Building your own crypto mining rig can be expensive in terms of cost, risk, and technical know-how. Instead, going for pre-built mining rigs is by far a good idea. However, you need to know which type of rig to acquire. These types include GPU, ASIC, and FPGA.
Let’s explore each of these main types of crypto miners so that you can make the best choice.
1. Prebuilt GPU mining rig
Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) were initially designed for gaming pc video cards. However, due to their multiprocessing and multithreading parallelism, they quickly found their new home in crypto miners.
High-end GPUs such as Nvidia GPUs use powerful graphic cards to accomplish multiple functions such as gaming, mining, and artificial intelligence (AI). A GPU rig employs a powerful GPU to acquire an extremely high hash rate that cannot be achieved by a CPU mining rig.
You can order a pre-built GPU mining rig from vendors by specifying the type of graphics cards you want to be used and how many of them will be used. The assembly is straightforward and can take just a couple of hours to do. This is why most GPU mining rigs are assembled on order.
The list of best mining rigs in the GPU category includes:
(a) Nvidia RTX 4090
The 4000 RTX Nvidia GPUs series boasts an unrivaled collection of high-performance GPUs in the gaming, crypto mining, and AI domains. Nvidia RTX 4090 is the current apex in this Nvidia GeForce RTX series. It has almost 70% more performance compared to its predecessor, the Nvidia RTX 3090.
Key specs:
- Hashrate: 120 MH/s
- Base Clock: 2.52 GHz
- Boost Clock: 2.23 GHz
- CUDA cores: 16384
- Tensor Cores: 512
- RTX Cores: 128
- VRAM Storage: 24 GB
- VRAM Speed: 21 Gbps
- VRAM Bus width: 384
- Power consumption: 450 W
- Voltage source: 12 V
- Cost: $1,500
(b) Nvidia RTX 3090 Ti
Before the introduction of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 series, the 3090 Ti has been the apex of Nvidia GPUs. The Nvidia RTX 3090 Ti is an improvement on its predecessor, the RTX 3090. It boasts better performance and efficiency. While the 3090 Ti GPU has a minor performance boost compared to its predecessor the RTX 3090, it has a monstrous power consumption of an extra 100W that negates this gain and thus a big dip in power efficiency.
Key specs:
- Hashrate: 100 MH/s
- Base Clock: 1.56 GHz
- Boost Clock: 1.86 GHz
- CUDA cores: 10752
- Tensor Cores: 336
- RTX Cores: 84
- VRAM Storage: 24 GB
- VRAM Speed: 21 Gbps
- VRAM Bus width: 384
- Power consumption: 450 W
- Voltage source: 12 V
- Cost: $1,000
(c) Nvidia RTX 3090
When it comes to cryptocurrency mining, Nvidia RTX 3090 has dominated the scene and continues to do so even with the introduction of its successor the RTX 3090 Ti, and the advent of the latest RTX 4000 series. This is primarily due to its combination of price and power efficiencies.
Key specs:
- Hashrate: 90 MH/s
- Base Clock: 1.40 GHz
- Boost Clock: 1.70 GHz
- CUDA cores: 10496
- Tensor Cores: 328
- RTX Cores: 82
- VRAM Storage: 24 GB
- VRAM Speed: 19.5 Gbps
- VRAM Bus width: 384
- Power consumption: 350 W
- Voltage source: 12 V
- Cost: $900
2. Prebuilt ASIC mining rig
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) mining hardware is an excellent option when you are focused on a certain specific mining algorithm such as the SHA-256 algorithm. Thus, ASIC is for dedicated mining rigs. If you want flexibility in terms of mining using various algorithms, then ASIC isn’t the best option.
The list of best mining rigs in the ASIC miner category includes:
(a) Whatsminer M53S++
If you are looking for a monstrous SHA-256 hash rate, then Whatsminer M53S++ won’t disappoint. With a hash rate of 320 TH/s, this is the topmost of the Whatsminer M series in the market today. Many other offerings within this series can meet your budget and hash rate requirements such as the M30, and M50 are available.
Key specs:
- Hashrate: 320 TH/s
- Power consumption: 7,040 W
- Cost: $9,000
(b) Antminer S19 Pro
Bitmain is a top brand when it comes to crypto mining equipment. The Bitmain Antminer S series has a wide range of mining equipment to meet your hash rate and budget requirements. For SHA-256 mining, Bitmain Antminer S19 Pro balances budget, performance, and profitability.
Key specs:
- Hashrate: 110 TH/s
- Power consumption: 3250 W
- Cost: $3,000
(c) Dragonmint T1
For those on a low-end budget looking for affordability while having a reasonable hash rate, Dragonmint T1 is fair enough. At 16 TH/s, you can get reasonable profit for your investment at a cost-effective budget. It also has a comparatively low power drain. However, it has poor power efficiency compared to Antminer and Whatsminer brands of the same hash rate.
Key specs:
- Hashrate: 16 TH/s
- Power consumption: 1480 W
- Cost: $2000
Factors to consider when choosing a prebuilt crypto mining rig
A combination of various factors needs to be weighed out to come up with the best pre-built crypto mining rig.
The following are the main factors to consider:
1. Crypto mining economics
Sound investment advice from a mining expert would require you to consider not only the physical aspects of mining cryptocurrencies but also the economic aspects. Profitability, affordability, and value efficiency are the three core economic factors to consider.
Profitability
There are two forms of profitability to consider – operational and organizational profitability.
(i) Operational profitability
How profitable are the mining operations? Operational profitability is guided by the revenue-side and the cost-side factors.
Revenue-side factors:
- Mining rewards – some coins have better rewards than others. The higher the reward the more profitable the mining operation will be.
