How to properly assemble a computer for mining. How to make and how much it costs to assemble a mining farm

Facebook

The rapid increase in the popularity of modern cryptocurrency leads to an automatic increase in thematic interest in it among users. All more people they begin to wonder how to make money from mining and whether it is possible to make a profit using this method by solving the question of how to assemble a mining farm in 2019. Instructions for creating it are presented in the article.

You can learn how to create a mining farm for the production of cryptocurrencies yourself from scratch, what is needed for this, and how to set it up yourself. After studying the information, you can build a farm yourself passive income, learn how to start creating correctly, how to assemble a farm on video cards.

To start mining, you will need to build a special farm. This is a relatively simple process. Anyone who has little understanding of PC operation and programming can handle it.

Important! All components and boards are modular in design, have a special manual for use and individual drivers. There will be no problems with preparation and installation.

Launch home mining Farms are a business that requires certain material expenses. A novice user will need to purchase computer elements. The example shows specific brands and categories of equipment, but they should not be regarded as indisputable. Detailed names are given to give a beginner an idea of what might be required to make a profit in the form of Bitcoins. Here are the main elements:

Motherboard Biostar H81S2 or its analogues. Similar solution mainly by providing the ability to connect up to 6 modern video adapters at a time. Farm productivity becomes significantly higher.
Graphics adapters. They are necessary for a farm made on a motherboard of the specified brand. Adapters are ideal AMD Radeon R9 290 MSI. This is an expensive option, so if you want to save money, choose a more affordable adapter. The number of elements is determined individually.
Processor – Celeron with shared clock frequency at least 3.2 GHz.
Kingston brand functional RAM. Its performance should be 8 Gigabytes.
SSD SATA of at least 16 GB. There is no clear requirement to purchase a disk with a large capacity. This is not a particularly necessary expense, especially if you plan to use the design for mining.
Enhance category power supply. This should be 2 units, each with a power of 1000 Watts and have 80 Gold+ certificates. This is an inexpensive option for a beginner. As the this method earnings, the power supply should be changed to a more powerful one.
Frame. If you have no desire or special knowledge of how to assemble the case, you can purchase best option from Dragonfly. This is a design with small size and quite roomy in size. There are several here quality coolers, allowing you to reduce the heating of installed graphics adapters.

The remaining elements are minor. Their acquisition does not require special expenses and knowledge. These are risers, fasteners, special thermal paste for processes, video cards, splitters, molexes that are not included in the kit.

Build a mining rig from scratch in 2019: do it yourself

Installing components into a PC case and purchasing video cards is not enough to start a farm. Those who assemble the structure themselves must understand that the level of heat transfer from video cards is high. Some models can heat up to 120 degrees Celsius. For short-term starts it is acceptable, but for long-term operation it should be reduced.

To maintain a normal level of heat transfer when the system operates for many hours at high speeds, it is imperative to take care of high-quality cooling.

To ensure ventilation, you will need to install several coolers that automatically increase air circulation and reduce the stagnation of hot masses in the areas between video cards. This will allow mining to take place as long and productively as possible. In this case, the dimensions will not matter.

Important! In the absence of air circulation, semiconductor parts on motherboards begin to deteriorate and fail very quickly. For this reason, you simply cannot do without high-quality ventilation.

DIY Bitcoin farm: assembly diagram and dimensions

After purchasing all the components, you can move on to the next step in solving the question of how to assemble a mining farm with step-by-step instructions, that is, to assembling the structure. Ideally, all purchased video cards are installed on a special remote rack with two coolers on the sides.

If you purchase top-end equipment, you can expect that it will operate with a power of approximately 100 W. If you multiply this figure by 6, that is, by the maximum number of slots, you can get an impressive 0.6 kilowatts. In other words, building a mining farm will consume exactly as much current as any modern electrical appliance.

The resolution of these issues is also not final. As you know, the installation, even if properly assembled, will not be able to work independently. A mining farm is the same computer, just with more advanced capabilities, so it’s worth adding such important elements to the installation as:

CPU.
HDD.
RAM.
Coolers on racks, as well as in the inside of the system unit.

Similar additional elements is able to add about 400 more watts to the entire system, that is, 1 kW in 60 minutes. This indicator is the norm of energy consumption per month, that is, the farm can turn ordinary person in a small office in terms of current consumption.

It is also worth taking into account the factor external dimensions farms.

In terms of dimensions it will be something close to a small diesel generator. As for weight, on average similar installations weigh up to 25 kilograms.

Setting up a mining farm from scratch

To get the farm up and running, it is not enough to purchase the necessary high-quality equipment; it is important to carefully select the appropriate software. It all depends on the Internet currency that you want to receive. What matters is the amount received at one time. If you plan to mine satoshi, you will need to study the following programs:

Ethminer;
Ccminer-1-8-3-git-tpruvot&;
Sgminer-gm-windows.

For other currencies, you will need to purchase, install and configure other programs. For example, if you plan to mine Etherium and Sia, you will need to pay attention to Claymore’s Dual. This application is quick to install and features an easy-to-use interface.

Modern mining software is constantly being improved and changed; it is difficult to name the exact and specific ones. Before purchasing, beginners should get advice from professionals, ask for help in making settings, and a scheme can be developed by specialists.

How much does it cost to build a mining rig in 2019?

Many novice users are interested in the question of how to build a mining farm and how much money they will have to spend to launch a mining farm. To understand the answer to the question and find out what kind of performance can be achieved, it is worth studying an example using six Radeon RX 550. So, if you install the elements, you can get digital indicators:

Productivity 60 Mh/s;
Profit $70 per week;
Electricity costs are $6 per week;
The cost of the equipment is $900.

