Cryptocurrency GPU Mining Rig Guide
Updated April 19, 2020
GPU mining rigs are essentially desktop computer systems. They therefore require computer system components such as video cards, a motherboard, a CPU, memory, a power supply, and various other components. We will discuss each component below along with some relevant considerations.
Graphics cards
The video card is the fundamental component of a GPU mining rig. Multiple cards are often run together to increase the hashrate of the mining rig. Our GPU Guide lists cards, by card type, commonly used for GPU mining rigs. Our Mining GPU Selector can be used to help you decide which cards to use in your GPU mining rig.
Motherboards
Although motherboards are used similarly in GPU mining rigs and conventional computer systems, the selection criteria is a bit different. Features such as the type and number of I/O ports, support for high-end CPUs, and the like are not important for GPU mining rigs. However, the number of graphics cards supported by the motherboard is important. If you are unsure of how many cards you will use in your rig, we suggest you use our Mining GPU Selector and also take into consideration how many cards are supported by your desired operating system.
Specifications
| Mfg and Model | Socket | Max Cards |
|---|---|---|
| ASUS B250 Mining Expert | LGA 1151 | 19 |
| MSI B360-F Pro | LGA 1151 | 18 |
| MSI H310-F Pro | LGA 1151 | 13 |
| ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ | LGA 1151 | 13 |
| Gigabyte GA-B250-FinTech | LGA 1151 | 12 |
| Biostar TB250-BTC PRO | LGA 1151 | 12 |
| MSI Z270 GAMING PRO CARBON | LGA 1151 | 7 |
| ASUS PRIME Z270-A | LGA 1151 | 7 |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 | LGA 1151 | 7 |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 | LGA 1151 | 7 |
| MSI Z170A GAMING M5 | LGA 1151 | 7 |
| Gigabyte GA-H110-D3A | LGA 1151 | 6 |
| Biostar TB250-BTC | LGA 1151 | 6 |
| ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 | LGA 1150 | 6 |
| Biostar TB85 | LGA 1150 | 6 |
| Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 | AM3+ | 6 |
| ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 | LGA 1150 | 6 |
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ASUS B250 Mining Expert
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MSI B360-F Pro
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MSI H310-F Pro
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ASRock H110 Pro BTC+
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Gigabyte GA-B250-FinTech
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Biostar TB250-BTC PRO
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MSI Z270 GAMING PRO CARBON
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ASUS PRIME Z270-A
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Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5
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Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5
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MSI Z170A GAMING M5
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Gigabyte GA-H110-D3A
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Biostar TB250-BTC
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ASRock Z97 EXTREME4
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Biostar TB85
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Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
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ASRock Z97 EXTREME6
Processors
Contrary to the mentality of building a conventional computer system, CPUs with low power consumption should be used in GPU mining rigs. As a benefit, these CPUs are relatively inexpensive as they are generally considered to be low-performance or lower-end models. The socket of the processor you select must be compatible with the socket of your motherboard.
Specifications
| Mfg and Model | Socket | Memory Type and Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Intel BX80662G4400 Pentium G4400 | LGA 1151 | DDR4 2133 MHz |
| Intel BX80662G3900 Celeron G3900 | LGA 1151 | DDR4 2133 MHz |
| Intel BX80662I36100 Core i3-6100 | LGA 1151 | DDR4 2133 MHz |
| Intel BX80646G1840 Celeron G1840 | LGA 1150 | DDR3 1333 MHz |
| Intel BX80646G3260 Pentium G3260 | LGA 1150 | DDR3 1333 MHz |
| AMD FD6300WMHKBOX FX-6300 | AM3+ | DDR3 1866 MHz |
| AMD FD4300WMHKBOX FX-4300 | AM3+ | DDR3 1866 MHz |
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Intel BX80662G4400 Pentium G4400
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Intel BX80662G3900 Celeron G3900
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Intel BX80662I36100 Core i3-6100
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Intel BX80646G1840 Celeron G1840
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Intel BX80646G3260 Pentium G3260
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AMD FD6300WMHKBOX FX-6300
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AMD FD4300WMHKBOX FX-4300
Memory
Similar to the selection of a CPU, low power memory should be used. The type and speed of the memory must be supported by your CPU.