- Hash power – the higher the hash rate, the more profitable a mining rig could be.
Cost-side factors:
- Power efficiency – how much output (hash power) one gets per unit of power consumed will determine how profitable a mining operation is.
- Price efficiency – how much output (hash power) one gets per dollar spent on acquiring the mining rig will determine the profitability of the mining operation.
(ii) Organizational profitability
How profitable is the organizational model? There are three types of mining organizational models: solo, pool, and cloud. Since we are talking about acquiring a prebuilt crypto-mining rig, cloud mining is irrelevant.
In solo mining, you are a sole proprietor fully responsible for the entire mining hash power. This means that must solely acquire the mining rig that fits your profitability target. This model requires a high capital outlay – since, other factors being constant, the higher the hash rate, the higher the profitability. Yet, the higher the hash rate, the more expensive the mining rig. Hence you will need more expensive hardware to achieve your target.
The alternative is to opt for pool mining. In this model, you are part of a joint venture whereby you simply contribute a share of the total hash power required to mine. As such, a lower hash rate won’t hurt you so long as both power efficiency and price efficiency are optimal. This model requires a lower capital outlay compared to solo mining.
Affordability
Is the mining rig price affordable given the profitability target? What acquisition options are there? Which acquisition method is the most affordable?
You may have a certain profitability target but the price tag for the right mining rig is beyond your budget. What should you do? You may opt for a credit purchase or simply hire the mining equipment instead of buying. Alternatively, you may take a loan. If none of these options is available, then, you may have to lower your profitability target to match the kind of mining rig whose price fits your budget.
Value efficiency
The three main forms of efficiency are capital efficiency, price efficiency, and power efficiency.
- Capital efficiency – As a rule of thumb, if the marginal profit contributed by the interest component supersedes the marginal interest, opt for credit instead of cash. The idea is to have the highest profit at the lowest affordable capital.
- Price efficiency – this is about how much hash power you get per every dollar spent in buying the mining equipment. The hash power is based on the hash rate. The higher the better.
- Power efficiency – this is about how much hash power you get per every unit of power consumed. The higher the better.
2. The main components’ specifications
When building your own crypto mining rig, knowledge of component specifications is a must. However, with pre-built mining rigs, this becomes a necessity rather than mandatory.
The following are the core components whose technical specifications must not escape your attention:
(a) Processing Unit
A processing unit is one of the most powerful components in a mining rig. Two main types of processing units are the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Graphic Processing Unit (GPU).
Also check bitcoin mining CPU vs GPU.
The choice of CPU or GPU mining hardware depends on your mining power requirements.
(b) Motherboard
There are several motherboards in the market today that one can use to build own rig. However, Asus B comes out as the best mining motherboard.
(c) Power Supply Unit
The main function of a Power Supply Unit (PSU) is to ensure a stable power supply to the mining equipment. The specification requirements for power supply units vary depending on the mining rig’s power consumption and power efficiency ratings.
(d) Memory (RAM)
Memory is an extremely important factor to consider. The following memory specs need to be considered:
- Memory architecture – indicated in DDR versions, e.g., DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, DDR5, etc. The latest the better.
- Memory storage capacity – measured in Gigabytes (Gb), the bigger the better.
- Memory bus width – the bigger the width the better.
- Memory clock speed – measured in GHz, the faster the better.
- Memory cache – measured in Kilobytes (Kb), the bigger the better.
(e) Storage drive
A storage drive is used to store both data and software. The following key specs need to be considered:
- Drive type – We do have a Hard drive (HD) and a Solid State Drive (SSD). SSD is the latest technology and should be preferred
- Revolutions – for HD, the number of Rounds Per Minute (RPM) matters. The higher the better.
- Storage capacity – typically measured in Gb, the higher the better.
3. The crypto mining software
Several crypto-mining software exists in the market today. Your choice of mining software depends on your skills, preferences, and hardware compatibility.
4. The power rating
How much power consumption your mining operation will cost depends on the power rating of your mining hardware.
Energy costs are affected by how much power a mining rig consumes. Power rating is expressed in terms of Watts per hour (W/h, or Wh) or Kilowatts per hour (KW/h, or KWh). The latter is often used. One kilowatt is 1000 watts (1000W). Power efficiency is based on how many hashes are produced per unit of power consumed. The higher the power efficiency the better the mining rig.
5. The mining environment
Mining rigs emit lots of heat. Thus, ambient temperature, as indicated by the manufacturer must be adhered to avoid burnout. A good cooling system must be implemented in the room or space where the mining rig is hosted. A dry cooler is ideal as it not only keeps the temperature in check but also reduces moisture levels.
Conclusion
Buying pre-built mining rigs is the fastest way to begin your cryptocurrency mining venture. You have a choice between a GPU rig and an ASIC miner. We have come up with a list of the best mining rigs in each category to help you make a quick investment decision. However, in this fast-changing technological world, the list is extremely perishable. Hence, knowing how to choose your own crypto mining rig will ensure you get the best even as new breakthroughs enter the market. We have highlighted the top 5 factors that will guide your choice right now and in the future.
Up Next
Crypto Mining on Laptop: Best Guide on How to Do It
In this guide, I will show you how to mine crypto on your laptop. We’ll review the best laptops for crypto mining, which coins to mine, and how to go about it. Read more.
7 Best Bitcoin Mining Hosting Solutions Compared
With so many hosting solutions available, it can be difficult to determine which one is the best fit for your mining operations. Which one do you trust and does it really make sense to outsource your machines to them or will they scam you? In this review, I will look at the top Bitcoin mining hosting providers. I will tell you the pros and cons of each so that you can make your own decision about which one best suits your needs. Read more.