The payback period for the equipment will be 3.5-4 months, and a full guide will be included.

How to build a mining rig from old video cards?

For beginners, purchasing 6 video adapters may be expensive, but you can’t do without them. Many people decide to use old video cards so as not to spend 3⁄4 of all material expenses.

There will be no special features or difficulties during collection. The only difference from working with new video cards is that you spend a little more time searching for old used video cards that are suitable in terms of power and functionality.

Summing up

The profitability of bitcoin mining, as a full-fledged enterprise with certain investments, can generate income. The size depends on the effort invested, funds and equipment purchased. The computer power may be enough to receive funds as a supplement to your existing basic earnings for 2019.

The more funds are invested, the greater the profit you can get.

If you need a budget farm or btc setup, you can contact specialists, they will complete the turnkey assembly. Users will be provided with assistance at any time and can receive training if necessary.

Many miners who have literally plunged into the world of cryptocurrency mining, including bitcoins, decide to make a mining farm with their own hands. Most of them see the assembly of a mining farm as something like an entertaining puzzle. But is this really so? Is it easy to set up equipment and “make” it mine cryptocurrency, including bitcoins? Another issue that deserves close attention is the profitability of such a process. However, it’s worth understanding everything in order in order to assemble a mining rig efficiently or decide to abandon this idea.

Required components

So, if you decide to independently assemble a farm for mining, then it is very important to correctly select all the components of the system. In order for a do-it-yourself mining rig to be made correctly and be able to mine successfully, you need to take care of purchasing the following design elements:

Motherboard. At its core, this is the “heart” of the farm. The number of modules, video cards and ASIC controllers that can be installed depends on its power. This in turn determines the likelihood of successful mining. This is why the motherboard must be 100% reliable.
Farm housing. You can make such a frame with your own hands from scrap materials. It is better not to order it from various companies, since the standard options are not aimed at installing several powerful modules, video cards and controllers. It is optimal to use steel or aluminum corners or wooden blocks to assemble the frame.
RAM, which is responsible for the functioning of the operating system and its launch.
CPU. When choosing it, it is very important to take into account that it fits the motherboard and can ensure the smooth functioning of the OS.
Power unit. It is important to pay close attention to power here. It should be maximum. It is equally important to pay attention to the power reserve within 20%. In addition, the power supply must match the system parameters in terms of energy consumption.
HDD. It must have a large volume and be very reliable.
Devices that are focused on the cryptocurrency mining process itself. These are ASIC controllers, several powerful video cards or FPGA modules. It is optimal to use versions from Radeon. As a rule, they are connected via PCI-E ports of the motherboard. So this also needs to be foreseen in advance.

At least 4-6 video cards with maximum cooling are especially carefully selected. They will be connected to the power supply via PCI ports. If the user is familiar with the principle of assembling a regular computer, then assembling the farm will not be difficult either.

Then you need to choose a high-quality power supply with high power. You can use 2 regular power supplies, which are synchronized with each other using a special cable (these are PCI ports on the blocks), or server equipment.

The purchase of coolers for system cooling and ventilation units deserves special attention. They also need to be purchased in advance. Otherwise, mining will be in jeopardy, because the computer, like the entire farm, will constantly overheat, freeze and one day break completely. This is especially dangerous for video cards that are connected to the power supply via standard PCI ports.

Assembling a mining rig

Assembling a farm for mining cryptocurrencies, as a rule, does not cause any particular difficulties. Simple step-by-step instructions will help miners create a mining farm from scratch.

Now you can proceed directly to the process of assembling a block for mining with video cards and other equipment:

To do this you need to make a kind of frame. This design resembles a server rack. A farm for mining digital money will already be installed on it.
Next, the equipment is assembled and connected as usual Personal Computer. That is, after creating (or installing) the frame, you need to secure the motherboard. It must be placed in the center of the bottom shelf of the structure. In this case, it is recommended to make a slight elevation so that the motherboard does not come into contact with the surface. To do this, you can take small plastic pieces.
The processor with cooler is attached to the motherboard.
The next step in self-assembling a mining rig is installing the power supply. It is recommended to fasten it to the metal corner with self-tapping screws or self-tapping screws. Reliable fixation is the basis of safety. Otherwise, there is a high risk of a spark forming in the contact.
Next, indicator elements and a power button are installed.
Then you need to install HDD using the stand. It should be connected special cables with power supply and motherboard.
Through the elements additional food and risers the video card is connected. If you decide to use several of them, then you need to do the same with each of them.
That's all! All that remains is to connect the farm to the power supply system and the Internet.

Note! Connection of video cards to mining blocks is carried out using special risers. For video cards it is optimal to use 6pin or Molex.

What remains for the miner to do? You will need to install Windows. It is recommended to use version 10. Next, the selected program is configured. This could be an overclocking utility or special miner software. That's all! All that remains is to start the process of earning bitcoins or other cryptocurrency.

Software

The software deserves special attention. At self-creation mining farm it is very important to use high-quality and functional programs. However, it is worth considering that the specific list of software that a miner will need depends primarily on what video cards are used and what kind of digital money he decided to mine. As an option, to mine and earn this type of cryptocurrency such as Ethereum, it is optimal to choose the following programs:

ccminer-1-8-3-git-tpruvot;
Ethminer;
sgminer-gm-windows.

The appeal of this software lies in its simplicity. Installing the software is as easy as shelling pears, as is adjusting the necessary program parameters. Each of these options is an excellent solution for Ethereum mining.

