Choosing a Cooling System for Your Cryptocurrency Mining Rig

Cryptocurrency mining is hot right now. Literally, in many cases. So, it might surprise you that even small-scale mining operations can generate uncomfortable, even dangerous, heat levels. This isn’t the best news for miners — some rigs may have difficulty cooling down efficiently and avoiding thermal throttling. Fortunately, when it comes to heat, MRCOOL has it covered.

What Is a Mining Rig?

A mining “rig” is a custom-built personal computer (PC). A mining rig contains all of the typical PC components, such as a motherboard, storage and random access memory (RAM). The major difference between a standard PC and a mining rig is that mining rigs use graphical processing units (GPUs) rather than central processing units (CPUs), as GPUs can solve the cryptographic equations required to verify blockchain transactions.

Regarding instructions per clock, a high-end GPU can surpass a regular CPU by up to 800 times. As a result, they’re essential for anyone looking to mine cryptocurrency. GPUs have substantially better hash rates and are less difficult to maintain, making them a popular choice among miners. The hash rate measures how quickly computers can solve cryptographic equations and can calculate mining profitability.

Building a Crypto Mining Rig

Before you start building a crypto mining rig, you need to gather several components for your PC:

• GPUs or application-specific integrated circuits
• Motherboard
• Low-end or moderate CPU
• RAM
• Power supply unit (PSU)
• Storage — hard drive or solid-state drive
• Mining software
• Operating system
• Crypto wallet
• Risers
• Internet connection
• Flash drive

Now, it’s time to build your crypto mining rig:

1. Attach the motherboard: Check that the lever that secures your CPUs socket is in the released position. Place the motherboard outside the mining frame on top of something static-free, such as a foam box or an anti-static bag.
2. Attach the CPU: Attach the CPU to the motherboard. Mark both the CPU and the motherboard sockets so you can tell which is which afterward. Be careful when connecting the CPU pins to the motherboard since they can easily bend and harm the entire processor.
3. Install the RAM: Inserting a RAM module into a motherboard’s RAM socket is a simple process. Open the side brackets on the motherboard slot and carefully insert the RAM module into the RAM socket. The RAM must fit correctly because it can only lock into the socket in one direction.
4. Attach the PSU: Attach the PSU properly so the mining rig can start. Insert the 8-pin power connector for the CPU into the motherboard slot nearest to the CPU.
5. Attach the USB risers: To connect the GPUs to the motherboard, attach the USB risers. Insert them into the motherboard’s available peripheral component interconnect express (PCI-e) slots.
6. Attach the GPUs: Using USB risers, secure the GPUs to the frame. Then, connect the PCI-e 6+2 power connectors to the GPUs. Before turning on the mining equipment, double-check that the wires are correctly connected. Once everything is connected, you may begin mining for cryptocurrency.

3 Challenges of Cryptocurrency Mining Cryptocurrency: Mining Heat, Humidity and Corrosion

The big problems cryptocurrency miners run into are the same problems server room managers have been dealing with for decades. All these computers need to run all the time and as a result, generate a lot of heat. How can you control the heat? How can you manage humidity? And last but not least, how can you prevent corrosion?

Excess heat is an obvious concern. First, there’s just a simple matter of home comfort. Many miners are running rigs at home. All that heat can make a place miserable even in the middle of December. Second, computer components are heat sensitive. Too much heat and things start to, y’know, melt. Which is especially bad for sensitive computer components. 

Then there’s humidity and corrosion. Too much water in the air leads to metal corrosion. In case you hadn’t noticed, most computer parts are metals. Corroded metal components tend not to work as well as they should. Too little humidity is no good either — believe it or not. Really dry air increases static electricity which can wreak havoc with sensitive equipment.

For maximum mining efficiency, you need a mining rig cooling system and a humidity-controlled environment. How do you get there?

5 Mining Rig Cooling Tips

Finding a cool, humidity-controlled environment to run your mining rigs is crucial to your crypto success. Check out five mining rig cooling tips you can use today:

1. Lower Power Consumption

A GPU mining at stock performance will consume far more power than if marginally optimized. You can reduce GPU power demand by optimizing performance when mining. Physics fundamentals say that no energy can vanish into thin air, so the GPU converts electricity to heat with nearly 100% efficiency. Optimizing GPU performance is necessary for all miners, regardless of whether the GPU is overheating.

2. Open the Side of the PC Case

If your GPU is inside the PC case and you can’t boost airflow within the case, try removing the side panel to increase airflow.

3. Move Rigs Closer to the Ground

Try moving your mining rigs closer to the ground level, as the temperature on the floor will be slightly lower than on higher surfaces. 

4. Clean GPUs

Merely dusting your GPUs may not improve their cooling performance. Dust can accumulate over time, preventing airflow. Use a gas duster or canned air to clean the GPU — avoid using compressors since the air pressure is too high and can damage GPU components. While dusting the GPU, always grip the fans and keep them from whirling. You can use cotton swabs to clean the inside of fans.

5. Install Modern HVAC Systems

The world’s biggest, most complicated server farms rely on modern HVAC technology for effective climate control. Yes, there are some really exotic server room builds out there, but those are, by far, the exception rather than the rule. And while putting a server farm in the Arctic would be nice, it’s not an option for most people. The workable solution for most people is basic, cost-effective air conditioning technology. But which system should you choose?

MRCOOL Ductless

There are massive, farm-scale mining operations out there, but many are much more compact, home enterprises. For the latter, we recommend the MRCOOL DIY Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pump, which can deliver a lot of benefits: 

• Energy efficiency: Its energy consumption will be as minimal as possible.
• Adaptability: Install it yourself just about anywhere — position it right about wherever your mining rig is located.
• Economic value: Buying it won’t break the average budget, and you’ll save money on installation costs.

But what if you’re running one of those large-scale mines and need a lot of cooling capacity? For that, we recommend the MRCOOL DIY Multi-Zone Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pump which can operate multiple interior air handlers of a single exterior condenser. Depending on their needs, buyers can position between two and five interior units to blow cool air into every corner of a server room. The Multi-Zone DIY Ductless Mini-Split is also a great choice if different rigs are set up in different rooms throughout a building.

But What About…

There are a lot of cheap “solutions” to mining heat online. One of the more common themes is that all you have to do is get a lot of fans to blow the hot air outside and then have other fans draw relatively cooler air inside. Yes, this will work. It’s also an absolutely horrible idea. Blowing outside air across your sensitive electronic components will remove heat. 

If you don’t remove the heated air from your mining rig setup, it’ll circle back into the GPU and will be less effective at cooling your rig down. This will also do nothing to control humidity or corrosion. Depending on where you live, you might even get to enjoy the wonders of seaside salt corrosion. All in all, blowing outside, unconditioned air across your rig is a great way to destroy it.

Choose MRCOOL for Your Mining Rig Cool System

Mining rig cooling systems can help keep your GPUs running at optimal performance, helping you mine more! Transform your mining room’s heating and cooling systems with MRCOOL. Our MRCOOL DIY Ductless Mini-Split is an affordable and efficient option that fits in any home, or perhaps our MRCOOL DIY Multi-Zone systems caught your attention with their modern and efficient features. Either way, we have what you need to keep your mining setup cool and functional.

Have any questions? Contact us online or call us at 270-366-0457.