Everything you need for your GPU Crypto Mining Rig Build

Your full parts list to complete a GPU mining rig build.

The goal of putting together your parts list to maximize cost, performance, and energy savings.

When complete your mining rig will have the following elements:

GPU
Power Supplies
CPU
Mining Motherboards
Mining Rig Frames
SSD
RAM
PCI-e Riser

I went with the six graphic card setup myself, and purchased most everything you see below for mine.

The below shopping list will get you well on your way to mining using a Nicehash or Hiveos system.

Selecting a Crypto Mining Motherboard

Decide whether you want a six graphic card set up or a 13 graphic cards set up.

If you select 6 card set, you can only put at max six cards into that setup. If you select 13 cards setup, you can add up to 13 cards.

This decision is important for the rest of the shopping list.

For example, if you go with the larger 13-card setup, you would need an additional power supply.

	6 Graphics Card Capacity	13 Graphics Card Capacity
MotherBoard	MSI Z390-A PRO LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen)	ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ 13gpu Mining Motherboard

Typically these mining motherboards have good resale value for all of these parts. You can use this for anything other than mining. Gaming working movies etc all high-end.

A couple of notes to consider:

With the Asrockh110 you can select any 7th gen processor, but for MSI z390 motherboard you can select any 8/9th gen processor.

GPUs for Crypto Mining

Your GPUs are the core of your rig. (And the most pricey)

You can start with any number of GPUs you want. You don’t necessarily need to buy multiple GPUs, but having more than one will give you better results.

If you’re starting on a low budget, start by buying just one GPU. Then, when you’ve made some profit from that first GPU, you can invest in additional ones.

GPU mining rigs require a powerful graphics card to perform the calculations necessary to mine cryptocurrency. These cards are usually sold separately, but if you’re building a new computer, you may want to consider buying them together.

Typically buying separately or used will give you your best bang for your buck.

AMD or Nvidia for Crypto Mining?

The two major brands of GPUs for mining are AMD and Nvidia.

So which should you choose?

My recommendation is whichever is cheaper.

If you have access to one already or find one at a good price go that route.

AMD GPUs tend to be less expensive and are often more profitable than NVIDIA GPUs, but they require more tuning and attention.

AMD has been very Ethereum dominant since the beginning. You’ll mostly be mining Ethereum with AMD.

NVIDIA is great for stability and diversity. You can mine multiple different coins not as profitably as Ethereum, but it is better than having no fallback.

With the changes to Eth POW vs POS. If you are getting started my recommendation would be Nvidia.

LHR (unlocked) graphics cards

A while back Nvidia announced they would limit mining at 50 percent capacity (Only for eth).

Those cards are called LHR variants. Ideally, we don’t want lhr cards, We want non-lhr variants(Unlocked).

Generally, cards that came out before maybe non-lhr. You can also figure if the card is locked lhr variant by looking at it’s serial number on box.

This Reddit post explains how to figure out the serial number of all the brands.

GPUs for Getting Started Mining

Below are some selected GPUs that we would recommend for your initial at-home mining operation.

RTX 3070
RTX 3060.
RTX 3080
GTX 1660 super
RTX 3070 ti LHR
RTX 3080 ti LHR
RTX 3070 LHR
RTX 3080 LHR
RTX3090

Notes:

Ti variants are locked by default.
RTX 3070 seems to be best for most people.
1660 Super is an entry-level card.
RTX 3090 does not have locked variants at all. All variants are NON-LHR

Here is a calculator you can use to identify the earnings with Nicehash for each GPU. Just select the GPU hardware and calculate to see how much it will likely earn.

Mining rewards are Frequently changing, you get a fixed number of coins, but USD values might differ.

CPUs for Mining Motherboards

A CPU is the central processing unit of a computer. CPUs are responsible for performing all the tasks required to operate a computer system.

When it comes to crypto mining. You don’t need the fastest i7 or i9s on the market. Don’t overspend here.

	6 Graphics Card Capacity	13 Graphics Card Capacity
Cpu	Intel Core i3-9100 Desktop Processor 4 Cores up to 4.2 GHz LGA1151 300 Series 65W	Intel Core i5-7500 LGA 1151 7th Gen Core Desktop Processor

These selections assume you use the mining motherboard options in the initial step above.

Power Supplies

When it comes to power supply- start with 1x1000watts. This will support six cards.

If you add more Cards, you will need to add an extra power unit.

Mining cryptocurrencies requires a lot of power consumption, and therefore, you should always ensure you have enough power supplies available.

Most modern computers come equipped with standard ATX power supplies, but you will want to invest in a good quality external power supply unit just in case.

Since the power supplies can run hot. You run the risk of starting a fire. In addition to the PSU unit. Invest in good cables.

Recommended Power Supply:

EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G+

SSD for Crypto Mining Rig

An SSD is a solid-state drive. You’ll use this to flash your mining software operating system (i.e. HiveOS)

In theory, you could use a USB drive to get this done. But there have been so many reports of the USB drives not loading properly, I highly recommend going the SSD route.

RAM

Any 8gm will do. Here is the one I purchased.

Crucial Ballistix 3200

PCI-e Riser

PCI-e risers for crypto mining rigs are also very important. They allow you to connect more devices to your motherboard. This way you can add more memory, video card, etc.

These risers are known to go bad occasionally, so it’s not a bad idea to have a few extra on hand.

Mining Rig Frames

You don’t need anything specific for a mining frame. Just be sure your mining operation is in an area that avoids large amounts of static electricity and has good airflow.

A few google searches will show you some pretty creative setups with materials you likely have laying around your house already.

If you want something a little more professional looking, there are plenty you can find on Amazon.

Conclusion

Building a dedicated mining rig is relatively straightforward, but you must plan.

After you purchase the crypto mining hardware, you’ll need to put assemble it.

We’ll put together detailed instructions on how to put them together in our next post, and you’ll be mining in no time!