If the miner has not yet decided on a specific cryptocurrency and plans to mine different kinds electronic coins, it is worth choosing other programs. For example, you can use Claymore’s Dual to mine Sia and Ethereum. The attractiveness of this program is simple interface, intuitive installation and the ability to quickly set all the necessary parameters for mining digital coins.

Costs for components and maintenance

The most difficult and sensitive issue is the costs required to assemble the farm. Typically, the most expensive are video cards, and the cheapest expense is the purchase of bars or corners to create a rack. If you don’t hire a locksmith and do everything yourself, you can spend about 800 rubles.

However, all the fun begins at the moment of purchasing components. Thus, the most inexpensive motherboard (for example, ASRock FM2A88M Extreme4+R2.0) will cost 3,700 rubles. Just remember that it’s unlikely to be possible to mine professionally on it. Here you need a more powerful option, for example - AsRock H81 PRO BTC R2.0. It already costs more than 6.5 thousand rubles. This solution allows you to install 6 or more video cards, which is exactly what you need.

The next important expense item is the purchase of a processor. It must match the power and parameters of the motherboard. Moreover, even the economy option from category A-4 costs about 2,800 rubles.

It is equally important to take care of spending on RAM. To mine cryptocurrency, including bitcoins, you need a device of 4 GB or more. It's expensive. You can buy 2 boards of 2 GB each, as this is considered a more budget option. Then it is worth considering that the cost of each board is about 1 thousand rubles.

Still need to think about upgrading hard drive. It must be of high quality and powerful, since it is on it that the miner will store the wallet and all important programs. That is why its volume should not be less than 1 TB. At minimum investment this is about 2500 rubles more.

In this case, payments for the Internet and electricity are not taken into account. Do not forget that you will have to periodically change certain spare parts of the farm, since when permanent job some parts fail quickly.

Profitability of major cryptocurrencies

The main question that worries real miners and newcomers in the field of cryptocurrency mining is the profitability of the main types of digital money. It is worth mentioning right away that it is too late to mine the most expensive of them (bitcoins). This is exactly what most experts think. The whole point is that the system has recruited an excessively large number of participants. To find a hash and get a reward for it, you need surprisingly high power, expensive equipment, and not a farm based on a couple of video cards.

To mine bitcoins today, you need an initial investment of more than just a few thousand. This will cost hundreds of thousands. But the result may be disastrous. That is why today only very large companies located in countries with low electricity tariffs can afford to earn bitcoins.

It’s optimal to start mining altcoins now; these are digital money alternatives to bitcoins. Among them are:

Ripple;
Ethereum;
Dash;
Litecoin.

Ethereum has the highest yield. The cost of 1 coin of the so-called ether is $339.

Profitability of a mining farm

Most miners who decide to mine bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies on their own are afraid of making a mistake. And this is absolutely fair! First, it’s worth calculating the profitability of a mining farm. It is recommended to take into account several key factors:

hash rate;
cost of equipment;
the current cost of bitcoin or other cryptocurrency that is planned to be mined;
energy consumption and cost of 1 W.

Taking into account at least these criteria will allow you to find out the approximate time during which the initial investment will pay off. Unfortunately, as practice shows, with the increased complexity of hash calculations and the high cost of equipment, creating a mining farm today is an unprofitable project. Moreover, it is more likely to bring losses to its owner. If the investment to create a viable farm varies within a few thousand dollars, then you can get about a hundred.

Possible risks

Purchase of all components and self-assembly mining farm does not act as a guarantor at all profitable earnings. There are certain risks here. So, before you start diving into mining, you should get acquainted with the opinions of analysts.

Experts at Morgan Stanley bank say that the growth of quotations of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies will soon stop. The whole point is that in most countries digital money is still considered illegal. Accordingly, they are not subject to tax. As soon as the authorities of leading states take up this issue, there will be a powerful collapse in the cryptocurrency rate.

Other experts, for example, CERIK Capital Management, assure that in the near future there will only be an increase in bitcoins and other digital coins. However, this cannot happen indefinitely. That is why the main risk of setting up and creating a mining farm is the instability of the rate of btc and its analogues.

Another risk, as shown above, is the lack of profitability. The whole point is that assembling a farm and purchasing all the components for it is a very financially expensive matter. However, in Lately the level of complexity of the mining process itself increases. That is why experts consider such investments unjustified, which will not even be able to recoup the cost of electricity.

Video: how to build a mining rig from scratch

If you still have not lost faith in the prospects of bitcoins and other digital money, dream of earning cryptocurrency at home and want to make a mining farm from scratch with your own hands, then you should watch a few thematic videos:

Does cryptocurrency have a future?

Alexey Russkikh

Not everyone knows that you can assemble a mining rig yourself. To do this, you will have to put a little effort into assembling the case and spend a substantial amount of money on purchasing powerful computing systems. Before creating a farm, you should evaluate your financial capabilities, select hardware and find a well-ventilated room with electrical wiring that can withstand heavy loads. Right choice premises is no less important than the selection of equipment, since it consumes a lot of electricity, generates a significant amount of heat and requires constant cooling.

