Cryptocurrency mining is crucial to developing blockchains and earning mining rewards. But the mining difficulty has increased over the years, rendering CPUs and GPUs nearly useless for mining specific cryptos like Bitcoin. But Bitcoin mining is more accessible today thanks to the most profitable ASIC miner. This article explores how to build an ASIC miner at home to start mining cryptocurrencies.
How to Setup Your Own Bitcoin Mining ASIC?
What is an ASIC miner? Why is it necessary to build one? The success of crypto mining depends on using the right mining equipment to get mining rewards. An ASIC miner is application-specific; when made, it works for only one application or purpose and may not be helpful for others. When setting up your miner, you can quickly build an ASIC miner with the right skills and knowledge. You need a basic understanding of setting up an internet connection, fixing components, and buying the right components to build a mining rig. A Bitcoin mining ASIC node consists of six parts:
- A metal frame, typically aluminum, for optimum performance.
- A computer motherboard with a minimum of an 8-VC chipset. The chipset is crucial to performance.
- An ASIC chip processor delivers the processing power. Go for higher processing power for optimum performance.
- Hard disk for storage. SSD hard disks are excellent for mining as they encourage speed and function. Go for a minimum of 120 GB of free space.
- Memory cards, minimum 4 GB.
- High-performance, energy-efficient cooling fans.
Once you get those basics, you’ll need other items such as cables (wires) for connection, a power source, and internet access. Your power source should be stable, but it is wise to have backup power such as an off-grid solar or gas-powered generator. Here’s how to build your own mining rig:
- Ensure the components are firmly fixed. Do not open the ASIC miner
- Connect the miner to a power source using the power cables
- Connect the miner to the internet via a network cable
- Access the router configuration to get the IP address, then login to the miner OS
- Configure the mining pool and setup your crypto wallet to receive rewards
- Save the settings and restart the processor.
What You Need to Consider Before Assembling an ASIC Miner With Your Own Hands
Although making profits is the main reason to build your own bitcoin miner, there are several considerations to make before you do it. For example, you must consider the bitcoin mining difficulty, your power supply, cooling systems, and total costs. But the most crucial consideration is the application you intend to run on the ASIC miner. ASICs are application-specific, meaning only one application can run on an ASIC miner. No other application will run on your machine, so your mining will be focused on only one cryptocurrency. For example, once your ASIC takes on the bitcoin mining application, you'll be unable to run Ethereum or Monero mining on it. The ASIC hardware is designed to compute only a single algorithm. The SHA-256 algorithm is used for Bitcoin mining; you'll need an ASIC machine that can solve the SHA-256 algorithm, specifically, to mine Bitcoin. Using other devices will not work. If you are learning how to build ASIC mining rig, the ASIC machine you use for your Bitcoin mining will not work for other cryptos. You'll also have to consider the power that your ASIC miner supplies; it is expressed in terahash per second (Th/s), gigahash per second (Gh/s), or megahash per second (Mh/s). The higher the power, the more rewarding mining becomes. You should also consider the level of noise that ASICs make while working. Ensure you place the mining rig where the noise won't be an issue. Cooling and electricity costs may impact the final costs; you should take account of those too.
The Best Crypto Mining Equipment
Different mining hardware have varying hash power, power consumption, efficiency, and cost. Here are the best mining hardware for Bitcoin. They are ranked based on efficiency and power. You'll find the general characteristics, advantages, and costs.
Antminer S9
The Antminer S9 is a popular ASIC mining machine due to its Bitcoin mining efficiency, cost, and lower power consumption. The Antminer S9 was first released in 2016 by Bitmain, a China-based ASIC manufacturer.
Features:
- Hash Rate: 13.5TH/s
- Power Consumption: 1323W at 25C ambient temp
- Power Efficiency: 0.098 W/GH
- Voltage: 11.60 ~13.00V
- ASIC Chip: BM13870
- Network Connection: Ethernet
The S9 miner works best between 0 °C to 40 °C and can become hot if the cooling systems are not efficient. The device costs around $775 on popular stores such as Amazon but can be ordered from Bitmain's website. Looking for how to build an ASIC mining rig? The Antminer S9 has a network cable and power cord for easy installation.
