Let’s Build a Crypto Mining Rig

Cryptocurrency is an industry with a huge potential, which doesn’t seem to be fully discovered yet. The total adoption is far away from reality, until the accessible and understandable information about the crypto will reach every single person on this planet. As this stage is still in process, many enthusiasts are trying to get the maximum of it.     

Have you ever thought of getting profit from mining? Then you probably know that it’s impossible without a mining rig. You will need some skills and money to build one, so this is why mining can’t be “an easy and free way to get extra cryptocurrency”. In this article we will discuss how the crypto mining rig works, check a list of steps to create it and see if it’s even worth the effort.   

What is a mining rig and how does it work?

To mine crypto, you need one or a few computers. It’s necessary to validate transactions on a blockchain. Therefore, each verified hash is rewarded with crypto. Mining is quite energy-consuming, it requires a good stable hardware to operate. 

The most frequently mined assets are BTC, DOGE and XMR. Don’t be surprised there’s no ETH on that list. After the Merge it switched to PoS, which made mining of these coins impossible. However, there’s still a chance to earn via ETH staking.

A mining rig includes a traditional set of computer insides: central processing unit (CPU) or a graphical processing unit (GPU) , storage, random access memory (RAM) and, of course, a motherboard. A mining rig differs from the ordinary PC with just a few things. Firstly, it often uses GPU instead of CPU. This happens because GPUs allow faster and better resolution of the equations, which, in turn, are necessary for verifying transactions.  

Another thing to mention — a rig usually has several GPUs. The bigger quantity guarantees a higher hash rate. However, miners don’t always utilize GPUs. Sometimes they choose CPU or application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) in lieu, for example, whilst mining BTC. 

If you want to begin mining, please consider these points:

1. Crypto to mine. The importance of choosing the right asset is impossible to exaggerate. Check all the information about the cryptocurrency you’re going to earn, its profitability, the competition rate. The mining method (GPU/CPU or ASIC) also depends on the cryptocurrency you decide to mine. Here’s our list of top 2023 projects to keep an eye on;   
2. Equipment price. Hardware is pricey, so building a rig could hit your wallet;
3. Internet connection. A permanent power and Internet are the basic requirements for profitable process of mining;  
4. Electricity cost. Because of serious energy consumption, be prepared for high electricity bills;  
5. It’s ok to make mistakes. While you build a mining rig you might make some errors. It’s important to understand that it’s totally fine to adjust or even reassemble the equipment.  

Required components

Now let’s see what hardware a rig needs. This is a mining essential, so don’t skip this step.   

GPU

It’s a component that makes mining possible. The more hash rate you have to attain, the more GPUs you’ll need. However, 1 or 2 is enough for a beginner miner. You may consider adding these items to your shopping cart:

1. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti;
2. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT;
3. GeForce RTX 3090;
4. GeForce GTX 1660 Super;
5. Radeon Vega.

Motherboard

To support the GPUs in your rig, it’s important to pay attention to the motherboard. Some of the possible solutions:

1. ASRock H110 Pro BTC+;
2. Biostar TB360-BTC;
3. Asus Prime Z390-P;
4. Asus B250 Mining Expert;
5. Asus Prime Z690-P.

CPU

Sometimes, newbies prefer mining with CPU only. Therefore it has to be high-end and able to meet the mining demands. 

1. Intel Core i7-9700K;
2. Intel Core i9-9940X;
3. AMD Ryzen 9 3950X;
4. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X;
5. Intel Core i9 Coffee Lake.

ASIC

If the currency you chose requires ASIC mining, or you just decided to use this method, you can check out these products: 

1. AvalonMiner 1166 Pro
2. WhatsMiner M30S++
3. ASCIminer 8 Nano
4. Dragonmint T1
5. Bitmain Antminer S17

RAM

RAM is a memory utilized in order to store data whilst your PC is running. Check if your rig has enough RAM to keep the data from all the GPUs you’ve installed.  

Power supply unit (PSU)

PSU powers the mining rig. It’s better to buy a PSU that delivers double the power you actually need. This will guarantee the mining process is stable and continuous. 

1. Corsair HX Series HX1200;
2. Corsair AXi Series AX1600i;
3. Thermaltake Toughpower 1500 W 80 PLUS Gold;
4. EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G+;
5. Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 1200W 80+.

Storage

Add some storage to your rig! You can choose between an SSD or a hard drive — the size of it depends on how much data you’ll mine. Usually, 240 GB or more is fine. 

1. WD Blue SSD; 
2. Samsung 860 EVO SSD;
3. Crucial BX500 SSD;
4. SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD;
5. ADATA SU800 SSD.

What else?

Moreover, check if your rig meets other requirements:

1. Mining software (e.g. CGMiner, EasyMiner or BFGMiner);
2. An operating system (e.g. Awesome Miner, Rave OS or Hive OS);
3. A cryptocurrency wallet to keep the coins you mine; 
4. A flash drive with no less than 5GB. 

Let’s start now!

Each component has its own place. So let’s put them together. Here’s a small instruction on what steps to follow while assembling your mining rig:

If you have decided to build a rig yourself, be very careful while binding each component. When it’s done, check if your rig works. Install the necessary software. This is it, now you can start! 

Conclusion 

Nowadays many crypto enthusiasts discuss if mining is still profitable. The question is reasonable, because building a rig is a costly deal. There are no guarantees that it will bring you enough profit to cover the price of the rig. The same chances exist for earning more than spending on equipment. However, the Internet is full with tutorials for a quite cheap starter crypto mining rig build. They provide various options of components for less than $500. Moreover, if you are not ready to mine yourself or have a small rig capacity, you can try mining pools. They’re meant for miners who want to share their computational resources and still get a reward.  

SimpleSwap reminds you that this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide investment advice. All purchases and cryptocurrency investments are your own responsibility.