Part I: Minimum Hardware Specification
If you want or will build a computer for mining Bitcoin, you can see this article as a consideration or reference. Computers that are devoted to mining come in all shapes and sizes. And we will focus on the tutorial of building a very basic rig. This guide is meant for those of you who want to start and help in building your first rig.Once you know how to build it, you can grow through super computers as big as you want. We will show you how to build the first rig. If you do not want to invest money in hardware and just want to use your current computer to start mining, you can simply switch to Part 2: Software Requirements.
The first thing you need to know about mining is that currently, mining power is processed using your graphics card (GPU). Because, day-to-day process of mining with CPU has long passed. Because, GPU offers a faster way to solve the algorithm needed to make your money. This GPU should be your main focus when designing the rig you want to build.
What are the ideal hardware options for Bitcoin mining?
Before you take a much more extreme step, there are some things you need to know in assembling. designing, and building an ideal rig for the "mine" process. And of course, it also applies to those who have a fairly tight budget (because I used to be so: D). Generally, there are only 3 things you need to see when building a rig for Bitcoin mining:
Graphics card: this is the biggest source from which bitcoin can be found in your rig and this is the real one that will make money. So, do not be cheap for this
Power Supply: You will need enough power to run your rig. If you will get 2 or more for the graphics card, never buy a PSU below 700W. We even recommend a 1000W + PSU if you can afford it.
Motherboard: The only thing you need to look for here is the number of PCI-E slots (or a place for your video card). Try to find one with at least 3 slots so you can expand the best graphics card when needed
The rest of the hardware is not really that important:
CPU: almost useless, you just need to run the OS.
RAM: doing the mining process does not use RAM intensive, so you do not have to worry about it.
Hard drive, again, you just need to run the Operating System.
Computer case, less is better. The less the limitations between your components, the more air will flow through and help in cooling. In fact, most rigs for mining are built with no casing.
Part 2: Software Requirements (Software)
Once you have a computer with minimum specifications to start mining coin, now all you need is getting all the software to get started. This guide will assume you are using the Windows operating system. If you are using Linux or Mac, the steps to get started are basically the same. However, to get more details on how to complete each step, there are many guides available online with simple web searches.
Before starting, there are 4 basic things you need to pay attention to and do, including:
Software and drivers for video cards that have the latest updates
Software to start mining activities (software mining)
Coin Wallet / wallet (Only required if you are a solo player to mine)
Internet connection
The operating system has been updated
Make sure you update the operating system of all the latest updates. Why is that so important? Because this will ensure to minimize the risk of any security breach.
Graphics Card Software & Driver
Graphics cards are the most important part of getting a mining rig. So, you should always be ready to update and download the latest software for your graphics card whether it's using an AMD or Nvidia graphics card.
Software Mining
Just like Crypto Wallet aka wallet, there are some mining software options that can be recommended. After experimenting with some software, basically Claymore Dual Miner can be a major recommendation. There are several reasons why this is highly recommended, including:
First, Claymore has a fairly small file size, quickly installed, loads DAG files to RAM rather than disk, and is highly optimized so you might see higher hash on your GPU than you would normally see in other miners.
Secondly, this software also works both on AMD GPUs and from Nvidia, and can be used on Windows. The disadvantage is that it uses only 1% of your GPU's mining cycle for its own account, as a means of payment to Claymore's creators. But considering you'll see about 5% better hashrate in Claymore, the payment seems fair enough.
To install it, go to the Claymore GitHub page (v9.7 is the latest release of this post) and download the tar.gz file. Use Archive Manager to open it and extract it into its own folder (I created a claymore folder in the home directory).
Well, that's it .. you do not need to run any installation scripts. However, this needs to be run from the command line, and uses some input parameters. So the smart thing is to create a shell script that runs everything (similar to a batch file in Windows).
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