The cheapest mining farm

Mining cryptocurrencies is considered by many to be a promising way of earning money, which can be called almost passive. After customization, the equipment independently receives coins. To buy and assemble a powerful rig will require large investments, but you can enter the business with the cheapest mining farm. Its profitability will not be as great as we would like, but in the long run, investments can pay off, especially if the bull cycle begins.

Minimum system requirements for a mining farm

You don’t need a hangar of asics or video cards to start mining cryptocurrencies. You will need special equipment to enter the industry and get your first coins.

Technically, this is enough for stable ASIC-resistant cryptocurrency mining. The mechanism was developed so that powerful asics do not take all the revenue, as it happened with the Bitcoin blockchain.

It is worth noting that miners (programs for creating blocks and solving cryptographic tasks) run on weaker devices as well. They run on computers with a 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM and 100 MB of free memory.

Minimum configurations for installing the software will not be suitable. If the computer has such parameters, it will not be possible to mine cryptocurrency due to hardware limitations. At a minimum, the rig will work too slowly to send the ball to the pool, due to which the process will become unprofitable.

Choosing the components of a cheap mining farm

When assembling a computer for mining coins, you need to pay a lot of attention to the search for parts. From them directly depend on the stability of operation, hash rate and scalability. It is worth considering what components make up the cheapest farm for mining in 2023.

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Motherboard

It performs the role of a connecting link in the rig. To the motherboard (MP) connect the video cards, processor, so buying the cheapest or second-hand is not recommended. On the quality of the part depend on the stability of the GPU and the choice of other components. Before buying a board, you need to determine:

• What socket the CPU will have.
• How many GPUs need to be connected to one farm.
• What generation of RAM will be used.

First, it is worth evaluating the socket of the processor. It differs between Intel and AMD models. The first manufacturer produces “stones” with the socket LGA, and the second – AM and FM. There are also several generations that are not compatible with each other.

If the motherboard has a socket LGA1150, then the processor with LGA775 will simply not enter. Therefore, when choosing you should always first look at the compatibility of the motherboard and CPU.

Then miners look at the number of PCI-E connectors. From them depends on the number of video cards that can be connected. All boards have a PCI-E x16 port that allows you to directly connect the GPU. It also provides a connection with the maximum data exchange rate. In addition to the large connector, there are 1 or more PCI-E x1. You can’t connect a graphics card to it without an adapter, so a raiser will be required.

It is worth looking for models that will allow you to combine the power of more than 4 GPUs. Otherwise, you will have to collect several regs or limit yourself to a minimal income.

With the generation of RAM, as well as with the socket, everything is quite simple. If the manufacturer made notches for DDR3, then DDR4 can not be put.

In 2023, cheap mining farms will be equipped with simple boards costing up to 2-4 thousand rubles. To build a rig will be suitable:

• ASRock H81 Pro BTC R2.0.
• ASUS PRIME H270-PLUS.

Processor

CPU performs an important task in a computer – it manages all operations (from adding on a calculator to loading programs for mining). However, it is rarely directly involved in the process of cryptocurrency mining.

Usually, users assemble farms on video cards. In this case, the processor is needed only to run the operating system. Inexpensive models can cope with this task:

• Intel® Pentium® G3460 OEM.
• Intel Celeron G3900.
• AMD Athlon X4 750 Richland.

If the processor will not mine, you can buy a simple one. The main thing is compatibility with the motherboard. Taking into account that the processor is rarely loaded more than 30-40%, even the 2005 models work perfectly well.

The exception is if the miner plans to mine coins using the RandomX algorithm. Working with Monero will require more powerful equipment. For example:

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.
• Intel Core i7-10700.

It is difficult to call them budgetary. But you should not save on the parts that will take on the main load. It will not be possible to earn money with weaker components.

Video card

GPU is the most important part of the farm. Video cards consist of a huge number of microprocessors that differ minimally from each other. This simplifies parallel computing.