Farm components

Typically a mining rig consists of the following elements:

A case that is better to assemble yourself from scrap materials, since standard models will not allow you to place several powerful video cards, FPGA modules or ASIC controllers on the motherboard. You can make it yourself from wooden blocks, aluminum or steel corners.
The motherboard, which is the heart of a regular computer, is only important as the basis for installation maximum quantity video cards, FPGA modules or ASIC controllers. The number of slots determines how many devices can be connected to it. The main requirement is maximum reliability, ensuring uninterrupted operation of the assembly.
The processor must match the motherboard and ensure the operation of the operating system. There is no particular load on it, so you can get by with a budget option (from 2.2 Hz).
RAM is responsible for starting and operating the operating system and does not affect the mining process. It is allowed to use either one or several strips that correspond minimum requirements(usually about 4 GB).
The hard drive must be in working condition. It also does not affect the speed and amount of earnings (preferably at least 100 GB).
must correspond to the energy intensity of the system and have a power reserve of 10-20%. Installing a pair of power supplies with additional button startup is cheaper than buying one unit with more power.
Devices for performing cryptocurrency mining operations. Powerful video cards, FPGA modules or ASIC controllers are used. The number and their performance directly affect the income from the farm; usually up to 6 pieces are connected to standard PCI-E ports of the motherboard.

It should be noted that you will additionally need several coolers to cool the devices, an exhaust hood to remove heat from the room (optional), a start button (one or two) and risers used to connect video cards to the motherboard (in some cases, assembly without them is possible).

Starting a mining farm

Beginners often start assembling a farm in the case of a regular computer, not taking into account the heating of the equipment during operation, which leads to the rapid failure of expensive elements. To prevent such negative results, it is advisable to adhere to a certain sequence.

Assembling a mining rig from scratch consists of several stages that allow you to get a working device with good cooling:

The drawing will help mark out the body elements, manufacture and prepare parts for assembly. To improve ventilation, it is necessary to take into account all components and provide them with free space. The minimum distance between video cards is 10 cm, since placing them closer will cause overheating. The size of the farm depends on the quantity, energy consumption and size of the equipment used.
Manufacturing of the body. It is necessary to use materials that are resistant to vibration and constant exposure to elevated temperatures. Aluminum corner has good thermal conductivity, but can be deformed when heated, however, it is excellent for a home farm. The parts can be secured with screws or bolts. Another, even cheaper option is a wooden frame. For a more reliable connection, the parts are first glued together and then finally fixed with self-tapping screws.
Marking and drilling holes for mounting points for devices. How firmly the equipment will be secured depends on the accuracy of the markings. It is advisable to increase the distance between devices, this will improve cooling and extend the life of the equipment.
The motherboard with the processor and cooler assembly is mounted. All other cryptocurrency mining devices are connected through it.
The power supply unit or units are the devices that support the life of the mining farm, so they are mounted strictly according to the markings. The length of the cords must ensure the interaction of all components of the farm. The location of power supplies in the frame is absolutely arbitrary, the main thing is that the length of the cables to the powered equipment is sufficient. You can use devices designed specifically for farms that have high power and have a sufficient number of power connectors.
Installation of video cards or other devices that enable cryptocurrency mining. Raisers allow you to use video cards without direct connection to ports, the main limiter is the length of the cables. Moreover, each video card can be powered from the most convenient power supply.

On final stage assembly installs the operating system and drivers for all equipment. At the same time, for different types of video cards, the installation of a separate software and the final setup of the farm is performed.

Comparison of video cards

You can start earning cryptocurrency using simple video cards or using special devices. Comparative characteristics and average cost are shown in the table:

No.	Video card, marking, type of RAM	Price, rub	hash/s
1	11Gb GIGABYTE GV-N108TAORUS X-11GD	60259	652.957
2	8Gb GIGABYTE GV-N1080D5X-8GD-B	42041	415.141
3	6Gb Palit GTX1060 Super JetStream	22656	269.138
4	6Gb ASUS EX-GTX1060-O6G	27561	269.138
5	4Gb GIGABYTE GV-N105TD5-4GD	10861	147.753
6	4Gb Sapphire 11256-21 RADEON RX 470	21138	263.277
7	3Gb Palit GTX1060 Dual GeForce GTX1060	15766	257.030
8	3Gb ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G GeForce GTX1060	19503	257.030
9	2Gb ASUS RX560-O2G RADEON RX 560	8350	115.394
10	2Gb ASUS RX550-2G RADEON RX 550	6832	70.055

As can be seen from the table, the performance of video cards depends mainly on the RAM and model. Lightweight devices lag significantly behind their full-weight counterparts in performance.

Specialized devices for mining

Due to the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, the development of specialized devices has begun that allow them to be used instead of video cards. It has become much easier to build a mining farm with them, and the profit has become much greater, however, energy consumption has increased.

As can be seen from the characteristics given, these devices are not suitable for beginners in the world of mining, since they are much more expensive than conventional video cards. The power consumption of ASIC controllers is higher than that of video cards, so proper cooling and good ventilation the rooms in which they are located are necessary conditions trouble-free operation.

Devices of this type are typical for specialized mining farms, so they are rarely used at home. They are able to provide not only the production of a certain type of cryptocurrency, but also switch to others if necessary.

Currently, there are no more productive devices designed for mining cryptocurrencies, so if you have enough money, it is recommended to use these devices for a home mining farm.

Earlier FPGA modules communicated with the computer using USB port and had separate meals. Reprogramming them for new types of cryptocurrency was quite difficult, and the power consumption was high, however, their performance was higher than that of video cards. On this moment are used very rarely and serial production does not exist.

power unit

The heart of any mining rig is the power supply. Depending on the requirements of the system, you can use either a pair of power supplies of appropriate power, or specialized, but also more expensive ones. The main condition for their use is to ensure maximum power of video cards. Thus, it is carried out uninterruptible power supply and earnings due to the speed of devices.

