If earlier mining was possible only on central processors, today they use video cards. It is on the GPU that the mining profitability increases greatly, so many users are thinking about buying powerful graphics systems for cryptocurrency mining. Thanks to today's powerful graphics cards, collecting bitcoins is easy today. But just a powerful video card is not enough, you also need the right motherboard for mining. Ideally, boards that allow you to install 4-6 video cards are suitable, and the interface must be PCI-E x16 and PCI-EXPRESS x1.
Below is a small list of popular mining motherboards from ASRock. It is this company that has successfully established itself and made a name in the miner community. ASRock boasts specialized technologies that are aimed specifically at GPU mining. Other manufacturers such as Asus, MSI and Gigabyte also create similarplatforms that in theory can be used for mining rigs, but their purpose is different. They are not dedicated mining motherboards and sometimes users experience difficulties. Therefore, ideally, you should use ASRock boards.
Features of mining motherboards from ASRock
The model line of this manufacturer has many special BTC boards designed specifically for assembling mining rigs based on different processors - from Intel or AMD. There are also boards designed for other purposes, but quite suitable for mining. However, when choosing such "motherboards", you should remember that individual PCI-E slots may not be available due to location.
The best motherboards for mining should have the following features:
- the ability to install cheap dual-core processors (we don’t need powerful and expensive central processors here at all);
- correct PCI-E location;
- lack of "chips" and technologies designed to improve graphics and performance in games. In mining, these technologies will be completely unnecessary, and they increase the cost of the motherboard;
- low price.
ASRock's specialized BTC boards have special features that are extremely useful for mining. For example, they provide power to video cards through the PCI-E slot and have connectors from the power supply. Also, they do not share the PCI-E interface with externaldevices (for example, network and sound cards), so mining performance is increased. Such boards, with their basic functionality and the absence of various bells and whistles, can be operated at high loads and temperatures, and at the same time they provide uninterrupted and stable operation.
Which motherboards are ideal for mining?
When choosing, look first of all at the name. The board should have a BTC index in the name, which already hints that it was designed for cryptocurrency mining. Next, you can consider models from the PRO and Anniversary series.
Unfortunately, the 6-GPU mining motherboard can only work with Intel processors and sockets 1150 and 1155. So far, there are no boards that can support six video cards and work with sockets for AMD FM2 or the new Intel 1151 socket However, some manufacturers offer mining motherboards for 6 video cards that are capable of working with AMD FM2. But they are very expensive, so they are not suitable for miners. They'd better spend the extra money on additional graphics cards.
Ideal - a cheap motherboard compatible with a cheap processor, but expensive video cards. After all, mining efficiency depends on the video card, and not on the central processor.
Board models
4-card motherboard models:
- B150 Combo;
- H170M Pro4S;
- B150M Pro4S;
- H170M Pro4;
- Q170M vPro.
For 5 cards:
- B150 Pro43.1;
- H170 Pro4D3;
- B150A-X1;
- H170 Pro4S;
- B150 Pro4D3.
For 6 cards:
- H97 Anniversary;
- H81 Pro-G;
- B85 Anniversary;
- H81 Pro BTC.
Review of mining motherboards
You can't just walk into a store and pick the first board you like. Assembling a farm to receive cryptocurrency requires careful analysis, so it is appropriate to list the best models. In principle, you already know the main criteria that a mining motherboard should have, so you can choose a melting model yourself. But still, a review would be appropriate.
1st: AsRock H81 PRO BTC R2.0
This motherboard was designed specifically for mining. It is inexpensive because it does not include unnecessary technologies and features that are usually found on other motherboards. For creating a bitcoin mining farm, this model is considered the best choice and is popular with many miners.
There are 6 video card slots available here. However, there is also a drawback: only one video adapter can be fully installed - in the PCE-Express 2.0 slot. Other video cards are connected via extension cables, but today this is not a problem at all.
2nd: AsRock FM2A58+ BTC
This board allows you to create a farm based on 5 video cards and an AMD processor. It is based on the AMD A58 chipset, so it is compatible with cheap processors with an FM2 socket. There are also 2 full-fledged PCI-E x16 interfaces and 3 PCI-E x1 interfaces. To install threevideo cards will have to buy risers separately.
Also, AsRock FM2A58+ BTC has a 4-pin connector for supplying additional power to video cards, a Re altek gigabit LAN card that provides a very high speed on the Web.
3rd place: Asus Z87-PRO
Extremely large mining base that runs on an Intel processor from socket LGA 1150. It also supports cheap 4th generation processors. Its feature is the presence of seven slots for video cards: 3 slots PCI Express x16 and 4 slots PCI Express x1.
Features of this board:
- 12-phase power system;
- Dual Intelligent Processors 4 technology, aimed at improving system performance depending on the type of task, including mining;
- Gigabit LAN controller.
All the above motherboards allow you to create a mini-farm for bitcoin mining. It will be distinguished by low cost (not counting the cost of video cards) and high efficiency. The choice is yours.
Is mining profitable today?
Many argue about whether it makes sense to engage in mining, because the cost of electricity is often higher than the profit from this activity. This is partly true, and the whole reason is the huge number of mini-farms in the world that perform computational operations. If earlier energy costs paid off with interest, today this is not the case, especially in some regions.
Therefore arrangea mining farm with an electricity meter is extremely unprofitable. But if you don’t have a counter or you know how to rewind it correctly, then mining will be more than justified. It remains only to choose the right video cards and motherboard.
