First Investment. Mining rig advice needed. Investors welcomed :)

[arvinrajsinghgill]

Hey guys, i am from Malaysia, and noticed that they aren't many if any at all miners from my country here. My plan is , it may sound rather huge, but i am in the midst of setting up a company of my own, dedicated to bitcoin.

My idea is rather simple, but it wouldn't be simple when it comes to implementing it. Right now, i shall start from the bottom , that is to mine for bitcoins, and then perhaps to invest in bitcoins , and in the future, to act as a merchant / consultant for various local companies/merchants who are interested in accepting bitcoins as their mode of transaction. I have quite a few ideas on how bitcoins would boom here, however, those are all in theory and may or may not work, but i shall worry later and not now as it is not feasible for me to be doing that now.

To start, my plan is to gather a few shareholders to invest in my company, just like how one forumer from India achieved. This is not to be in competition with him, but the reasons why i see mining is more feasable here, in Malaysia is:-

1) Power charges aren't too absorbent.
2) Rare power-cuts (probably once in 8 months, with the downtime of 3 hours maximum, that too for maintenance purposes. No unplanned power-cuts has occurred as far as i am aware)
3) Computer hardware are widely available here, and aren't too absorbant in price compared to the world.
4) USD is of course bigger in value here, so even smaller profits are still profits.

I could purchase the hardware on my own at this moment, but the reason why i want shareholders is because , it would help in growing the company in the near future. I have always wanted to invest, but have never been able to step my foot down. When i saw bitcoin, and learnt its concept, i knew that i want to make this work. Now, about me, i am 22 years of age, and am currently working at HP (Hewlett Packard) in Malaysia. I am a WINTEL Consultant for HPs servers deployed to major corporations worldwide.

As i have read from the previous thread, trust is a major issue, but then again, i am not holding a knife across your neck. You are free to invest if you feel like it, if not, its okay. Just like the other thread, there would always be someone who is interested in investing.

My current rig is about 6 years old (Pentium D 2.8GHZ, Nvidia 9500GS OC'd[8.4Mhash/s]) and is not suitable for mining. I am not a gamer as i have my xbox360 for that, and my computer is used only for media entertainment and web browsing.

Below are the current specs of the Rig that i plan to build for this purpose only, so feel free to comment on how i can improve it.

MOBO: (Suggestion needed, something of AMD since processor would be AMD variant)
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 840 (113 USD)
RAM: (Suggestion needed, as RAM would be defined by the MOBO weather its DDR2 or DDR3)
GPU: Sapphire ATI HD5850 Xtreme 1GB GDDR5 (256bit) PCI-E Graphic Card (163 USD) [Perhaps we'll get two of those]
PSU: Huntkey Balance KING #450W True Power PSU 85% Efficiency (53 USD) or if 2x GPU then RaidMax VOLCANO 630W Performance PSU (113 USD)
HDD: Western Digital Sata HDD 80GB (0 USD, extra available in hand)

Monitor / mouse / keyboard aren't required as i would be able to VNC to the computer from either my smartphone or my current computer.

Advices / interest are all welcomed . Questions are too.

[FooDSt4mP]

I'd suggest a cheaper, lower power processor (think AMD Sempron).  Also, RAM requirements are minimal.  Personally, I prefer the 5870, but others swear by the 5850, so it can't be that bad.

[arvinrajsinghgill]

yrral86, thank you

What do you think of this , AMD Sempron 140 / AM3 / 2.7Ghz / 45W ? Its priced at 41 USD locally.

Ah yes, RAM should be in the rage of 1GB - 2GB. The only variable now, is that its depended on the type of MOBO, whether the ram would then be DDR2 or DDR3.

The 5850 and 5870 has a huge price difference between them. I thought, start low, and once i am able to repay this investment, or if i have more shareholders/investors, then we could upgrade to a much bigger GPU.

[Anonymous]

We need more miners in oceania/asia so this is a good idea. We have the same problems in Aus where there arent many bitcoin miners operating.

You might look at http://glbse.com where a lot of people are raising investments.

 

[arvinrajsinghgill]

We need more miners in oceania/asia so this is a good idea. We have the same problems in Aus where there arent many bitcoin miners operating.

You might look at http://glbse.com where a lot of people are raising investments.

 

I share the same views as you. Bitcoin is a wonderfull concept, though there are many nay-sayers, i am sure paypal had to go through the same phase long ago, back when e-transactions were unheard of.

Hopefully, we'll see a boom in bitcoin in Asia/ocenia pretty sooon.

Thank you for the link, i shall look further

[Convery]

I couldn't get that http://glbse.com client working.. so I'll just ask in this thread, I would like someone to help me build a rig and will pay 5-10% interest..

Looking at a dual 5850 or a dual GPU card as I get electricity included in my rent..

[arvinrajsinghgill]

I couldn't get that http://glbse.com client working.. so I'll just ask in this thread, I would like someone to help me build a rig and will pay 5-10% interest..

Looking at a dual 5850 or a dual GPU card as I get electricity included in my rent..

Your offer could help in me achieving funds for the project that i have in mind. We could all do it for free, but the % of interest that you're willing to give, I'd consider as an investment for my project, and you'd be listed as one of the shareholders.

What you're seeking for is to build a complete system with a dual 5850 or similar just for the purpose of mining , right?

[Convery]

What you're seeking for is to build a complete system with a dual 5850 or similar just for the purpose of mining , right?

Well ye, as the CPU only cost like 35$ and the socket (AM3) can support hexa-cores it's easy to upgrade if you ever want to use it as a all-purpose rig..

[arvinrajsinghgill]

What you're seeking for is to build a complete system with a dual 5850 or similar just for the purpose of mining , right?