A power supply for a specialized mining farm can cost 10-12 thousand rubles, while simple computer blocks will cost only 900 - 2500 rubles. This suggests that using multiple power supplies is much more profitable than using specialized devices.

Approximate cost of assembly

Purchasing corners or bars will not require large expenses. If the manufacture of the frame is entrusted to an experienced mechanic, the cost will be no more than 800 rubles and will take a couple of hours. You should not pay for production in advance, since many locksmiths prefer to quickly spend the advance and end up in a condition unsuitable for work.
The motherboard in the economical version will cost from 3,680 rubles. (ASRock FM2A88M Extreme4+R2.0) ad infinitum. Either an analogue or a motherboard designed exclusively for mining can be used, providing the connection of the maximum number of video cards due to the presence of a sufficient number of connectors. Professional “farmers” use motherboards like AsRock H81 PRO BTC R2.0 (the cost can reach 6,620 rubles), which allows installation of up to 6 video cards. The use of risers is mandatory in this case, since most of the ports are made in PC-Ex1.
A processor suitable for a motherboard can be either a budget one, type A-4 of any series (from 2800 rubles), or the most modern, not limited in capabilities and price.
RAM from 4 GB in capacity is quite expensive, so a cheap option is to buy two 2 GB boards. Their cost will be about 905 rubles. for each, which will result in 1810 rubles. Buying one board of the same performance will be much more expensive (2099) at lower frequencies.
How more hard drive, the better, since users often store their Bitcoin wallet and other related programs on it. The minimum capacity of 100 GB is committed to providing only the most modest mining experience, so larger devices are recommended. For example, a Bitcoin wallet will weigh about 60 GB (more later). Other cryptocurrencies require less volume, but will also grow over time, so it is better to use devices of 500 GB and above. The minimum cost of a device like the WD Black WD5000LPLX will be 2,500 rubles, but you can also use more powerful screws that provide storage for wallets.

The final cost of a mining farm can vary from a minimum cost of 20,000 rubles. when using minimal settings and one video card, up to RUB 500,000. when using multiple devices. At the same time, 500,000 rubles. is not a marginal cost since increasingly better mining rigs can be produced.

Hello! In this article we will talk about mining farms.

Today you will learn:

What is a mining farm?
How it works.
How to build your own farm.

What is a mining farm

Let's start, as always, with a little theory.

In simple words mining farm – a set of components interconnected and producing virtual currency.

Cryptocurrency farms can consist of completely different components: video cards, processors, hard drives, special equipment created exclusively for mining. Initially, the concept of “farm” did not exist. Especially at a time when you could only use your home PC for mining.

But over time, the complexity of mining increased, algorithms improved and became more complex, and therefore mining on a home PC became simply unprofitable. Then people started looking for components and the right combination of them. Initially these were processors, then they were also added hard disks, and then video cards.

True, now most miners mean by the concept of “farm” several video cards interconnected. Such a design can perform only one task - to mine cryptocurrency using its computing power.

Farms on video cards have become popular thanks to ether, which has a mining algorithm that is not as complex as Bitcoin, but has already gained great popularity. That is why many remembered that earlier, back in the 12-13s, cunning gamers used their video cards to mine bitcoins. And they did it quite successfully.

And in order to mine bitcoins now, just a farm on video cards will not be enough. You need special equipment - ASIC processors, which cost a lot of money (from 5 thousand dollars), but have colossal computing power, ideally suited for mining.

The first cryptocurrency mining farms have come a long way from home PCs to full-fledged installations that cost several million rubles.

In this article we will talk mainly about farms on video cards, because:

They have a fairly simple design;
Do not require huge financial investments;
They pay for themselves quickly (150-180 days including electricity).

Bitcoin mining farm

Before we talk about farm work and how to do it at home, you should immediately understand one thing:

A bitcoin mining farm will now be practically unprofitable.

Due to the high difficulties in mining this cryptocurrency and the entry of large Asian companies into mining, a single farm simply cannot cope and will work with much lower profits than if it were mining, for example, ether or z-cash.

This does not mean that you will not be able to mine bitcoins. Not at all, you are guaranteed to receive your income.

But another question is what you need for this:

Use third party services, lending them your power;
Share profits with other participants;
Depend on complete strangers.

And this all means that such production turns out to be too risky and less profitable.

How does a mining farm work?

Let's pay attention to video cards. The “red” representatives of Radeon are best suited for mining. They are more adaptable, have more computing power, and therefore produce a lot of currency.

But since in Russia Radeon video cards Almost none, and those that exist cost a lot of money, so you have to be content with green analogues from GTX. Their later models have average mining performance, but demand for them has not yet reached the point where the price becomes disproportionately high.

Now let's talk about how the mining farm works.

To put it quite simply, then mining farm - an installation that directs its computing power to solve one problem - cryptocurrency mining. That is, you build a small analogue of a PC (very conditional), connect everything necessary equipment, set it up, and after that all resources at the maximum level will be directed to cryptocurrency mining.

The power of one farm is approximately 26 times higher than that of an average home PC costing 40-50 thousand rubles. Moreover, unlike a computer, power is not distributed to work programs, maintaining the system, or carrying out any operations. It is clearly focused on one thing - currency extraction.

Now that you roughly understand how a mining rig works, let's figure out what it takes to assemble a rig.

