Mining Motherboards

We've seen pictures, but now with a price...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Col...-Processor-DDR4-SATA3-USB3-0/32835711382.html

Swear I've seen this same MAXSUN before, just stuck BTC onto the name...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MAX...essor-DDR3-ATX-Mainboard-for/32831709495.html
Actually, its a dead ringer for the SOYO BTC we've seen recently.
All one or the other did was change color scheme of the plastic...

Typical Biostar mining board, except this one is AM4. Price doubled in last 5min, for no reason...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/BIO...rboard-TB350-BTC-For-AMD-ATX/32821837862.html

I'm thinking there are less expensive non-mining themed B350's with just as many slots.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/480185/ROG_STRIX_B350-F_Gaming_AM4_ATX_AMD_Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/product/476396/Fatal1ty_AB350_Gaming_K4_AM4_ATX_AMD_Motherboard
Maybe same Asrock, $15 cheaper. Hold the red paint and primary socket armor.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/476397/AB350_Pro4_AM4_ATX_AMD_Motherboard

ONDA D8P. Better info than we've had before, better price second link.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...-Support-8-PCI-E-Video-cards/32843832225.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...Slots-for-Coin-Mining-Crypto/32842767730.html

Eight slot ATX somehow qualifies as both mini-itx and boy's underwear...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-D...oard-for-Coin-mining-machine/32844927730.html
 
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compare.png

You tell me...
 
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I have almost the same EP45 board, but with 5 pcie slots.
Mine looks like the linked board, but for sure has no USB3.0
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-EP45T-USB3P-rev-10#ov

My switch is still sorting in Shenzhen with two other items.
Can't yet tell you if a switch allows six GPU to work or not.

Without Splitter:
4 GPUs run fine, adding the 5th seems a bit unstable. Most
mining boards correctly default BIOS setting "4G decoding"
that older boards like ours might be set wrong or not offer...
 
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Yea none of the setting everyone talks about are in my BIOS. I might as well just buy some new stuff. Probably gonna go with a ROG STRIX B250H. Was looking at the BIOSTAR TB85 but I cant bring myself to buy Biostar even if it is only $75 CAD right now.
 
SuperDerpBro said:
Yea none of the setting everyone talks about are in my BIOS. I might as well just buy some new stuff. Probably gonna go with a ROG STRIX B250H. Was looking at the BIOSTAR TB85 but I cant bring myself to buy Biostar even if it is only $75 CAD right now.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't receommend buying a DDR4 motherboard for mining. It's not going to benefit you over DDR3 for the extra cost you'd be paying.
 
I'm not choosing it for it shnazzy DDR4 capability lol. Its the cheapest board i can find, from a good brand, with evidence of 6 GPUs working. Doesn't hurt that 1151 CPUs are cheaper than 1150 here either. Although DDR4 is more expensive hehe :)
 
The ASUS b250 mining expert is worth every bit of its asking price. Even if you don’t want to use more than a few cards.

The bios screen that tells you if you have a bad riser. And the software that does the same in windows and the solid Asus no nonsense “just works” approach is a breath of fresh air.
 
Archaea said:
How does that work? Are they USB 3.0 interface driven?
Click to expand...

They just routed the PCIe lanes directly to the USB connectors instead of slots and adapters. You still do not want to plug in a real USB device into those connectors.
 
I don't know that this appies to every B85? But the few I could find info
warned that the 16x slot was really only 1x. Which means any adaptor
offering NVMe is probably out of the question.

UPCIE connectors belong on the front edge. Need a warning color, or
at least some warning plugs that a dummy would have to pull out first.

Benefit to narrow board might be to fit another power supply, but can't
do that with UPCIE cables sticking out the side. 2nd supply over usual
slot area might fit, but is greater obstruction than supply to the side...
 
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Newegg has these x8 usb riser boads, but they are a bit expensive.
 
I've seen them on Amazon. Lot of mixed reviews, RMA's to get a working board, finicky compatibility with motherboards and being recognized in windows.

I'd wait until a good, stable version hits the market.
 
KD5ZXG said:
Or for $30, an ASMedia switch can expand almost anything to become a mining platform...
View attachment 40354 View attachment 40355
Again with the three slot spacing, but you can buy a switch and individual risers separately.
Switch cards come in many shapes, not all make sense...
Click to expand...

