scrypt mining rig suggestions

i went to configmyrig.com and selected the options to hit something close to 5mh. here is a screenshot:

http://s28.postimg.org/uayj19exp/Screen_Shot_2014_01_09_at_11_21_58_PM.png

i'll be scrypt mining at a multipool and the total that came up for the complete setup is about $5,000 seems like alot but let me know if you have any suggestions. What i'm wondering is how many PSU's would I will need and what kind is recommended? I'm thinking it would be a gold or platinum for the PSUs but i'm not sure how many and what kind would suit 6 Radeon R9 290x's. Also is the motherboard & cpu selected good enough? I'll be using a milk carton for the rig instead of a case so i'll need to get a hold of a good one.

Sarmen B.

Posted 2014-01-10T07:35:27.743

Reputation: 797

Clarifying on the power consumption: The TDP of the R9 290x is up to 300W, so let's assume 360 to leave room for power tuning. Assuming a 75% efficient PSU, that's 2880 W for the GPUs alone (also add your CPU and mobo. Err on the safe side, count at least 3000 W). I don't think a single 750 W supply will be able to give you 3 kW. ;-) Not only that, 3 kW is an awful lot of heat to dissipate! Any thought to water cooling systems? Also, I don't think that mobo has room for 6 GPUs, I bet each GPU takes at least 3 slots, and then you have to leave room for a LOT of ventilation. – rdb – 2014-01-15T09:14:33.137

Just to put these numbers in perspective, I had to upgrade from a 600 to a 750W PSU for my own mining rig with two low-end cards. My rig uses about 550 W while mining, and it makes my decently sized room quite uncomfortably warm, not to mention that even with 7 fans I'm having trouble controlling the heat production. You'd be dealing with almost six times that. – rdb – 2014-01-15T09:18:05.077

Answers

What i'm wondering is how many PSU's would I will need and what kind is recommended?

I would recommend much higher PSU, at least 1000 Watt PSU for each two Radeon's R9 290x. This is based on some recommendations I found (here and here). I am 99.99% confident a single 750 Watt PSU will NOT be able to cover 6 GPUs of that power.

I also think the motherboard you selected can only take 3 cards, you need to double check. Even with 3 slots the cards may not have enough room between the slots, so you will need to use extension cables. The CPU is actually overpowered, I would select a low-power one. CPU will not be used for mining. Memory is not used as well. You will be covered with a 2-4GB stick to run the OS processes.

No one seem to be bothered with a case. For that much price of a hardware you don't want much dust to come in. Or any morning coffee spilt on your expensive hardware... I would advice to buy a large, solid, enclosure with good ventilation. This would cost you around $200. But it will protect the hardware much better then a milk or vegi plastic case.

Just thoughts, I am NOT a professional electrical engineer.

oleksii

Posted 2014-01-10T07:35:27.743

Reputation: 391

I found a DIY article (http://www.ltcminingcontracts.com/DIYRig.aspx) for scrypt mining that uses 5 x Gigabyte R9 270 GPUs and a 1200 watt PSU. They are more cost efficient than the 290X. They use a lot less power, and although they have a lower hash rate individually, you can get multiple (for a larger combined hash rate) for the price of just one 290X.

Ash

Posted 2014-01-10T07:35:27.743

Reputation: 1