# Adding 2nd GPU for crypto mining in my Gaming RIG, what do I need?



## jonathan1107 (Jun 25, 2021)

*intro: *I have a gaming PC with plenty of space and pcie slots open. I'm already mining with my rtx 2080, I'm thinking how adding one or 2 cards for crypto mining. If I end up loving this and if its somewhat profitable i might eventually make a dedicated rig just for crypto. But I figured, "gotta start somewhere" 

*QUESTIONS:*

Since my second and 3rd card dont need to be used for gaming, do I just insert them straight into the pcie slot as I would for SLI or CROSSFIRE? or can I use one of those "riser" kits I heard about. I think those are either MOLEX or USB powered right? 
Can someone here post a picture or a link to one of those risers I need to buy, I did some research and I don't want to buy the wrong thing (thank you 
How FAR AWAY from my motherboard can these additional cards be? (long risers?) I could make some sort of "mini rack" next to my PC to put them in there, might make heat management easier.
(that being said, I do have excellent water cooling on the CPU and plenty of air circulation, my current GPU never gets hot)


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## eidairaman1 (Jun 26, 2021)

Tons of electricity wasted for extremely little money.

Just add another card and ensure the driver installs, assign the miner to your specific card so you are not wasting time and resources, make sure thre cpu can handle multithreading of games and mining as they will be competing for resources.


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## jonathan1107 (Jun 26, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Tons of electricity wasted for extremely little money.
> 
> Just add another card and ensure the driver installs, assign the miner to your specific card so you are not wasting time and resources, make sure thre cpu can handle multithreading of games and mining as they will be competing for resources.


Thanks for replying.
(my CPU is an i7 9700k)
do you think it will be able to handle 2x GPUs? _(one of which will be used for simultaneously mining+gaming and the other mining only)_

Why do you say "tons of electricity wasted for extremely little money"


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## eidairaman1 (Jun 26, 2021)

jonathan1107 said:


> Thanks for replying.
> (my CPU is an i7 9700k)
> do you think it will be able to handle 2x GPUs? _(one of which will be used for simultaneously mining+gaming and the other mining only)_
> 
> Why do you say "tons of electricity wasted for extremely little money"


Ok what you will spend on electricity to make money will leave you in a deficit.

I 9700K is fine


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## jonathan1107 (Jun 26, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Ok what you will spend on electricity to make money will leave you in a deficit.
> 
> I 9700K is fine


ah ok I assume you say this because of the recent decrease in the price/value of various crypto currencies correct?


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## eidairaman1 (Jun 26, 2021)

jonathan1107 said:


> ah ok I assume you say this because of the recent decrease in the price/value of various crypto currencies correct?


Has nothing to do with that, what you putvin time and energy doesnt guve worthy yields. You could use 1 KW and only have 1 dollar...


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## Totally (Jun 26, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Has nothing to do with that, what you putvin time and energy doesnt guve worthy yields. You could use 1 KW and only have 1 dollar...



What if a KW is .017142 cents where I live?


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## Nash (Jun 26, 2021)

Totally said:


> What if a KW is .017142 cents where I live?



There's not much to it, put them in the PC, add drivers, then add them to your mining software. I wouldn't run 3 2080's in the main computer, just ebay a recent model mining motherboard, all you need is basic memory, storage and a Celeron CPU. Put it on a rack in a cool area if you have one. 
You're good to go ~$68/month per card at current prices. Current rates for a 2080 at 0.017 ~ see the chart, and make further calculations here: Nvidia RTX 2080 mining calculator  | minersta  

Amazon this for risers, cables.
Amazon for a proper rack.


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## Mussels (Jun 26, 2021)

I'm in australia with garbage high electricity rates, and i'm currently making $13.69 a day, with $12.01 after electric costs.
It sure is profitable, it's just a slow return on your investment unless it booms again.

For me, it's winter here - this is house heating i make a profit from.

As far as the GPU's go, install them and power them. risers are optional, and add complications.


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## ShiBDiB (Jun 28, 2021)

Mussels said:


> I'm in australia with garbage high electricity rates, and i'm currently making $13.69 a day, with $12.01 after electric costs.
> It sure is profitable, it's just a slow return on your investment unless it booms again.
> 
> For me, it's winter here - this is house heating i make a profit from.
> ...



Running the most powerful card available isn't exactly a great point of reference and is why a ton of people think plopping any card in their computer and mining with it will make them rich.


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## Mussels (Jun 29, 2021)

ShiBDiB said:


> Running the most powerful card available isn't exactly a great point of reference and is why a ton of people think plopping any card in their computer and mining with it will make them rich.


My 1070ti and 1080 are part of that, and were included in that profit/electric cost
If i wanted efficiency (say, summer) those weaker cards would be off for sure

My advice is: if you have a 6GB GPU or greater, mine away. Just try and set some efficient clocks, and save the money until your first electric bill - then spend or invest the leftovers.


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## trog100 (Jun 29, 2021)

later generation 3xx cards are nearly twice as efficient as early cards.. when profits are low this matters a lot.. 

having said that later generation cards are also very expensive to buy.. its a swings and round-a-bouts situation.. 

trog


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## kayjay010101 (Jun 29, 2021)

jonathan1107 said:


> *intro: *I have a gaming PC with plenty of space and pcie slots open. I'm already mining with my rtx 2080, I'm thinking how adding one or 2 cards for crypto mining. If I end up loving this and if its somewhat profitable i might eventually make a dedicated rig just for crypto. But I figured, "gotta start somewhere"
> 
> *QUESTIONS:*
> 
> ...


Molex, SATA or PCIe-powered. Stay away from SATA-powered if you want to keep your house though. I recommend the PCIe-powered ones. The 008S has all three as an option. USB is to carry the PCIe signal, not for power.
Just search eBay or your preferred market places for USB mining riser 006/007/008/008S, etc.
They tend to go upto about 0.5m, but I have no clue how far you could go before the signal degrades too much. 
If you can, a direct connection to the PCIe slot is always preferred. Risers are only really useful for when you have tight spacing on your motherboard that doesn't allow you to really direct connect multiple dual or triple width cards.


eidairaman1 said:


> Tons of electricity wasted for extremely little money.
> 
> Just add another card and ensure the driver installs, assign the miner to your specific card so you are not wasting time and resources, make sure thre cpu can handle multithreading of games and mining as they will be competing for resources.


The CPU isn't really used at all when GPU mining, so that's of no concern.


eidairaman1 said:


> Ok what you will spend on electricity to make money will leave you in a deficit.


Not necessarily, in fact that's quite unlikely. The 2080 is a decently efficient card (not as good as the 30 series) and even with high electricity costs it can be profitable. Right now, not highly so, but profitable nonetheless.


eidairaman1 said:


> Has nothing to do with that, what you putvin time and energy doesnt guve worthy yields. You could use 1 KW and only have 1 dollar...


That's still a 4x ROI if your electricity is 25c/KWh, which is quite expensive.


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## Mussels (Jun 29, 2021)

kayjay010101 said:


> That's still a 4x ROI if your electricity is 25c/KWh, which is quite expensive.


Thats what mine is, the RX580 aint worth it, but the 1070ti and 1080 are


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