What is needed for a mining farm

In order to assemble a mining farm, you will need:

Motherboard. An ordinary motherboard with the required number of connectors for a video card will be sufficient.
HDD. 60 gigabytes may be enough, but it’s better to take 100-160. One wallet with Ethereum weighs only 25 GB, and with Bitcoin - from 50 and above.
Video cards. No special advice here. Choose a suitable video card for mining, and then, based on this, assemble the remaining parts.
Power unit. Farms with 4+ video cards often require more than one power supply. They basically buy several 750-watt units and simply connect them together to work.
Adapters for mounting video cards (preferably Razer).
Equipment start button.
It would be advisable to buy 1-2 more coolers for better cooling.

Another important detail is the frame for the truss.

Its approximate dimensions:

Width: 42 cm;
Length: 55-60 cm;
Height: 35 cm;
Height of the video card bracket: 23 cm.

It is best to make the frame from wood or aluminum. The size of the mining rig will be slightly larger than its frame due to protruding parts, adapters and the cooling system.

In total, the average truss will be approximately half a meter in height, 70 cm in length and 50 cm in width. A large mining rig can reach length and height parameters of one meter.

Now some tips regarding equipment:

Don't buy ASRock motherboards. Although the developers claim that they created their product solely for cryptocurrency mining, experienced miners actively discourage inserting them into farms, citing overloads and overheating solely due to the design of the motherboard.
Buying video cards in Russia is becoming increasingly unprofitable. Those models that literally a year ago cost 10-11 thousand rubles are now sold in leading stores for 18 thousand. If you decide to assemble a farm yourself, pay attention to the stores Western Europe and America.
Don't spend a lot on a motherboard and hard drives. The cost of all related equipment should not exceed 10-15% of the price of the farm itself.

Now to more detailed instructions on how to build your own farm.

How to build a mining farm

Assembling a farm yourself is not an easy task. However, if you know a little about computer hardware, this will not be difficult for you.

Video on creating a mining farm:

Farm setup

Once you have assembled the basic structure, you need to set up the truss. In fact, setting up a farm comes down to completely tearing down the system, installing new drivers and then working with programs.

After installing the operating system, immediately update the hardware drivers to latest versions. Then download MSI Afterburner from the official website to overclock your video cards. Next, install Teamviewer to work with the farm remotely, set the swap file to 20 GB and install.

We go to the site through which you will mine, select the pool (the network through which we will mine) and download the program itself. Then we open it like a notepad and write in it our wallet number, the name of the farm and the email to which notifications will be sent. We close it, click start, and the mining farm starts working.

Add the miner program to the autostart of your farm so that immediately after turning it on, it starts mining cryptocurrency.

This is roughly how a mining farm is set up from scratch. Almost all of the setup time will be spent installing the operating system.

To understand this better, watch the video:

Where to buy a ready-made farm for mining

If you don’t want to bother yourself with finding the necessary components, assembling, installing and configuring equipment, then it will be much easier to buy a farm. But there is one important detail.

There is no point in buying ready-made mining rigs on the secondary market or message boards. Firstly, people do not know the real cost of their structures and often inflate the price (up to 2 times), and secondly, you may encounter incorrect settings or low-quality equipment.

If you are in Moscow or St. Petersburg, then in your cities there are several companies that sell already configured turnkey mining farms.

In the provinces this is more difficult. It’s rare that anyone engages in mining in principle, and sells a finished farm either for a lot of money, or one that has already been killed.

Speaking about the ready purchase of farms, we cannot fail to mention special equipment for mining. It is created by manufacturers in order to make maximum use of hardware with minimal investment.

The most popular special equipment is ASIC processors. These are designs made specifically for working with bitcoins. They produce maximum power precisely in terms of production, but are completely unsuitable for everything else.

If we compare the cost of special ASIC equipment with the price of one average farm, it turns out that a mining farm will cost much less, even if you buy a ready-made one.

The capacity of farms at the same costs will be approximately 1.5 times less. But when buying special equipment for mining, there is a high risk that, if the threshold for entering the system increases greatly, you will not be able to mine anything on it, and there will be no one to sell it to, since the designs are not suitable for anything else.

Therefore, if you only want to engage in mining with maximum profitability, then it is better to buy ready installation, which will mine cryptocurrency. Prices: from 3 thousand dollars for the minimum configuration.

What cryptocurrency to mine on your farm

The question of which cryptocurrency to mine is quite interesting and controversial. On the one hand, there is a clear answer - ether. On the other hand, the complexity of mining and small rumors about changes in mining algorithms force us to look for backup options.

These options can be divided into two groups:

Famous cryptocurrencies;
Altcoins that are gaining popularity.

It’s up to you to decide, but dealing with popular cryptocurrencies is much safer and more profitable, and more profitable with those that are gaining popularity.

If you want to mine new altcoins, it is recommended not only to mine this cryptocurrency, but also to buy it. So, with an increase in cost, you will receive more money from the farm and have a stable return on your investment.

But dealing with altcoins is now very unsafe. You can easily go broke and lose several days/weeks, or even months of your farm’s work. Therefore, if this is your only farm and one of the few sources of income, then it is better to limit yourself to popular cryptocurrencies like Ether, Z-Cash, etc.

There you need to select a mining algorithm, set the power, and after that you will be given a list of options with the profitability of each of them.

How much does a mining farm earn?

Most interest Ask- this, of course, is “How much does one mining farm earn.”

It will not be possible to answer this unequivocally due to the fact that, firstly, there are different farms, and secondly, the cryptocurrency exchange rate in recent months is actively jumping, and it’s no longer possible to talk about exact numbers.

The only reliable figures that can be obtained are the payback of video cards. If we consider the most popular model in Russia now - NVIDIA GTX 1060, then the payback period varies from 140 days to 200, depending on the cost of cryptocurrency and electricity. Well, from setting up the farm, of course. Other video cards take a little longer to pay for themselves.

