Mother Mine - Extreme Mining Setup

wndsr · 8 Jan 2014 at 10:36

Not content with my current mining setup of 3 x R9 290 and 3 x R9 280, I have decided to expand. Massively.

My current idea is to run 4 systems each with 4 x R9 280 - so 16 in total, and one system with 3 x R9 290, maybe 4 if I have some pennies left over to buy another one.

I am looking at getting under way as soon as possible, but for now my current list of things to do looks a bit like this...

Draw a plan of how the new setup will look in the cellar, including identifying where new plug sockets will go.
Clear out the cellar to accomodate all the new desks that will be going in.
Electrician to fit new plugs and lights
Purchase hardware, desks, fans, network hardware
Get them all set up one by one
Enjoy a nice strong drink.

It's pretty daunting at first but I will keep the thread updated with how I am getting on. It's going to be a quick project as I'd like it up and running as soon as possible.

Update 1: Current State of the Cellar

The last photo is the hole in the wall that I was planning to use as an intake of cold air, but the more I think about, the more it makes sense to try and pump the warm air into there?

Would greatly appreciate some guidance on this!

wndsr · 8 Jan 2014 at 10:37

Hardware Arrival & Set Up

To be continued - can't start until I have desks and electricity in the cellar!

wndsr · 8 Jan 2014 at 10:37

Had a very busy weekend getting things set up... In total I'll be running with 20 x R9 280X and 4 x 290. I'm not a fan of the 290's, though I did buy another one just to round it up to 4

Apologies in advance for the quality and quantity (or lack thereof) of my photos - I get so carried away I don't stop to take a photo!

First thing is first - get everything unboxed and plugged in.

Intel Celeron 2.7Ghz and AsRock H61 Pro BTC Motherboard

2 x 4GB Team Group Xtreem Memory in each one.

Antec 1300W Platinum PSU

Lots of red aluminium!

Soon becomes this...

Damp cellar has dried out considerable in the past few days. New plugs fitted too!

Most annoying thing of the build was how the GPU would slide around on the rail because the PSU wires were so stiff. Had to screw 3 holes in the rail to screw it in. Now it's perfect.

New switch to ensure everything is connected.

Worlds largest enter button.

MSI rig (only have 1 MSI rig, all the others are Power Colour)

Motherboard view. Have one GPU in the motherboard just for ease.

4 of the 6

The 5th one in the corner. Plus my sledge for when it's snowing

PowerColour 280X comes with a very nice backplate

Post-build treat...

Comments so far...

Before getting into this I was a bit of a brand snob and thought the Power Colour cards would be cheap versions and wouldn't compare to Asus, MSI etc... I was so wrong. They are built really well and perform exceptionally. One added bonus is the default unlocked voltage control, which for mining is a huge plus. The black backplate is an added extra too.

For anybody who is a bit like I was and questioning whether they are a good choice - they absolutely are. They actually perform better than my MSI cards.

I'm yet to do some accurate power consumption tests, but I'm working on the basis that each rig will pull approximately 1000W once I've finished undervolting.

I still have to set the 4 x 290 cards up - will do that some time this week. Will most likely need a new motherboard though.

ash_hart · 8 Jan 2014 at 12:22

Are you calculating the actual sum of Pi or working out some mathematical sequence with all that power

Make · 8 Jan 2014 at 12:45

Are you going to cool the whole basement with a good AC system, or are you gonna make some kind of ghetto-cooling?

In another forum, someone wanted to put over 30 cards under water, but people said it's next to impossible, as the heat load would be over 15000W.

Good luck, keep us posted with pics

Exsurgo · 8 Jan 2014 at 13:08

I am intrigued how you will go about this. I do think you will run into a thermal wall unless you build a really powerful heat extraction system (cutting out parts of walls) or using chimneys etc with powerful box fans (that cost about £50 each)

Diagro · 8 Jan 2014 at 13:22

i WOuldnt bother, The ASCI Miners for LTC will be out sooner rather than later and will destroy any profit you may get with those

DaleTheWhale · 8 Jan 2014 at 13:27

The money you're about to spend/have spent, I doubt you're going to make back, all this sudden hype has created an influx in BTC/LTC prices, but it will burst.

Allnamestaken · 8 Jan 2014 at 13:32

Hes already made a lot of money from it and hes probably just reinvesting most of his current profits back into it.

Trig · 8 Jan 2014 at 13:33

Should be an interesting thread, I presume your going to be mining on some sort of multipool, if asics are as close as we are led to believe then it could get pretty hard to claw back the outlay if it takes you more than a few weeks to complete all of this...

Diagro · 8 Jan 2014 at 14:37

Well TBH i wouldnt bother.
But if it does go under and he makes no profit he can at least use them as a GPU farm to render films and stuff for people haha

Trig · 8 Jan 2014 at 14:57

Allnamestaken said:
Hes already made a lot of money from it and hes probably just reinvesting most of his current profits back into it.

If a lot of money has already been made and its a negligible cost then why not, worse case he has a load of hardware to sell off and a revamped cellar for wine or a mancave of some sort lol

wndsr · 8 Jan 2014 at 18:43

Just to answer a couple of points made

with regards to the ASIC Miners - It is my personal belief that these are further away than what some people would like us to believe. Perhaps I'm going to make a huge mistake and ASIC miners will be out in March, but I just don't see it happening yet. That's my personal view and if it backfires - well at least I'll have lots of stuff to sell on the Members Market!

I have been following Alpha Technology and other companies who claim to be creating the ASIC's but I just don't yet have much confidence in their claims.

With regards to heat - our cellar is split into two sections, connected by a hole in the wall about 2ft x 2ft - it's my intention to suck all the hot air out of there and pump it into the other section of the cellar that currently isn't used - hopefully heating the dining room too.

I totally appreciate the risk involved in this and you may call me mad for doing it. But if I don't do it and it later turns out I could have made a small fortune, I'll be forever kicking myself.

I've also done some of the figures around this... This hardware alone could allow me to pay off £500 a month and still make a very healthy profit.

stephenb · 8 Jan 2014 at 22:48

I admire your bravery at going all in. Best of luck!

Make · 9 Jan 2014 at 13:38

You're looking at around 5kw of heat being pumped (Well, actually more when we calculate the other components too, motherboards and PSU's..), so yeah, it will probably heat your whole house just fine.. You might have to keep the windows open occasionally to lower the ambient, and keep the cellar doors open

The 2nd room will heat up eventually otherwise, the heat has to go somewhere. Remember, you will hear a lot of noise from down there having 290's in über mode. Might be ok at daytime, but disturbing during the night.

Lots of pictures when it happens, please.

wndsr · 9 Jan 2014 at 14:26

It's all so daunting! Aaaah! But also so exciting!

Electrician is coming next week to get the plugs fitted. I've order another 280X today to go in my current 3 card rig. If it plays fine in Windows I know I will be safe to proceed building 4 more.

delpy8 · 9 Jan 2014 at 15:25

photos please Oviously of the basement lol

Morfinel · 9 Jan 2014 at 15:30

You need to build server room, to keep noise and temp down

MrAdamski · 9 Jan 2014 at 17:35

Dread to see what the electric bill would be

O.D. · 9 Jan 2014 at 19:52

That sounds.. Mad. If I knew anything of BTC mining, I'd probably be more impressed..

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