Choosing video cards is easy. You just need to check the statistics on a calculator (for example, Whattomine) and see the models that work in the plus side. To build an inexpensive mining farm, you should buy:

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 for $274.83.
• AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT for $209.4.

Both options will pay off for almost 3 years. But if you choose promising coins with low hash rate, you can get the first net profit faster due to the growth of the rate.

If the user plans to mine coins on RandomX, then any video card will do. It is needed only to display the picture on the monitor. Even NVIDIA GeForce 210 for $45 will do the job.

Power supply

This element is necessary for supplying the farm with electricity, because video cards and other parts cannot be directly connected to a socket. In stores you can find power supplies with different labels. For example:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold and others

This is the energy efficiency label. The higher the efficiency, the more electricity the farm receives and the less electricity is lost. For example, an inexpensive power supply may have a 1000W power rating, but in reality the computer only gets 800W.

Inexpensive models usually have an error of 20% or more. They should not be used for mining because of the high power consumption. It is advisable to choose models labeled 80 PLUS BRONZE or SILVER. They lose 15-19% of electricity. There is no point in overpaying for efficient PLATINUM, TITANIUM because of the insignificant difference in output power.

Not all manufacturers use such markings. If it is not available, it is worth looking at the efficiency in the characteristics. It should be no more than 19%.

Cheap mining farms are equipped mainly with 80 PLUS BRONZE blocks. To assemble a rig, you should use:

• Be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 10 750W.
• Cougar BXM 850W.

When choosing a spare part, you should also take into account the number of video cards, processors, and more precisely, their total energy consumption. Ideally, the unit should be loaded to a maximum of 70-80%.

Cooling

This is an important component of a mining farm, which is often forgotten. If video card chips get hotter than 80°C, wear and tear will accelerate. At 100°C, metal parts begin to melt. The cooling system should maintain the temperature at 70-75°C.

To remove hot air, video cards are equipped with coolers, but they are not always enough. It is also worth using additional fans (for example, Aerocool Verkho 2 for $13) or installing an air conditioner in the room.

If the budget is very limited, it is recommended to move the equipment to the balcony or garage. There are thin walls and no heating, so the temperature is close to the street temperature. In winter, cooling of a cheap farm for mining will not be needed at all. The main thing is to make an exhaust system. With your own hands you can poke holes in the walls at 2 opposite points and put the equipment between them. The wind will cool the farm for free.

Housing

The frame performs the role of the “skeleton” of the farm. Just laying out the parts on a table or shelf is not a good idea. Stores sell different quality and price of frames. There are:

• Wooden and metal.
• Open and closed with ventilation.

For inexpensive mining, users choose a simple aluminum frame without walls. It costs $11-20. The advantage of this option is free air exchange. Nothing prevents hot air from getting away from the graphics cards.

Risers

These parts are needed to connect video cards to PCI-E x1 connectors. They also act as extenders that allow you to place GPUs at a distance from each other. It is better to buy models of 2020 and newer.

The first generations of raisers had no decoupling of GPU and motherboard power supply. The graphics cards received the current of the MF, which it was not designed for. As a result, the boards burned quickly.

Now this problem is fixed, but not all raisers are equally good. They differ in the type of power supply:

• SATA – has thin contacts. During operation there is a burn-through that increases the resistance.
• 6 pin – the best raisers, which have thick contacts, protection against burning, as well as fuses.
• Molex is the optimal kind of raiser. Usually there are always enough connectors on power supplies to plug in. When using them, it is worth checking the contacts regularly for burn-in.

Risers sell for an average of $5. If a miner is assembling a farm for the first time, it is worth buying kits with universal extenders. They have wires and connectors for all types of power supply.

Hard disk

The element performs a service function and is rarely used in mining. It is used to mine Chia and create swap files if there is not enough RAM for the integrated graphics card.

An SSD for 100-200 GB will be enough for storing the operating system and documents. You can put a Kingston A400 for $24. If the miner prefers HDDs, it is worth buying Toshiba DT01 for $40.