By overclocking the video card, you can significantly reduce the payback rate of the farm, by about 20-40 days. True, such a farm will heat up more, consume more electricity, and require better system cooling and, in principle, will live less.

Therefore, miners are forced to balance between income right now and the prospect of stable earnings for several years. But since the future is still vague, despite the increasing interest in cryptocurrency, experts still advise overclocking your video cards, if, of course, you know how to do it.

Moreover, judging by numerous articles on the Internet, investments in a farm pay off in 100-110 days. But if you explore the topic a little deeper and look at reliable forums, the figure will increase to 140-150 days at best. Based on our realities, we can talk about semi-annual investments, and in some cases, annual ones.

That is, video cards pay for themselves in an average of 150 days + equipment from the cooling system, motherboard and electricity will take another month. In total we get 5 - 6 months of payback.

For those who like specific numbers, it will all sound something like this:

A GTX 1060 farm brings in 90 rubles per day x number of video cards;
A GTX 1070 farm brings in 120 rubles per day x number of video cards;
A GTX 1080 farm brings in 130 rubles per day x number of video cards;
A GTX 1080 TI farm brings in 180 rubles per day x number of video cards.

Data valid for September-October 2017. What will happen next is still unknown.

If we compare prices with profitability and payback period, it turns out that the more expensive the video card (from those presented in the list above), the greater the profit and payback period will be.

That is, in the long run, it may turn out that the nominal income from 1 farm with 1080 TI will be higher, but for the same money that was spent on 4 TI video cards, you can buy 3 farms with 1060.

It is now difficult to find real data on how much farms bring in per day. And it’s even more difficult to predict its income, because due to its great popularity, mining algorithms are becoming more and more complex, prices are still jumping, and cryptocurrency sellers at any moment risk simply collapsing the market with their actions.

To see if mining is worth it at all, do some research with hardware suppliers. It is called cloud mining. It will allow you to understand whether there is money in cryptocurrency, whether it is profitable to invest in it, and generally get a “taste of money” in it.

While you are testing cloud mining, you need to watch training materials on:

Creating a mining farm at home;
Overclocking video cards;
Correct setup of equipment.

This is done so that you simply do not lose your investment. And now you will have to spend 100-110 thousand rubles on the first farm, which is quite a lot, taking into account the unstable economic situation.

Once you've tried cloud mining, compared all the costs and watched the training video, it's time to start building your own farm.

This is done quite simply, we even told you how. But alone important point Still, it’s worth remembering: you need normal system cooling. Overclocked video cards get very hot, and overheating is one of the most common reasons failures of gaming video cards, not to mention mining, in which poor cards work even harder.

And now about acceleration. As they said on one of the forums: “If you cannot overclock a video card for mining, then it’s better to find yourself stable work" No matter how harsh it may sound, it is true.

Overclocking a video card from scratch is not an easy task, especially when you have absolutely no experience in it. But YouTube is one big instruction on how to overclock video cards, including for mining.

To understand how to overclock video cards, watch the video:

And one more thing, but very important note. If you are assembling a mining farm at home, then you need to live either with very peaceful neighbors, or in a house with very good noise insulation, since the farms hum quite loudly.

What to do with the farm if cryptocurrency goes to the bottom

Frankly speaking, the situation in which the cryptocurrency breaks the bottom is almost unrealistic. Demand for bitcoins, the flagship virtual currency, has been growing steadily for more than eight years. This is a pretty good indicator.

Another question is that there were periods when it sank significantly, and lost up to 50% of the positions earned for the year within 1-2 weeks.

It is in light of this uncertainty that people are wondering what to do when “mining ends.” This is especially true with the government’s statements that it seems to want to regulate the circulation of biktions and cryptocurrency in general, but continues to firmly tighten the screws on money laundering.

The easiest option that comes to mind is to sell components. And this is the most correct option. You will have nowhere else to use your computing power except to mine another cryptocurrency.

Those who are seriously thinking about assembling PCs from mining rigs can be safely advised to forget about this idea. You will have to spend an amount comparable to the cost of a farm on components for 3-6 PCs (depending on the number of video cards). At the same time, you will also need to understand that a used video card will cost much less than a new one.

All that remains is to closely monitor the video card market, and immediately after the equipment becomes obsolete, throw it onto the secondary market, within a week at most.

Important fact. The Russian secondary market is now reacting very sharply to everything that happens to the economy. But despite this, computer parts always stood apart, because there are always gamers, and they need hardware. Therefore, if you carefully consider the moment, dismantle the farm and sell the video cards, then you can easily recoup the cost of the farm in a week, if you have time.

But everything is not so sad. Blockchain technology is very interesting for businesses and entrepreneurs. Therefore, cryptocurrencies will continue to be created quite actively.

True, these are often hype and made in order to collect money into the owner’s wallet. But in some cases, worthy and interesting projects emerge. So, the same ETH in 2014 was “another alternative to Bitcoin,” and now it is already the second cryptocurrency in the world.

The world of currencies is developing very quickly and in the near future, perhaps we will get two or three more worthy replacements for the old cue balls.

Therefore, do not rush to part with mining farms and think about what to do after Bitcoin or Ether loses value. You will be able to mine and trade altcoins that are just starting to appear. With proper investments in trade and equipment, you can.

Conclusion

To summarize, we can say that the mining farm is now - the only way adequate investment in earning cryptocurrency. If for some reason renting a mining farm is inconvenient for you, then assembling your own installation in your apartment will not be difficult. This will require only a monetary investment (100+ thousand rubles) and a little time to completely figure it out.

