)... is too much for someone just starting off.

Extra risers for testing/diagnosis/failure replacements are a must.

Also;  when you are putting these high current draw miners on an electrical circuit;  lets say a 15A circuit;  you want to utilize 80% of that circuit safely if you are planning on having a consistent high load on a single circuit.  That would give you 12A to play with.   Running a 15A circuit at 15A will lead to failure and quite possibly a fire.  Nobody wants that... It may be rated to handle it;  but the wires will heat up, and you never know the quality of wire that was put into your walls a lot of the time.


Running dual PSU machines;  can be tricky, as one PSU usually starts up a little before the other.... sometimes even when they are the same model from the same batch (could be narrowed down to the variance in the current inrush limiter on the PSU giving them different startup times);  So in the event of a power failure, you must be sure they both start up at the same time, or the one that starts up second is the one hooked to the motherboard's ATX+CPU connectors.

Using a modified server PSU is a valid thing;  but It is smartest overall to not deal with any of the mess that could add to your potential problems when you are starting off and figuring things out.

what if i built two rigs with 5/6 1660tis each?  would they be allowed to be on the same circuit or is that too much draw?

12 amps on a 15 amp circuit if that is all it does.

12 x 110 = 1320 watts

12 x 120 = 1440 watts.

2  five card rigs should work.   Just don't over clock them.

 i have a few 1660ti's and 1660's IO can set them to about 90 watts each so 10 x 90 = 900 add 100 for fans cpu mobo's and you are at 1100 which is under 1320.  here is a link for the rm1000x on

corsair website


https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Certified-Refurbished/Power-Supplies/RMx-Series%E2%80%9A%C3%91%C2%A2-RM1000x-%E2%80%9A%C3%84%C3%AE-1000-Watt-80-PLUS%C2%AC%C3%86-Gold-Certified-Fully-Modular-PSU-%28NA%29-%28Refurbished%29/p/CP-9020094-NA/RF


these work well past the 1 year refurbished warranty if you pull 500 to 650 watts.

here is EVGA refurbished but I do not see a good deal
https://www.evga.com/products/productlist.aspx?type=8

[philfromqueens]

12 amps on a 15 amp circuit if that is all it does.

12 x 110 = 1320 watts

12 x 120 = 1440 watts.

2  five card rigs should work.   Just don't over clock them.

 i have a few 1660ti's and 1660's IO can set them to about 90 watts each so 10 x 90 = 900 add 100 for fans cpu mobo's and you are at 1100 which is under 1320.  here is a link for the rm1000x on

corsair website


https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Certified-Refurbished/Power-Supplies/RMx-Series%E2%80%9A%C3%91%C2%A2-RM1000x-%E2%80%9A%C3%84%C3%AE-1000-Watt-80-PLUS%C2%AC%C3%86-Gold-Certified-Fully-Modular-PSU-%28NA%29-%28Refurbished%29/p/CP-9020094-NA/RF


these work well past the 1 year refurbished warranty if you pull 500 to 650 watts.

here is EVGA refurbished but I do not see a good deal
https://www.evga.com/products/productlist.aspx?type=8

Thanks. That's the math I was using. Just wanted to make sure I have it all planned out correctly before I blow anything up.

Btw I ordered two new  rm1000x’s since they are $160 new. For $20 more get an jnusued psu covered for 10 years.

[philfromqueens]

Ok. I've bought and set up everything.  Can you guys check over what I have and what I plan to do with my rig so that I dont start any fires in my rig or in my apartment. 

Power The breaker in my place has the number 20 on each breaker, so I assume each circuit is rated for 20a.  I have 120V (although the kill-o-watt meter reads 124-125V).  Theoretically such a circuit can support 2400W but I am not trying to start any fires so I based all my calculations on a theoretical limit of 15a x 120v = 1800W.  I will be plugging the rig into a 2 outlet surge protector (https://imgur.com/a/Mwakrf6) plugged into one outlet.  That outlet is on its own circuit with nothing else on the circuit.  There will be two PSUs but there is only one outlet so that is why I got the 2 outlet surge protector. Do I even need a surge protector? Or can I just use a power strip without surge protection?

PSU I got two PSUs, EVGA 1300W G2.  In my first set up I will run 5 GPUs and mobo from one PSU.  But eventually, I would like to run 6 GPUs on each PSU. 

Mobo I bought the Gigabyte B250 Fintech which can support up to 13 GPUs since in my finished setup I would like to run 12 GPUs.  I know people say that running 12 GPUs from a single mobo is a nightmare.  What kind of issues arise?  Is it really that bad?  Nevertheless, if I run into issues running 12 GPUs I can always slap another mobo onto my frame and use the other PSU for it.  (As it is, I have a second mobo already.  I bought the B250 Mining Expert but didn't realize it doesn't support 12 nvidia GPUs).  The Gigabyte B250 Fintech mobo has two molex connections on either side of the pcie slots.  When should I plug a molex cable into those?  After installing 1 GPU? 6 GPU? 10+ GPUs? Do i need to power those pcie connectors if i am using powered risers?

GPUs  I plan on having 12 1660tis.  With 12 running at 90W each, they would all only be consuming 1080W.

Wiring I'm a bit limited by the wires that EVGA provided with the PSUs so I can only wire up 5 GPUs currently.  I have each GPU wired up with a 8 pin PCIe cable.  There were only two molex cables so I have 3 risers powered by those 2 molex cables.  And the 6th VGA cable powers two risers via 6 pin power.  I think I have read that its best to power the risers with six pin cables.  Should I use a molex to 6 pin PCIe converter to power the risers?  Eventually when I add a second row of GPUs I plan on using the VGA cables that have both a 8pin and a 6 pin connection to power a gpu and a riser for another gpu right above it.  Is it ok to use one pcie cable to power a gpu and a riser that isn't connected to that gpu? Also, can i plug a molex cable into the sata port on my psu? I have four sata ports on my evga 1300 psu and only two perif (molex) ports. If i acquire more molex cables will the sata ports provide the same amount of power as the perif ports?

Frame This is the frame my father and I built (https://imgur.com/a/OVEShmm).  It was a pain the ass to plan out and build this thing and took so many hours.  And the materials were like 60-70% the cost of a prebuilt one.  Tbh I will never recommend anyone try and build their own, just buy a prebuilt one. 

Here is the progress I have with 6 GPUs set up (only 5 GPUs plugged in) (https://imgur.com/a/gYy54em).  I haven't turned it on yet because I wanted to make sure everything is fine before I fry anything.

Aynthing that i have done wrong?  Will it cause any electrical issues to either my pc components or the wall circuitry?

[fistsofgod]

use 1 cable per riser. does not matter what type of cable you use to power the riser (molex or sata or 6pin) as long as it has 2 yellow wires. but use 1 PSU connection per riser or use the VGA cable to power riser & GPU. if you need to split the 8pin GPU, buy splitters from ebay, https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-pack-PCI-E-8-pin-to-2x-6-2-pin-Power-Splitter-Cable-PCIE-PCI-Express-5X/142553881213?epid=21005666775&hash=item2130df9a7d:g:X8YAAOSwaj9dAJKX

power supplies are most efficient at 50% DC power draw from your components. so you should make sure each set of GPUs is using 50-60% of your PSU max. thats the safest and most efficient use of the PSU