Well ye, as the CPU only cost like 35$ and the socket (AM3) can support hexa-cores it's easy to upgrade if you ever want to use it as a all-purpose rig..

exactly. Seems like you have all that you need. What else do you need help with?

[Convery]

What you're seeking for is to build a complete system with a dual 5850 or similar just for the purpose of mining , right?

Well ye, as the CPU only cost like 35$ and the socket (AM3) can support hexa-cores it's easy to upgrade if you ever want to use it as a all-purpose rig..

exactly. Seems like you have all that you need. What else do you need help with?

What I would need help with is another GPU as my 650W PSU should support two 5850 :3

[arvinrajsinghgill]

If you refer here,

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-13.html

http://media.bestofmicro.com/W/L/225381/original/Power%20Consumption.png


the dual gpu power consumption for radeon 4850 is at 469Watts @ full load.

650W - 469Watts  = 181Watts of total power available. Assuming other hardware would be utilising the remaining power, it would not be feasible to add another card to your setup as i believe, it wouldn't be cost efficient and would put your system in great strain. Why not upgrade to a bigger PSU?

[Basiley]

topic-starter, build is okay, but im suggest to pick 2-core Athlon II 220 or Athlon 645 - less power consumption for same cash.
mining not put serious stress on memory and HT/PCI'e/cache/RAM buses, so extra-cash on CPU isn't so important unless you use that PC for something than mining, but for that case im suggest you wait for bulldozer chips (~$200 for 8x core model) and buy $30 sempron/athlon II instead.

one serious objection is PSU model. try pick something about 600W, both because its more manufacturer-cheating-safer[overrated PSU's is common. as well as 1.2/2.0 ATX  PSU's] and Malaysia climate-safer[more humidity, more temperature ==less psu efficiency].
in case if you power grid had serious voltage/frequency fluctuation, try pick PSU's with increased power transformation frequency, such as FSP Epsilon/Everest - they noisier[cuz FSP saved on heat-sinks(too small) and fan(stll 120mm)], but more power-grid-safer.

p.s.
ensure strong and consistent airflow inside case - that's guaranteed stability, performance, but improve dust filters to something with less-airflow-savvy, but more dust-proof, than stock ones.

We need more miners in oceania/asia so this is a good idea. We have the same problems in Aus where there arent many bitcoin miners operating.

You might look at http://glbse.com where a lot of people are raising investments.

 

good thing is nearly in all regions miners start use BTC to trade between colleagues
at least true for hardware exchange. maybe hardware dealers follow this trend too, esp those, who's mine too :-)

[ptshamrock]

check ur msg!

kind regards

[arvinrajsinghgill]

topic-starter, build is okay, but im suggest to pick 2-core Athlon II 220 or Athlon 645 - less power consumption for same cash.
mining not put serious stress on memory and HT/PCI'e/cache/RAM buses, so extra-cash on CPU isn't so important unless you use that PC for something than mining, but for that case im suggest you wait for bulldozer chips (~$200 for 8x core model) and buy $30 sempron/athlon II instead.

one serious objection is PSU model. try pick something about 600W, both because its more manufacturer-cheating-safer[overrated PSU's is common. as well as 1.2/2.0 ATX  PSU's] and Malaysia climate-safer[more humidity, more temperature ==less psu efficiency].
in case if you power grid had serious voltage/frequency fluctuation, try pick PSU's with increased power transformation frequency, such as FSP Epsilon/Everest - they noisier[cuz FSP saved on heat-sinks(too small) and fan(stll 120mm)], but more power-grid-safer.

p.s.
ensure strong and consistent airflow inside case - that's guaranteed stability, performance, but improve dust filters to something with less-airflow-savvy, but more dust-proof, than stock ones.

We need more miners in oceania/asia so this is a good idea. We have the same problems in Aus where there arent many bitcoin miners operating.

You might look at http://glbse.com where a lot of people are raising investments.

 

good thing is nearly in all regions miners start use BTC to trade between colleagues
at least true for hardware exchange. maybe hardware dealers follow this trend too, esp those, who's mine too :-)

Basiley, your input is greatly appreciated. I believe the $20 sempron processor should be good enough for this time being since i plan to run the system on Linux for maximum performance and its flexibility.

I shall consult with the experts on my local forum on which PSU is guaranteed to perform without the units being overrated by its manufacturers.

Also, for the casing, i shall look for one that would ensure maximum airflow but still enough to prevent dust from accumulating. And if i am able to garner a large number of investors (coming up with a business plan as we speak), then the hardware shall be deployed in a commercial area , in a office lot that would be rented on a monthly basis.

check ur msg!

kind regards

It was a pleasure reading your PM. I have replied you in hopes of us being able to collaborate in the near future.

[arvinrajsinghgill]

I have already come up with a business plan, that is available on Microsoft Powerpoint. I would however need to run the document by an expert to weed out any flaws before it is to be published to future investors. This may take a few days Do stand by. This is going to be big if it jumps off!

[Basiley]

CPU isn't critical at all, unless its not cause bottleneck for OS itself so, IMO, low-freq 2x core CPU slightly better[less context switching overhead]or even fusion-based board with built-in CPU or FM1 mobo in case if you build it in "one mainboard-one GPU-way", which is may have reasons if you get such motherboard not in shop but from regional distributor[mean - huge discount and huge batch] or OEM/OEI/VAR channels.
check some overclocking/entusiasts web-sites about dust filter improvements. genrally, whatever variant you pick[starting from cheap nylon cloth ;], you always can compensate dust filter-related airflow loss by more powerful fans.

p.s. actually had similar plan, initially, but majority of investors quite skeptical about bitcoing and farming :/ so im keep this on my own, ie "just for fun". at least maybe im can buy [slightly]more food, which isn't bad too