Specifications
| Mfg and Model | Size | Type and Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Crucial CT4G4DFS8213 | 4GB | DDR4 2133Mhz |
| Kingston HX421C14FB/4 HyperX Fury | 4GB | DDR4 2133MHz |
| Kingston HX313C9F/4 HyperX Fury | 4GB | DDR3 1333MHz |
| Patriot PSD34G13332 Signature | 4GB | DDR3 1333MHz |
| Kingston HX318C10FB/4 HyperX Fury | 4GB | DDR3 1866MHz |
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Crucial CT4G4DFS8213
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Kingston HX421C14FB/4 HyperX Fury
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Kingston HX313C9F/4 HyperX Fury
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Patriot PSD34G13332 Signature
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Kingston HX318C10FB/4 HyperX Fury
Power supplies
Depending on the number of graphics cards in your rig, you may have to use more than one power supply. It is common to use a higher wattage PSU (e.g., around 1600 W) in combination with a lower wattage one (e.g., around 1000 W). However, the number and wattage will depend on the number and types of cards used.
An important selection criteria for the PSU is efficiency. We recommend a PSU with at least 90% efficiency which corresponds to the Gold, Platinum, and Titanium efficiency ranges.
Specifications
| Mfg and Model | Power (110 VAC) | Efficiency (110 VAC) |
|---|---|---|
| EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 TITANIUM | 1600 W | 94% |
| Corsair AX1500i | 1500 W | 94% |
| Rosewill TOKAMAK 1500 | 1500 W | >94% |
| EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 PLATINUM | 1200 W | 92% |
| Rosewill PHOTON-1200 | 1200 W | 90-92% |
| Seasonic PRIME TX-1000 | 1000 W | 94% |
| Corsair HX1000i | 1000 W | 92% |
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EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 TITANIUM
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Corsair AX1500i
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Rosewill TOKAMAK 1500
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EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 PLATINUM
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Rosewill PHOTON-1200
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Seasonic PRIME TX-1000
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Corsair HX1000i
Hard drive
If you run Windows as the operating system for your mining software, you will need a hard drive. Linux can be run from a USB stick or from a hard drive. A solid state drive (SSD) is a good choice for a GPU mining rig since SSDs consume less power and are more reliable than hard drives utilizing magnetic media such as a hard disk drive (HDD).
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SanDisk SDSSDA-120G-G26 SSD PLUS 120GB SSD
PCIe risers
PCIe (PCI Express) risers allow the graphics cards to be placed away from the motherboard. This offers numerous advantages such as providing better heat dissipation, offering more options for mounting and positioning the graphics cards, allowing more graphics cards to be connected to a single motherboard by alleviating space constraints, etc. Most PCIe risers include two PCIe to USB 3.0 conversion boards connected by a USB 3.0 cable, where one of the boards connects to a PCIe slot on the motherboard and the other includes a PCIe slot to accept the graphics card.
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Mailiya PCIe Riser 6-pack
PCIe expansion cards
PCIe (PCI Express) expansion cards plug into a PCIe slot on the motherboard and provide multiple USB 3.0 ports. Multiple PCIe risers can be plugged into the USB 3.0 ports, thereby allowing multiple graphics cards to interface with a single PCIe slot on the motherboard. This advantageously expands the number of graphics cards that can be plugged into a motherboard.
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Rosewill RC-505 PCIe to USB 3.0 Expansion Card 2-Port
Power switch
Mining rig cases do not usually come with power switches, so make sure to grab some.
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Warmstor Power Switch 3-pack
Operating system
The most common OS'es for mining rigs are Windows 10 and Linux. Linux is free, requires fewer resources, and apparently allows more graphics cards to be plugged into a single motherboard. Although Windows 10 is not free, some prefer it and it is required to run certain mining software.
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Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OEM download
Energy usage monitor
It is important to know how much energy your mining rig is drawing at the wall. An energy usage monitor provides this information and more.
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P3 Int'l P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
Case
The number of graphics cards in your rig may dictate which case (or more accurately "chassis") you can use. That said, most of the open air cases can be stacked to increase their graphics card capacity.
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Kingwin 8 GPU Mining Case
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Veddha Professional 6 GPU Miner Case
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Veddha Professional 8 GPU Miner Case
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Kyerivs 6 GPU Mining Rig