I like this idea.
So you just plug this into a USB 3.0 on <basically any motherboard>, click a gpu into one of pci slots and go?

Don't have to worry about risers and etc.

What's the downside?
 
craigdt said:
I like this idea.
So you just plug this into a USB 3.0 on <basically any motherboard>, click a gpu into one of pci slots and go?

Don't have to worry about risers and etc.

What's the downside?
Click to expand...

Downside is it looks like the cards would be pretty close together.
 
Its not USB3. You have to plug into a PCIe slot, just like any other UPCIE riser or switch.
But in this case you might only need one small motherboard slot to handle 4 GPUs.
Spacing is tight, so you may still need two additonal risers to spread things out.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/XT-...-Riser-Mining-Card-Connector/32828008473.html
https://www.amazon.com/xlpace-Expansion-Express-Switch-Multiplier/dp/B075QD1J1Z

Either way, its coming from China...

I'm not in favor of MOLEX or SATA power connectors, as these limit 12V to a single wire.
Would be better off with a splitter that sits on your motherboard and high current double
MOSFET risers (SIPOLAR v007) that you can place at your own prefered spacing.

Downside of <basically any old motherboard> is that random BIOS may not support
as many GPUs as you would like to plug in. Four you could probably get away with...
And four isn't a bad number. Without settings like "Above 4G Decoding", wouldn't bet
on eight going smoothly....
 
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KD5ZXG said:
<snip>...

Downside of <basically any old motherboard> is that random BIOS may not support
as many GPUs as you would like to plug in. Four you could probably get away with...
And four isn't a bad number. Without settings like "Above 4G Decoding", wouldn't bet
on eight going smoothly....
Click to expand...

100% no joke. If the board does not have that setting, just move right along.

I've spent way way way too many hours messing around with boards that just would not show more than a couple cards.

I've got a short list of boards that do support 8 GPUs, and it's very, very short.
 
Archaea said:
You can also buy the ASUS b250 mining extreme 19 GPU for $150 at Amazon or Newegg — I did last week.
Click to expand...

Newegg themselves have been out of stock for a while, some of the marketplace dealers occasionally post one - at some CRAZY high price.
At $150 they're a good option, even if you only want to run 9-12 cards, given they save you the cost of Add2PSU units with the onboard PS management for up to 3 PS makes the price MUCH more competative with the "smaller count of PCI-E slot" 12-13 card options.

The phillipma1957 #6 thread on bitcointalk has a LOT of information from folks that have set up rigs with the various "8-9 cards ON the motherboard" options.
 
That's got some nice features. The switch card, multi-PSU cable, BIOS Mining Mode, and 2A fan headers are nice additions. Could really use the riser check feature of the ASUS board, though.

I just wish a major mobo manufacturer would stop dicking around with these mining boards and just put USB ports on the board instead of PCI-E x1. And strip it down to the stuff miners actually care about. I mean, come on..."high quality onboard audio"? Strip that off completely. Maybe 4 USB ports, VGA, and Ethernet...just scrap the rest.
 
^ I ended up grabbing one of the Gigabyte GA-B250-Fintech. Should have it tomorrow and will test with 12 x 1080Ti to compare against the ASUS B250 Mining Expert.

Since noobs are overpaying for Asus Z270-AR Prime's (you can always tell what the YouTube dorks are telling people to buy as part of their 'build guides') I'm probably going to sell all of mine and switch them out for the Asus or Gigabyte B250 for same or less money, depending on which board makes my life easier. As Parja and Archaea have both mentioned, the riser checker on the Asus B250 is a killer feature and may be one I can't live without.
 
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odditory said:
^ I ended up grabbing one of the Gigabyte GA-B250-Fintech. Should have it tomorrow and will test with 12 x 1080Ti to compare against the ASUS B250 Mining Expert.

Since noobs are overpaying for Asus Z270-AR Prime's (you can always tell what the YouTube dorks are telling people to buy as part of their 'build guides') I'm probably going to sell all of mine and switch them out for the Asus or Gigabyte B250 for same or less money, depending on which board makes my life easier. As Parja and Archaea have both mentioned, the riser checker on the Asus B250 is a killer feature and may be one I can't live without.
Click to expand...

