Table of Contents
Introduction
As Ethereum mining continues to gain popularity, many miners have begun to invest in larger and more powerful GPU rigs to help increase their mining profits. One of the challenges that miners face is the issue of cooling these powerful rigs, as they can generate a significant amount of heat, which can lead to overheating and reduced mining efficiency.
In this article, we will be discussing an airflow solution to help cool down a 12-GPU Ethereum mining rig, using a unique combination of fans and ducts to help maintain optimal temperatures. This rig is comprised of a variety of 1060s, 1080s, and 1660 Ti GPUs, all housed within an ASRock H110 Pro motherboard.
Current Cooling Challenges
The main issue faced by our current rig is the overheating problem when the fan is switched off. It has been observed that temperatures reach around 96, 97, and 108 degrees in different parts of the rig without the fan running, a clear indication that the current cooling solution is inadequate.
As a result, there is an urgent need to implement an improved cooling solution that can sustain efficient mining without overheating regardless of whether the fan is on or off.
Fan Configuration
One possible solution to this problem is to install a series of Arctic P12 120mm cooling fans with a CFM rating of 56.3. These fans can be attached to the Triple A Wave frame of the rig, with the aim of blowing cool air directly across the GPU cards to help maintain optimal temperatures. The main question to address here is which direction the fans should blow the air – from the rear of the rig to the front, or vice versa.
After considering the airflow and the design of the room, it was concluded that blowing the air from the rear towards the front is more effective. This setup allows the fans to blow cool air directly onto the GPU cards, with the exhaust ducts helping to suck the warm air upward and away from the rig.
Improved Cooling Solution
To implement this cooling solution, the first step is to clean and manage the cables in and around the rig to ensure they do not obstruct the airflow from the fans. Next, eight Arctic P12 fans are installed onto the frame, each secured with just two screws to ensure they remain in place.
Connecting the fans to the power supply requires a fan splitter or multiple splitters, depending on how many fans are being used. For this rig, a one-to-six fan splitter, combined with a one-to-three splitter, is sufficient to power all eight fans. It is worth considering purchasing a dedicated fan splitter to ensure the fans receive adequate power without having to rely on a single motherboard header.
Testing the Improved Cooling Solution
After installing the fans and connecting them to the power supply, it is essential to test the efficiency of the new cooling system. This involves running the mining rig for around 10-15 minutes to allow the GPUs to warm up, and then monitoring the temperature levels reported by Hive OS.
So, after testing this new cooling system, the results were quite promising:
– The Nvidia 1080 Founders Edition GPU, initially reporting at 73°C, dropped to 63°C after the cooling solution was implemented.
– The 1080 PNY GPU showed a decrease in temperature from 75°C to 63°C.
– The EVGA 1060 GPU displayed a temperature reduction from 74°C to 69°C.
Conclusion
The improved cooling solution proved to be effective in maintaining optimal GPU temperatures, especially for the cards at the top of the rig, which saw the most significant temperature reductions. With a combination of carefully positioned fans and efficient airflow management, this cooling system can help miners to continue mining Ethereum at optimal efficiency without the risk of overheating.
Credit must be given to Triple A Wave for providing the components utilized in this project – the mining frame and the Arctic P12 cooling fans. Links to purchase these items and other recommended products featured in this article can be found in the description below.
In conclusion, investing in a powerful GPU rig for Ethereum mining is a significant undertaking. Ensuring that your setup is appropriately cooled and operating at peak efficiency is paramount to safeguarding your investments and maximizing your mining profits.
How are you cooling your Overheating GPU Mining Rigs? What creative solutions have you come up with?
I would look into a mini split ac system.
Can the fans be installed outside instead of inside? (i have 2 32cm gpus)
A well meant advice, especially since these are second hand cards, i would replace all the thermal paste and pads on every GPU with Gelid which will cut the temp down by -14 C. I know its at least a 1/2 to a full days work but it will extend the lifetime of all of these GPU’s. Besides there is a Noctua fan 12’ which blows at 3000 RPM…..it will certainly be a good investment….Red Panda Mining uses these on a lot of his rigs too
Is the fan air pushing inward toward the cards or is it sucking hot air from the inside out
I would just throw it inside of the fridge. Lol
I have my cards in 13.8 cu.ft. upright deep freezer. Working like a charm all year 👍🏼
I have my one rig on a shoe rack, I want to find a way to mount the fans facing up
Jesus if a card of mine is 50 degrees I'm not happy
I run 4, 16 card rigs and use the 3000rpm fans setup in my shed all stay under 60c even in the dead of summer.
