Hello, in this article I will walk you through all you need to decide on the best crypto-mining motherboard fo your oeperation.
Let’s kick it.
Having a dedicated mining motherboard for your mining operations is far better than using normal motherboards. This is because dedicated motherboards have special features designed for a crypto mining rig that regular motherboards do not have. Some of these features include a high number of GPUs and many expansion slots. Typical cryptocurrency mining motherboards have a higher GPU support of at least 6 GPUs with most having between 12 and 20 GPUs while a normal motherboard will have one or two GPUs.
In addition to providing you with a list of the 11 best crypto-mining motherboards, we are also going to highlight factors to consider when choosing your best mining motherboard.
The 11 best crypto mining motherboards
To make it easier for you to quickly find the best motherboard for your crypto mining rig we have compiled the following list of GPU motherboards to choose from:
1. Asus B250 Mining Expert
Topping the list of high-quality motherboards is Asus B250 Mining Expert. It ranks as the best GPU mining motherboard on our list due to its excellent performance. It is also the top choice for a lot of miners considering its key specs.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 19 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 6th and 7th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel B250
- RAM: slots = 2; type = DDR 4 DIMM; capacity = 32 GB; speed = 2400 MHz
- Expansion slots: 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot, 18 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots,
- Form factor: ATX
2. ASRock H110 Pro BTC+
The biggest competitor to Asus B250 Mining Expert is ASRock H110 Pro BTC+. This crypto mining and gaming motherboard not only boasts a powerful Intel H110 processor but also a host of additional features that makes it stand out.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 13 GPUs
- CPU Socket: BGA 437
- Compatible Processor: 6th and 7th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel H110, Intel B250
- RAM: slots = 2; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 32 GB; speed = 2400 MHz
- Expansion slots: 1 PCI Express 3.0. 12 PCIe 2.0.
- Form factor: ATX
3. MSI Z270-A Pro Carbon
One of the best choices for Ethereum mining is MSI Z270-A Pro Carbon. Its 7 GPUs provide great value for mining crypto at a very affordable price.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 7 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 6th and 7th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel Z170
- RAM: slots = 4; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 64 GB; speed = 2400 MHz
- Expansion slots: 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16, 4 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
- Form factor: ATX
4. Asus Prime Z390-P LGA1151
Providing one of the best prices on the market, Asus Prime Z390-P LGA1151 has a GPU support of 6 GPUs and a powerful Intel Z390 processor. Compared to its rivals, the Asus Prime z390-p motherboard is lacking when it comes to the number of GPUs supported which may limit its future prospects.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 6 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 8th and 9th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel Z390
- RAM: slots = 4; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 64 GB; speed = 2400 MHz
- Expansion slots: 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16, 4 x PCI Express 3.0 x1
- Form factor: ATX
5. Biostar TB360-BTC Pro 2.0
GPU support of up to 12 GPUs makes Biostar TB360-BTC Pro a very powerful mining motherboard. Biostar TB360-BTC Pro motherboards come equipped with super LAN surge protection against irregular power supplies and an impeccable layout of PCIe slots. It is ideal for mining multiple coins.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 12 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 8th and 9th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel B360
- RAM: slots = 2; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 32 GB; speed = 2666MHz;
- Expansion slots: 11 PCIe 3.0 x 1 and 1 PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots
- Form factor: ATX
6. Asus Rog Strix Z270E
Game lovers who are also mining enthusiasts will find the Asus Rog Strix Z270E gaming motherboard one of their best options. It boasts a powerful Intel Z270 processor combined with a high-capacity 64GB RAM.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 7 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 6th and 7th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel Z270
- RAM: slots = 4; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 64 GB; speed = 4400 MHz
- Expansion slots: 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16, 4 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
- Form factor: ATX
7. Gigabyte Z390 UD Motherboard
Boasting 128 GB of RAM, Gigabyte Z390 UD has superb performance as a gaming motherboard. It also does pretty well as a mining board. However, its low number of GPU support makes it less endearing to a lot of miners.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 6 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 8th and 9th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel Z390
- RAM: slots = 4; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 128 GB
- Expansion slots: 4 PCI Express 3.0 ports
- Form factor: ATX
8. Zotac B150 Mining ATX Motherboard
Packed with an Intel B150 processor and supporting 7 GPUs, Zotac B150 comes at a reasonable price that makes it a popular choice for a lot of miners on a low-end-budget spectrum.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 7 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 6th and 7th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel B150
- RAM: slots = 2; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 32 GB
- Expansion slots: 1 x PCIe x16, 7 x PCIe x1
- Form factor: ATX
9. Biostar TB250-BTC PRO
Equipped with 12 GPU support, Biostar TB250-BTC pro motherboards are powerful enough to mine multiple coins. They are also guarded against irregular power supply using built-in super LAN surge protection.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 12
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 6th and 7th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel B250
- RAM: slots = 2; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 32 GB
- Expansion slots: 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16, 11 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
- Form factor: ATX
10. Gigabyte GA-Z170X-GAMING 5
Crypto miners who want a superb gaming motherboard that can also be utilized for mining crypto will find Gigabyte GA-Z170X-GAMING 5 an ideal hybrid choice. Build quality and affordable price are the two prominent factors that make this board appeal to a lot of miners on a shoestring budget.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 6 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1151
- Compatible Processor: 8th and 9th Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron Core – i9/i7/i5/i3
- Chipset Type: Intel Z170
- RAM: slots = 4; type = DDR4 DIMM; capacity = 64 GB; speed = 2133 MHz;
- Expansion slots: 3 PCIe 3.0 x16 slots
- Form factor: ATX
11. Creamic BTC-37
With one of the most unique designs, Creamic BTC-37 has a built-in CPU and fan. This design leads to low power consumption compared to other GPUs of similar specs. It also supports 8 GPUs without PCI-e slot extension. The downside is its underwhelming RAM properties.