Don't expect your investment to pay off instantly. Most people who talk about 2-2.5 months are simply far from cryptocurrency and modern farming realities. Time is running, the algorithms become more complex, the price rises, and the payback still remains in the region of 120+ days (at best). If you want to start mining, it's a little late, but it's still profitable.

Recently, for a number of reasons, mining profitability has begun to decline. The constant complication of hash calculations and a decrease in the reward for the mined block, which is practiced in most projects, makes miners doubt the feasibility of this undertaking. How to make a budget farm in 2018 to start making money on it? What components to assemble it from and where it is more profitable to buy them - about this and much more below.

For example, let’s consider the option of assembling a budget mining farm, the cost of all components of which varies between 2000-2700 dollars. Payback period is about 1 year.

What you need for a budget mining rig

The right choice of equipment is the foundation for future success. The following components are required for operation:

Motherboard. The possible number of connected video cards depends on what card is installed on the computer. The cheapest is the As Rock FM 2A88M board, costing only $63, but it is of little use for efficient mining due to lack of power. Optimal choice– ASRock FM2A88X, to which you can connect six video cards. Its price is about $110.
Frame. This is an element on which you can save a lot by assembling it yourself from aluminum corners or wooden blocks. If you do everything from start to finish without outside help, it’s quite possible to keep it under $14.
CPU. When choosing, two main conditions must be met: the processor must have average power and be suitable for the motherboard. The best choice– A4 category unit for $48.
RAM. Two 2 GB boards will cost less than one 4 GB board, but the effect will be the same. Cost – $16 x2 = $32.
HDD for 60 GB. The cost of the most budget option is $40.
Video card from 2 GB of memory.
Cooling system(fans, cooler, etc.)

In order for a mining farm to generate money, you need to calculate everything correctly and take into account the risks.

It is worth dwelling on the choice in more detail. From inexpensive models The Nvidia Ge Force GTX 1050 Ti ($120) is worthy of attention. It is also recommended to consider the Radeon RX 470 Sapphire ($300).

The Radeon card is featured in this guide for a reason. It cannot be classified as budget, but these costs will justify themselves. Radeon video cards are the best for mining today. Most often, manufacturers optimize cards for games, and not for crypto mining, so specialized models are very rare, and the RX 470 is just one of them. In general, only cards made by NVidia and Radeon are suitable for mining farms.

Where to buy farm components

In specialized stores, everything is simple: the goods can be picked up on the day you order them, there is no need to wait for delivery. But the difference in price compared to Amazon can reach 100%. Thus, the GeForce 1050 Ti card in stores sells for $220-230, and on the Internet it can be purchased for $130. It is better to order components on Ebay or Amazon at a reasonable price and wait 20-25 days for delivery.

The diagram for assembling a mining farm with your own hands is quite complicated, but if you do everything according to the instructions, you will not get confused.

Procedure for assembling a farm for cryptocurrencies

Assembling the frame on which all equipment will be mounted. When assembled, it resembles a server rack.
Assembly of components. The process is no different from assembling a regular computer. The motherboard is placed on the bottom shelf of the frame, but always so that it does not come into contact with its surface.
Installing a cooler and processor on the motherboard.
Mounting the power supply to the corner using self-tapping screws. Reliable engagement of the block with the corners guarantees the safety of the device (protection against spark formation in contact).
Installation of the power button and indicators.
Connecting a hard drive.
Connecting a video card through raisers using Molex.

The inexpensive one is almost ready. All that remains is to install operating system(it’s better if it’s Windows 10) and download the software for mining coins.

Farm Software

You only need to work with functional software and use programs

Ethminer and sgminer-gm-windows. These programs are optimal for mining. Their main advantages are ease of installation and configuration. To mine other coins, you can use Ethereum Claymore’s Dual or Sia.

How much can you earn on a budget farm in 2018?

The main thing that interests the miner, regardless of whether he buys a farm or assembles it himself: what income can he get from it?

You need to understand right away: it is impossible to mine expensive on budget equipment. Since the main cryptocurrency began to break growth records, the number of its participants began to increase exponentially. As a result: system slowdown, scaling problems, increased commissions and hash calculation difficulties. Now, without powerful, expensive equipment, it is impossible to confirm the next block of Bitcoin. In addition, the cost of the block was halved, so the profitability of VTS mining was significantly reduced.

Therefore, it is worth paying attention to other cryptocurrencies:

Ethereum;

Ether mining is considered the most profitable today, but you can try mining other digital coins.

Ethereum is one of the promising cryptocurrencies, which is catching up with Bitcoin in popularity.

Example of a budget farm

An inexpensive mining rig can be assembled from the following components:

GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 motherboard.
Seasonic power supply 1,200 W.
Three PCIExpress slots with a RadeonRX 480 video card with a hashrate of 30 Mhash/sec.
Risers (sold at favorable price on risers.ru);
Winchester SSD Now V300 (120 GB).
Kingston 4 GB RAM.

OS installation. As mentioned above, Windows 10 is suitable for mining. But since an economical option is being considered, you can install free Ubuntu, created specifically for Ethereum mining.

Despite the general decrease in profitability and increase in mining payback periods, this a budget option can bring up to one hundred percent per annum at a cost of $2 – 2.7. In addition to bitcoin, the extraction of which today is only effective on industrial farms, provided that inexpensive electricity is used, there are a lot of young promising currencies that can bring good dividends. And then they can be exchanged for bitcoins or ether, which is no less reliable for long-term storage.