Pros
- Efficient mining
- Ethernet connection
- Daily profits (depending on other factors)
Cons
- Heat and noise
- The unit does not support wall connections, so an additional cost for a power supply unit (PSU) applies.
It is essential to manage the power supply of the Antminer S9 as it gets damaged by an unstable power supply.
Antminer S19 Pro
The Antminer S19 Pro, an upgrade to previous versions, has a shout for possibly being the best mining ASIC hardware. It is manufactured by Bitmain and was first released in 2020 to improve the efficiency of mining Bitcoin.
Features
- Brand:AntMiner
- Output Wattage: 3250 Watts
- Hashrate: TH/s 110 ± 3%
- Power: Watt 3250 ± 5%
- Networking connection mode: Ethernet
- Operation temperature: 0 °C to 40 °C
- Voltage: 200~240
How to build an ASIC mining rig? The Antminer S19 Pro costs $4350 on Amazon and comes with network and power cords. The machine works best in optimal temperatures and is popular for its energy efficiency. Bitcoin mining farms use thousands of Antminer S19 Pro units to achieve a higher mining power. It is considered one of the most versatile and powerful miners.
Pros
- Relatively high profitability (depending on other factors)
- Can mine both Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash
- Increased efficiency in mining bitcoin
Cons
- Heat and noise
- Low-end CPU
WhatsMiner
The WhatsMiner Bitcoin mining machine series was first released in 2018 by MicroBT, a China-based crypto mining equipment manufacturer. The WhatsMiner S50 is the most popular series due to its advanced mining efficiency, power management, and lower heat. Most of the machines in the series are similar, having only a few differences in their features.
Features
- Hashrate: 68 - 70 ± 5% Th/s
- Voltage: 220 V
- Brand: WhatsMiner
- Output Wattage: 3254 ± 10% Watts
- Networking connection mode: Ethernet
- Operation temperature: 0 °C to 40 °C
The WhatsMiner Series are the most competitive bitcoin miners, much better and cheaper than some of the Antminer series. The price may cost over $2800 per unit on Amazon. Although pricey, WhatsMiner produces possibly the best mining performance.
Pros
Thinking of how to set up an ASIC miner? These advantages should help you:
- Efficient Bitcoin mining equipment
- Energy management
- Air cooling method
- Optimized body size
Cons
- More noise and heat than other brands
- PSU may require regular attention
What are The Best Coins to Start Mining
The main aim of mining is to make profits, so it is essential to choose the particular cryptocurrency to mine before you learn how to build an ASIC mining rig. Since ASICs are application-specific, you may be limited to mining only a few coins, limiting your profitability. The best solution is to mine ASIC-resistant coins, which are coins that do not accept ASIC miners but work for regular CPUs and GPUs. Here's a list of these coins that are viable for you to mine as a beginner.
Ethereum Classic (ETC)
Ethereum Classic is the token of a hard fork of the Ethereum blockchain. Launched in 2016, ETC has become a valuable cryptocurrency supporting the proof-of-work (P0W) mining algorithm. ETC was created after the hack of The DAO, an Ethereum-based DAO. Today, the ETC blockchain supports smart contracts. Ethereum Classic is an excellent coin to mine if you don't want to build your own ASIC mining rig or learn how to build a bitcoin mining machine, as you can start mining ETC with a GPU and position for profits under favorable conditions. You can mine ETC at home or via any of its mining pools. The relatively lower ease of mining allows miners to gain an advantage toward profitability.