Your 1080's are using a lot of power. Mine with t-rex mt6 uses 120w (PL set to 120) with core of +200 and 0 mem, getting 32.72mh
If you get a fan controller, you can put them all on it and run them off the sata power . You have one pwm header that can fit on a gpu fan header (like the ftw 3 series have) and as the gpu ramps the fans will. I wouldn't exceed 1 amp off the mobo or you can pop fuses on the board.
Depending on the fans amp rating, you can get up to three fans on each header. I like to use the Arctic fan controller so the fans are powered off SATA and not the motherboard. You can still send a PWM signal to the controller and control fan speed, but I generally run those fans at full speed.
I have one of these frames too and think they are overrated. It's not a good idea to stack cards vertically as the hot air rises obviously. Better spreading out horizontally. Should be getting around 39mh/s on that 1080 too. Are you using memory tweak or eth pill?
Most Mobo fan headers are only rated for 1 amp so split between 2 headers if you can, also don't forget to set them for 100% speed in bios or another utility
I would power your fans off the 850W PSU molex cable.
Imo, your issue is coming from an imbalance of air movement in the room from running your exhaust fans too high vs the amount of air coming in thru your passive intake vents. I had the exact same issue a while back and I was able to drop the room ambient temps from 88 to 76 degrees and keep my rig temps down, especially the cards I have in a 12 gpu setup (12x3070s, 11×3070, 1x3060ti, & 12×1660 Supers) in the mid 40 range at 60% fan speed by setting my exhaust speed at 2 (AC Infinity S14), opening the door to mining room, moving the floor fan in front of it and pointing the fan towards the floor in order to push a higher volume of cooler air into the room, to force the warmer air up vs having the fan pointing up and practically blasting all the cooler air straight into the exhaust fans. It will take an 1 hr to drop the temps but it will keep your room and your cards at a low temp with very little influx. Hope that helps
have you ever put a rig outside like under a verandah?
By nature, heat rises; take advantage of that. You have graphics cards sitting above the layer below. Lay that entire "mining machine" on its back so that all graphics cards are on the same level. If you build again, install cards so that the side where heat exits in facing upwards. Motherboard wouldn't care if it was facing another direction.
Box fan from menards. Works like a charm.
Try adding Delta Fans…yes they are really loud but when I run a few on my frame (same one) my cards dont go higher than 50 degrees. They push an incredible amount of air through the cards.
Lemme know oc setting for the zotac amp please, i only hit 30.516 for many try bro.
Mobo fan headers are often 1 amp or less, not enough for a ton of fans, maybe 3. Those Arctics don't pull much, great fans (your's are the static pressure not airflow, maybe best) . May need a controller or alternate plan (I'm not the smart one to tell u exactly).
For cooling I literally just use 4 shop fans on all the stuff and then I have another one pulling cold air from outside and another fan as an outtake blasting the hot air out
That’s a lot of blowing and sucking. Got me all hot and bothered.
Guys just buy Evercool EC12025M12BA is better price and better RPM- 2000 / CFM -79.14
Blow through the rig, not sucking out
Those little vents on the wall are not even close to big enough to feed fresh air to that room….lol
I have the same 12 gpu frame with 12 x 3080's so cooling is essential!! I took off all the little fans on the rig (like what you just installed) and replace with an 18" giant fan right next to rig (approx 10inch) and its much better. Those little computer fans just don't push enough air. If you can duct the air it pulling from outside, then even better.
You should really get the humidity up in your mining room. <20% is way too low and could cause issue's that can damage your hardware. Please get a humidifier and get the humidity level up to about 50%.
Install the fans blowing the air toward you like you planned. Then lay the rig on its back so the air is blowing up directly at your exhaust.
Yoo! Can you give a try to Beam? It has been the most profitable coin for 4gb gpus like 470/570 for more than a week
Usually one fan header handles about 2 amps maybe. These fans should be 0.40-0.50 amps, so 3 fans per header should be still okay. Thats how i run these same brand fans 140mm, 3 per one header. Since these fans come with a version where there is 4 pin splitter on them, its easy to connect them. Sidenote for safety, these fans at full speed are powerful enough to cut your finger. Happened to my little finger.
just plug the fans straight into a server power supply, i use delta fans to move air, yes they are loud but they move air
How profitable is cryptocurrency investment right now?
What is the name of the ethernet router you had to the left (near the end of the video) – it'd be useful to know. How efficient is it? (I'm guessing it's very good)! Thanks.
you blow the fan to the wall which is not efficient.
Is the current capability enough from the motherboard fan header to power 8 fans?
You should be checking if you are using more than 1 amp per fan header.