In last few years, major cryptocurrencies become too crowded, which means more effort for mining, lesser returns, and more powerful mining rigs. This translates into higher cost. This is why it is wise to mine lesser known cryptocurrencies with potential to grow strong in coming days. One of such cryptocurrencies is Zcash. In this article, we will discuss the basics of building a Zcash mining rig.
Even though it is placed at 23rd rank as of now (June 2018) in terms of market cap, but with some leading experts working as advisors, this one has a potential to grow big. This is why it is just the right time to build a Zcash mining rig.
But how to do that? Don’t worry, here is the brief tutorial.
How to Build a Zcash Mining Rig?
First, you need to understand that Zcash uses Equihash algorithm, so you need to optimize your mining rig accordingly. To make it simple, this type of hashing algorithm requires high RAM requirements.
So, what do you need? What is the hardware to buy?
Here is the list:
Motherboard
Start with a motherboard as you need to attach everything else to it. If you’re building a 6 GPU Zcash mining rig, make sure the motherboard has enough GPU slots to place at least 6. For this, you need to look into the PCI Express slots, that must be at least 3.
You can also use PCIe x1 and PCIe x16 to place GPUs as long as you are using PCIe risers.
Also, keep one thing in mind, your profits are inversely proportional to the consumption of power. Keeping power consumption to a minimum level is key to building a rig. The more GPUs you connect to the motherboard, the more power you save. However, make sure your Power Supply can handle it.
Table could not be displayed.Graphics Card
The most important part of any mining rig is the graphics card you use. For mining rig, the best brands are NVIDIA and AMD. GPUs do all the work in mining, instead of CPU, so make sure the GPU you are using is the best. We recommend AMD GPUs, as they are comparatively cheaper than NVIDIA but at par in performance.
There are plenty of online tools that can also help you calculate the hash rate. For example, you can use this calculator and compare per watt performance for all commonly used GPUs.
CPU or Processor
Even though processor is not that important for mining cryptocurrencies, but as Zcash uses the Equihash algorithm, mining with processor is also profitable, along with GPUs. Try to use a good CPU to maximize the profits by your rig.
Other Hardware
You also need a hard drive, a good option is Kingston technology SSDNow V300 12GB. In addition, a 4 GB RAM, a PSU (Power Supply Unit), PCIe risers, and a rig frame. When buying rig, try to buy a stackable rig.
Assemble Your Rig
Once you have all the hardware in place, assembly is very easy if you have the right frame. Just piece together everything, connect GPUs and everything else with motherboard within the rig. Use PCIe risers to add more GPUs if you want.
Once you are done with the assembly, install an operating system, like Windows as it can install drivers on its own.
This is it! Your Zcash mining rig is ready. Just one suggestion, in case of Zcash mining, pool mining is more profitable compared to solo mining.