Features
ETC features are:
- Algorithm: Etchash
- Pools: TrustPool, F2Pool, Hiveon, 2Miners, Ezil
- Hardware: GPU with a minimum of 3GB VRAM
- Total supply: 210.7 million ETC
Pros
- Runs smart contract
- A relatively lower mining difficulty
- Retains original Ethereum blockchain features
Cons
- Regular network attacks targeted at mining hash rate
- Low network security
Monero (XMR)
Monero, launched in 2014, is the world’;s first privacy-focused cryptocurrency to provide users with absolute privacy and anonymity. XMR aims to overcome the traceability of Bitcoin by obscuring transactions and the identities of the parties involved. The project also aims to provide a fast, secure, and affordable payment processor for users while retaining the highest level of privacy. Looking for how to build your own mining rig to mine XMR? You only need a CPU and computer to start mining at home or via a mining pool.
Features
XMR features are:
- Algorithm: ETC RandomX (replaced the old CryptoNight)
- Pools: NanoPool, SupportXMR, HashVault, P2Pool, C3Pool, XMRPool, 2Miners, MoneroOcean
- Hardware: CPU with a minimum of 2.14 GB of RAM
- Total supply: 18.4 million XMR
Pros
These advantages make it easier to learn how to build a miner for XMR:
- XMR is focused on Privacy and anonymity
- Fast transactions
- A low entry barrier for hobby miners using CPUs
- Relatively profitable mining
Cons
- Increase in transaction size
Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
Bitcoin Gold launched in 2017 as an upgraded version of the Bitcoin Network. BTG brings the security and robustness of Bitcoin, improving its functionality and scalability. BTG is Bitcoin without the mining difficulty and the capacity to build and deploy smart contracts. As a hard Bitcoin fork, BTG improves Bitcoin mining scalability to make it easier for miners and for developers to contribute to the network freely. With BTG, you may not need to build a Bitcoin miner ASIC to mine Bitcoin.
Features
- Algorithm: Equihash, which is more accessible than Bitcoin’s SHA-256
- Pools: 2Miners, MiningPoolHub, K1Pool, Suprnova, SoloPool, HashCity
- Hardware: GPU
- Total supply: 21 million BTG
Pros
If you know how to build ASIC miner rigs, setting up a GPU rig for BTG is easy. The benefits are:
- BTG is more scalable than Bitcoin
- Faster mining due to the lower mining difficulty
- More mining rewards than Bitcoin
- A low entry barrier for new miners
- BTG has low volatility
- It is ASIC-resistant, unlike Bitcoin
Cons
- CPU mining is slower and less rewarding
Haven Protocol (XHV)
Haven Protocol launched its mainnet in 2020, but work began in 2018. XHV, the native token of Haven, is privacy-focused and built on the Monero blockchain. Haven allows users to create crypto tokens, both stable and volatile assets, while retaining a high level of privacy, security, and anonymity. Through its mint-and-burn strategy, XHV allows users to create synthetic stablecoins, especially those pegged to the USD. XHV is one of the most easily mined coins today, with two minutes of mining time. Its reward is, however, among the lowest, at 1 XHV per block.
Features
- Algorithm: CryptoNight Heavy Haven (a customized protocol)
- Pools: TrustPool, HashVault, HeroMiners, MoneroOcean, Miner Rocks, Pool-Pay, SkyPool, C3Pool.
- Hardware: GPU and CPU, but GPUs are more effective
- Total supply: 18.4 million XHV
Pros
You can build a GPU mining rig for mining XHV. Some of the benefits are
- Privacy-focused coin
- Low mining difficulty
- Efficient mining
- Mining without having to build your own ASIC miner
- Easy mining with a home computer
- Profitable mining pools
Cons
- Low mining reward that will be halved soon
Conclusions: Is it profitable to Build Your own ASIC Miner?
The decision to build your own ASICs depends on your preferences. Different factors impact the profitability of self-built ASIC miners, so you might want to check what works. You may experience many challenges when learning to build your own Bitcoin miner and may never hit some profits with it. This is why it is best to mine bitcoin now using a hosted mining service where you don’t have to buy or install any machines but even go on to make profits. You can rent mining machines, such as ASICs, GPUs, and CPUs, from Minery.