How was it? Bought mine and paring it with G3930 but going to wait for awhile due to my location. Planning to move my 4 rx vega and 4x r290 to that board. Does the 3 way power cable copy the primary power states? like the add2psu ?
 
Guys I just wanted to say this is one of the best mining threads I've seen in a long time. I really appreciate all the good information you guys are dishing out. Keep it up!
 
Darksieg said:
How was it? Bought mine and paring it with G3930 but going to wait for awhile due to my location. Planning to move my 4 rx vega and 4x r290 to that board. Does the 3 way power cable copy the primary power states? like the add2psu ?
Click to expand...
Just got it today. I like that it's smaller than the Asus B250 with the same amount of usable 1080Ti slots (12). Minor nitpicks, no M.2 slot, and no HDMI so I'll have to see if DVI dummy plugs are a thing. Cannot allow Windows to bind the desktop to GPU1 rather than IGP in the absence of a connected display.

Still need to test 12 GPUs on it but assuming it succeeds then the Asus B250 is going back and this will prob be my new defacto board for my 8+ GPU builds.

IMG_20180203_182104658~2.jpg
 
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odditory said:
Just got it today. I like that it's smaller than the Asus B250 with the same amount of usable 1080Ti slots (12). Minor nitpicks, no M.2 slot, and no HDMI so I'll have to see if DVI dummy plugs are a thing. Cannot allow Windows to bind the desktop to GPU1 rather than IGP in the absence of a connected display.

Still need to test 12 GPUs on it but assuming it succeeds then the Asus B250 is going back and this will prob be my new defacto board for my 8+ GPU builds.

View attachment 52833
Click to expand...
What advantage does it have over the Asus B250 mining expert?
 
odditory said:
...and no HDMI so I'll have to see if DVI dummy plugs are a thing. Cannot allow Windows to bind the desktop to GPU1 rather than IGP in the absence of a connected dIsplay.
Click to expand...

Make yourself a vga dummy plug. Just need a single 68Ohm resistor.
 
Damn. no m.2 on the Gigabyte Fintech board kinda sucks but there was no m.2 on the Mining Expert either.

Really like the m.2 slot, but if you have to power a board for the molex you are already going to be running a string anyhow.

Great find though odditory
 
Archaea said:
What advantage does it have over the Asus B250 mining expert?
Click to expand...

Like I said, smaller and - at the time I ordered - $100 cheaper than the $300 Asus B250, but with the same amount of usable slots (12). The extra bulk, and slots 13-19 of the Asus B250 are only meaningful if you're going to run P106 or similar mining-specific cards. I realize not everyone cares of one board being a little smaller than another, but I build my rigs and custom aluminum frames with a priority on compactness, so I'm always looking for the smallest components that give me the least amount of cable clutter. Example I'm testing 8 x 1080Ti's running off a $40 mini ITX board as we speak.

I'm still evaluating both boards. The Asus B250 still has the undeniably killer feature of showing your riser OK status at power up. But once you've established your risers are okay, you may go months without rebooting or looking at it again..
 
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atp1916 said:
Here's another candidate

Intel B85 chipset / DDR3 / old as hell but...

View attachment 46759
Click to expand...

I just got one of these. It this version too, not the new one with the USB ports facing upwards. I couldn't find much info about it, except one comment on reddit by a user who said they 'rock', and another who said 'they are actually quite good'
I will post in here after my build and let you all know how it went. Buying all second hand parts I have managed to build a 2800-3200S/s Equihash rig for $1600 AUD. But I already have 4x280/X or equivalent cards to draw from, I would say those cards have already paid for them selves in the last 6 months but cant have been any more than $600 in cost last year, and I had my best one for years.

I will be using a 2400W HP serverPSU with all 6 pin connectors (with 8pin x2 splitters), this motherboard and an Intel Pentium G3260 and 2x2gb sticks of DDR3. I have a 200GB SATA HDD laying around that's about 12 years old maybe more. This will be fine to power it, I would have rather have used an IDE80GB that's even older just to make it the cheapest and dodgiest rig possible, but the board has no IDE connector. I hope to make enough from this rig to be able to buy a whole bunch of 1080Ti second hand when the next generation of cards come out. I have one 240V power socket of free power about 2200W, hopefully with 7 cards I can keep the power under this.
 
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