Key Specs:
- GPU support: 8 GPUs
- CPU Socket: LGA 1155
- Compatible Processor: Intel Celeron 1037U Dual Core CPU
- Chipset Type: HM 77
- RAM: slots = 1; type = DDR3 DIMM; capacity = 32 GB
- Expansion slots: 8 x PCIe x16
- Form factor: Custom
Factors to consider when choosing the best mining rig motherboard
While many factors influence the choice of the best motherboard, the following are the top picks:
1. Quality
Quality comes first before any other consideration. The following are things to consider when choosing high-quality motherboards:
(a) Mining power efficiency
The motherboard should be optimized for mining power efficiency. For this optimization to be achieved, the motherboard should:
- Have an optimized bus architecture
- Support the latest RAM technology with appropriate GB-DDR optimization
- Support CPU and GPUs with high hash rate and hash power efficiency
- Have a sufficient number of PCIE slots / GPU slots
- Have a sufficient number of memory slots
(b) Durability
The hardware should have a reasonable lifespan. This lifespan depends on the build quality including the quality material used to make the motherboard base and its pins, slots, connections, and buses.
(c) Cost-effectiveness
The price of the motherboard should be commensurate with its quality. You need to get the best value for your money, not just an affordable price.
(d) Performance optimization
The motherboard should be designed in such a way that brings together components that collectively yield optimized performance. For example, the CPU should be supported by the right GPU combination and the RAM capacity should be adequate to serve both the CPU and the GPU. If you have a powerful CPU yet an insufficient number of GPUs, the performance will be sub-optimal. On the other hand. When you have powerful CPU and GPUs yet inadequate RAM capacity, then the hardware will still perform sub-optimally.
2. Processor type compatibility
A crypto mining board is designed with CPU compatibility and GPU support in mind. Thus, if you want to enjoy peace of mind during your mining setup, consider the following key compatibility factors:
(a) CPU compatibility
Different CPU chipsets have different CPU socket requirements depending on the CPU architecture. For example, the requirements of an Intel processor chipset may vary from those of an AMD processor chipset. Thus, if you want to utilize a certain CPU chipset, make sure that the mining board that you want to acquire is compatible with it.
(b) GPU support
A typical motherboard for mining crypto has at least 6 GPU support. The latest trend is having a GPU support of at least 12 GPUs. Currently, the motherboard of a powerful mining rig can support up to 20 GPUs. Ideally, the higher the number of GPUs a given motherboard is capable of supporting the better it is.
3. Storage type and size
While a lot of miners focus on the storage size of a crypto mining rig as indicated by Gigabytes (GB) rating, the type of storage is extremely important. One needs to consider both types:
(a) Temporary storage
Also known as memory storage or Random Access Memory (RAM), this is an important factor when it comes to processing power. RAM stores instructions and data for immediate consumption by the processor. Thus, the higher the RAM capacity the more instructions and data will be available to the processor. However, the efficiency of a given RAM depends on extra features such as the architecture (DDR), clock speed, and bus width.
(b) Permanent storage
Permanent storage is where software and data reside. This comes in the form of a hard disk (HD) and/or solid-state disk (SSD). While HD has a very reasonable price per unit of storage, it is slow to access compared to SSD. Thus, if you prefer high performance, go for SSD. You can also have a hybrid GPU system utilizing both HD and SSD depending on the number of SATA slots available.
4. Number of expansion slots and ports
Expansion slots and ports allow flexibility in terms of scaling up or down your crypto-mining rig. Often, one begins with a scaled-down mining rig with just a few slots and ports being utilized and then gradually scales up as the mining operations grow in demand. More expansion slots and ports improve the ability to expand future mining operations.
The followings are the expansion slots and ports that you should give due consideration:
(a) Number of PCIE (for GPU) slots
PCIE slots are for inserting graphics cards. The more the PCIE slots the higher the number of graphics cards that the motherboard can handle. Since a GPU is found on the graphics cards, it means that the more the graphics cards the more the GPUs that the motherboard can support.
(b) Number of SATA ports
To meet future expansion needs, the mining board needs to have several SATA ports to handle the operating system, mining software, and data needs.
(c) Number of USB ports
USB ports determine how many peripheral devices can be attached to the motherboard. The more USB ports a motherboard has, the more peripheral devices can be attached. Such peripheral devices include a mouse, keyboard, printer, scanner, etc.
5. Power supply
A powerful mining motherboard is not determined by its power supply rating but by its power efficiency. Energy consumption is a significant component of the overall cost of mining crypto and thus cannot be overlooked. You have to evaluate the power rating against the processing capacity and also in comparison with other mining boards with similar processing capacity. Ideally, given the same processing capacity, go for a motherboard with a low power consumption rating.
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