- Nov 22, 2024
Before we begin with Ethereum Mining Rigs, let us quickly take a look at what we know about Ethereum and mining Ethereum so far.
Before we begin with Ethereum Mining Rigs, let us quickly take a look at what we know about Ethereum and mining Ethereum so far.
Here’s a list of everything that you would need if you plan on setting up an Ethereum Mining Rig:
One Motherboard
One Processor
At least 4GB of RAM
One Power Supply Unit
6 Graphic Processing Units
One Boot Device
One Case
Let us now take a closer look at all of these components:
The most basic component needed for setting up an Ethereum Mining Rig, the motherboard is very important too. Usually, any motherboard that supports PCIe slots works. However, you need to make sure that the board has enough PCIe slots to accommodate all your Graphics Cards.
One of the best options when it comes to buying motherboards is that of ASRock motherboards. They are the best when it comes to 5 to 6 GPU setups and are specially created for mining cryptocurrencies. The ASRock H97 Anniversary and the ASRock H81 Pro BTC are two motherboards which are perfect for setting up an Ethereum Mining Rig and they support a 6 GPU setup right out of the box.
Both these motherboards usually come out into the market at a price of $100; however because these motherboards are in high demands due to their use in mining cryptocurrencies, you might have to buy them at a premium rate.
In case you’re looking for an alternative, Biostar’s TB250-BTC is one such option. As a third option, you can also use the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming motherboard. However, this one requires some tweaking before you can put it to actual use.
After you select a motherboard, the next thing that you should look at is buying a processor. Thankfully, choosing the CPU for your Ethereum mining rig is one of the easiest tasks. You could just go ahead with the cheapest available processor that is supported by your motherboard. This is because when you are mining for Ethereum, everything will be handled by the GPUs and the CPU won’t really be put to use. Any simple Celeron processor should do.
Up next, after you’ve selected your motherboard and processor, comes the RAM. It is advised to go for a minimum of 4GB RAM, especially when you are working on a 6 GPU setup. 4GB of RAM is suitable for Windows machines. If you’re running a Linux based system, 2GB of RAM should do the trick for you. All the memory-related processing that happens during Ethereum mining happens on the GPUs. Hence a powerful RAM isn’t really needed.
Now that you have everything set up, the next thing that you need to take care of is the Power Supply Unit. While there are certain areas such as the CPU and the RAM where you can cut costs and go cheap on, the Power Supply Unit is something you must not be cheap about. Buying a good PSU will ensure that your electricity costs will remain minimal over the long run.
One of the best Power Supply Units is that of the 1200 W Seasonic PSU. A standard 6 GPU setup should draw somewhere between 750 to 850 Watts of power. This ensures that the PSU has sufficient power supply. For those who don’t plan on setting up a 6 GPU setup and are instead working on a 3 to 4 GPU setup, Seasonic also has an 860 W Power Supply Unit.
You can use our Ethereum Mining Calculator to calculate profitability.
The Graphic Processing Unit is the heart and soul of all your operations. This is one place where you’ll need to splurge and get the best of the technologies. All your mining efforts take place via the GPU.
In the past, it was possible to mine Ethereum via just your CPU. However as the demand and the number of miners rose, CPUs became ineffective and GPUs were needed. There are a large number of Graphic Processing Units that are available in markets. Some of the best ones are listed here
Sapphire Radeon R9 295X2
Radeon R9 HD 7990
Radeon RX 480
Radeon RX 470
To know more about these Graphic Processing Units and to determine which is the best of them, you can check out our detailed analysis of all four of them here.
After all this, you’ll also need a boot device. This is something which depends upon the OS. Users who intend to run an Ethereum Mining Rig using the Linux OS would function on a smaller sized boot device such as a 16GB USB Stick. However, when it comes to Windows-based devices, you’ll need more storage and a USB storage won’t really do. Ideally, a 60GB SSD would do the trick if you’re running a WIndows based device. However, if you’ve got an old hard disk lying around somewhere, that’d do too.
Finally, after everything else is done with, now is the time to finally set up a case for your Ethereum Mining Rig. You can buy these cases, or even build them on your own. Cases ensure that your mining rigs stay together and stay protected.
However, it must be kept in mind that building an Ethereum Mining Rig isn’t really the be-all and end-all of mining for Ethereum. You’ll need an Ethereum Mining Software depending on the OS you are on. Moreover, you’ll also need an Ethereum Wallet. Finally, in order to maximize your mining potential and faster, regular returns you’ll also need to join an Ethereum
