What do you thing about my first rig setup?

[01BTC10]

I did some research and came with this setup (all prices in CAD):

89$X2 Ati Radeon 6770 -- 450W
89$ ASUS M5A97 AMD970/SB950 ATX AM3+ DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 SATA3 USB3.0 Audio CrossFireX Motherboard
79$ OCZ Elitexstream OCZ1000EXS 1000W 1KW ATX12V 20/24PIN Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black
13$ Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9/1G PC3-10666 1Gb DDR3-1333 CL9 240PIN DIMM Memory Module
10$ USB stick as HDD running headless Ubuntu
Hand made open casing made by myself

I think I can get around ~464 Mh/s with this setup for a total of ~280$
Since the GPU is taking ~450W is it possible to put 2X PSU with the same motherboard and use 4XGPU?

I will also try to find cheap used part and buy only new GPU.

What do you think?

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[DeathAndTaxes]

I doubt 6770 is pulling 225W.  TDP is not a measurement of power consumed.  

A 5970 @ 850/150 and stock voltage pulls <250W. That's for 750MH/s+.

Still it is a good idea to have extra power.  Have enough power to put GPUs in all the slots that way you can expand hashing power by simply adding a new card.

I wouldn't buy a used PSU though.  Unless you have the skill and equipment to test it, too easy to get a unit which is damaged/defective and putting out "unclean" power.  Good clean power is critical for stable mining.

[malevolent]

450W psu for this rig is more than enough, two overclocked 6770s will pull under 250W, I'd buy 5800 series cards if I were you, better MH/$, you can buy all parts used, if it's Radeon 5xxx series then this is the only way.

[01BTC10]

450W psu for this rig is more than enough, two overclocked 6770s will pull under 250W, I'd buy 5800 series cards if I were you, better MH/$, you can buy all parts used, if it's Radeon 5xxx series then this is the only way.

Problem is that 6770 are 89$ for ~197 Mh/s and 5830 are 330$ for ~302 Mh/s.

The price I see on the hardware comparison page are way off for a lot of GPU.

[DeathAndTaxes]

5830 for $100 to $120
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=5830&_sacat=See-All-Categories

[01BTC10]

Thank's! I will try to find used part and buy 5830.

[lakeluke]

try these


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102979

[01BTC10]

Ok here is my updated shopping list:

- Inwin Commander 1200W ATX12V 2.3 EPS 12V 2.91 24PIN ATX SLI Ready Power Supply 140MM Fan http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=61257&promoid=1211
- Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 AMD970 ATX AM3+ DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA3 USB3.0 CrossFireX Motherboard http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=62402&promoid=1360
- AMD Athlon II X3 450 Triple Core Processor AM3 3.2GHZ 1.5MB L2 Cache 95W Retail Box http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=55074
- Kingston ValueRAM 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3-1066 DDR3 CL7 NON-ECC Memory Module http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60305
- Kingston DataTraveler 102 4GB High Speed Flash Drive Neon Green USB2.0 *IR-$3* http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45593
- 3X PCIE X4 to X16 extender
- 2X PCIE X16 extender

~400$ CAN before NCIX pricematch.

I found some used 5830, 5850 and better in my area. I will used 5 GPU and  chose a 1200W PSU. Later I will measure power consumption measure myself so I can adjust for future build. As a bonus I found the 4th core of the AMD CPU can be unlocked.

Should I take PCIE extender with Molex or the standard one are good?
Do you think with this list I covered everything I need to start mining?

[silverbox]

It'll be fine, but you only need 1x extenders for mining.  Maybe get one 16x extender for the 1st card in case you want to hook up a moniter

[DeathAndTaxes]

If this is a dedicated mining rig I would drop it to a Sempron single core.  More cores just mean more wasted wattage.

2GB is enough but 4GB is cheap.  You did he right thing getting a single stick.  Memory consumption is per bank.  So 4GBx1 is less wattage than 2GBx2.

Unless you have free power I would spend a little more (take savings from cheaper CPU) on PSU and get a better brand 80Plus unit.  I would go with Gold but if you can't stomach the cost at least 80Plus-Bronze.

Remember FPGA have higher efficiency already you wan't the most efficient rig possible.  Wasted electricity =  higher operating cost.

[01BTC10]

If this is a dedicated mining rig I would drop it to a Sempron single core.  More cores just mean more wasted wattage.

Thank's that's where I wasn't sure because NCIX don't offer AMD Sempron. I found some for half the price of the AMD Athlon II. Thank's!

I don't really care about power consumption for my first rig. Then with more experience, I will learn to build more efficient unit. Still, I will follow your advice and look for a better PSU. I also need to heat my home about 6-7 month a year so no waste here... I live in the mountains.

[DeathAndTaxes]

Well in that case you might be able to get by with a "lesser" unit.  Still good 80Plus-Gold units often are well built (beefy heatsinks, higher end caps, etc) and come with 5-7 year warranties.  Higher efficiency also means the internal temp of PSU is lower and that means (theoretically) better stability and longevity.  They also tend to hold their value well.  Even used ones sell for good amounts.  Personally (just my opinion) the PSU is the heart of any rig and I don't want to take any changes with the heart.  Power problems can often be subtle and hard to diagnose. 

Still others have had good luck with lesser units.  If you have cheap power and/or using power for heat it is less important.  I have moderately priced power and long hot summers.  80Plus-Gold Seasonic units all the way.

[01BTC10]

Deleted my typo post while you responded. I will take saving from the CPU and buy the XFX 1250W PRO1250W Black Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 104A 24PIN ATX Full Modular 80PLUS Gold PSU  for 235$

[DeathAndTaxes]

Deleted my typo post while you responded. I will take saving from the CPU and buy the XFX 1250W PRO1250W Black Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 104A 24PIN ATX Full Modular 80PLUS Gold PSU  for 235$

Solid.

BTW That model is made by Seasonic for XFX.  XFX just uses a slightly different fan and fan controller.  The rest of the differences are just cosmetic.  I have the Seasonic version and it is "solid".  It can handle anything you throw at it up to and including 4x5970s.  Runs cool even at 85%+ load.

It is what is powering my watercooled rig (including the pump):
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=66606.msg773594#msg773594

[01BTC10]

Just bought used 5870+5850 for 275$  

I dont want to use monitor. With Linux do I need one DVI dummy plug for the whole rig or one for each card?

[Eveofwar]

Just bought used 5870+5850 for 275$  

I dont want to use monitor. Do I need one DVI dummy plug for the whole rig or one for each card?

Shouldn't need dummy plugs as of about 6 months ago with ATI driver updates.

[01BTC10]

Ah thank's good news!

[01BTC10]

Please consider helping me finish my rig  

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=76195.msg845213#msg845213