TOP 12 best motherboards for mining: 2022 rating and which one to choose for 6 video cards

Motherboards for mining must have two main features: ensure stable operation and allow the installation of multiple video cards.
All other characteristics - ports, connectors, interfaces, overclocking capabilities - are not so important, because the motherboard is primarily required to be reliable.

In this article, we reviewed the TOP best motherboards for mining for 2022 in terms of price/quality ratio.

The rating includes modern high-performance models with impressive technical parameters, functionality and reliability.

Rating of the TOP 12 best motherboards for mining 2021

Best Score: ASRock H510 PRO BTC+

• Impeccable design
• Supports up to 7 GPUs
• Supports the latest 11th Gen Intel processors
• Dual 24-pin ATX connectors
• Affordable price

• Large PCB sizes
• Only one RAM slot
• No built-in sound card

Due to extremely high demand, finding quality mining motherboards in stock these days is quite difficult. Luckily, ASRock is here to save the day by releasing a new line of motherboards specifically designed for mining. The H510 PRO BTC+ may not be the best motherboard for mining, but there are a few reasons why we really like it. First, it features a fully stepless design, which means it can accommodate up to six dual-slot GPUs without the need for PCIe risers. Secondly, it supports the latest 10th and 11th generation Intel Core processors, which only some mining motherboards have.

The H510 PRO BTC+ also has one USB Type PCIe x1 mining port, which means it supports up to 7 GPUs in total. The board also features one M.2 slot and an additional 24-pin ATX power connector for connecting a second power supply. This board also boasts a high-density fiberglass PCB that protects the motherboard from electrical short circuits caused by humidity, as well as a next-generation PWM design that delivers CPU core voltage more efficiently and smoothly. Of course, this board also has its drawbacks. Firstly, it is quite large, which means it is difficult to find a suitable case for it. Secondly, in essence, it is quite simple, since it only has one RAM slot and does not have a built-in sound card. Despite its shortcomings, this is a very stable and reliable motherboard that will serve you well.

How to choose a motherboard for mining?

The main purpose of a mining motherboard is to ensure stable and reliable operation of the computer under any circumstances.

Therefore, in 2022 you should pay attention to the following parameters:

• number of available PCI-E slots;
• reliability of processor power circuits;
• quality of materials used and build quality of the platform;
• the presence of all possible methods of protection (from moisture, dust, power surges, etc.);
• support for working with multiple video cards;
• the presence of additional functions (for example, button control).

Cheapest: MEG Pro BTC-S37

• Extremely cheap
• Built-in CPU
• Supports 8 GPUs
• Reliable and simple

• No sound on board
• Has only PCIe 2.0 x16 slots

MEG Pro BTC-S37 is an ultra-cheap mining motherboard produced by the Chinese brand MEG Pro. Despite being even cheaper than some entry-level mATX motherboards, the MEG Pro BTC-S37 comes with an integrated Intel Celeron 1037U processor and supports up to eight GPUs, which is an astonishing achievement compared to its competitors. opportunity to offer at the same price. This motherboard also comes with a built-in Realtek Gigabit LAN chip, four USB 2.0 ports, three SATA ports, as well as one HDMI port and one VGA port.

Another great feature of this motherboard is that it has a very wide layout that allows you to install all your mining GPUs directly on the PCB without using any adapter cables. It's also worth mentioning that this motherboard supports DDR3 memory modules, which is another cost-saving feature since most of these modules are cheap and easy to find these days. However, the low price also comes with some compromises. Firstly, this motherboard does not have onboard audio, which may be an issue for some users, and it only has PCI-E x16 2.0 slots, which is somewhat disappointing. However, when it comes to mining, it does a good job and pays for itself very quickly.

TOP 1 best motherboards for mining with 8 video cards

Colorful C.B250A-BTC PLUS YV20

A compact mining board with a non-standard form factor (485×195 mm) with an LGA1151 socket is designed for 6th and 7th generation Intel processors .
The PCB contains the Intel B250 chipset, 1 DIMM module for 16 GB DDR4 memory and 1 SATA connector with a bandwidth of 6 Gbit/s.

For expansions, there are 8 PCI-E ports with support for PCI Express 3.0 . The board has an HDMI connector, an Ethernet port with data transfer speeds of up to 1000 Mbit/s, 4 USB ports and a power subsystem with passive cooling.

This is the simplest option for mining, which has a low cost, does not have a sound controller and all kinds of additional interfaces.

Technical specifications:

• chipset: Intel B250;
• Max. RAM capacity: 16 GB;
• expansion slots: 1xPCI-E x16, 7xPCI-E x1;
• f-f boards for mining: non-standard.

pros

price;

ease of settings.

Minuses

limited functionality;

1 slot for RAM.

Best for AMD Ryzen Processors: Gigabyte X570 UD

• Affordable price
• Supports PCIe 4.0 interface
• Has three full-length PCIe x16 slots
• Powerful VRM Solution
• Active chipset heatsink

• No built-in Wi-Fi module
• No USB Type-C connector

If you are looking for an affordable yet feature-rich AM4 motherboard for your cryptocurrency mining rig, consider purchasing the Gigabyte X570 UD. This motherboard is equipped with three full-length PCIe x16 slots, one of which supports the PCIe 4.0 interface, and the other two support the PCIe 3.0 interface. The X570 UD also comes with two additional PCIe 4.0 x1 slots, which means you can install up to five GPUs on this motherboard using PCI-E riser cables. Another interesting feature of this motherboard is that it comes with a 10+2 power phase VRM solution, which means it is ideal for serious CPU overclocking.

The Gigabyte X570 UD also features two M.2 NVMe slots with RAID support, as well as six SATA 3 ports. You also get four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and one HDMI output jack. The lack of DisplayPort and USB Type-C connectors is a bit disappointing, but given its price, that's understandable. Another major drawback of this motherboard is that it has 1 GbE LAN and does not have built-in Wi-Fi, which may not appeal to some users. Overall, this is a pretty decent and affordable X570 motherboard that can be effectively used for building crypto mining based on an AMD Ryzen processor.

Best for Gaming and Mining: ASUS ROG Strix Z270E GAMING

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• Supports up to 7 GPUs
• Great PCB design and aesthetics
• On-board Wi-Fi 802.11 ac module
• Easy to use BIOS
• Great for overclocking

• ASUS software is a bit buggy

Compared to the ZOTAC B150 Mining ATX motherboard, the ASUS ROG Strix Z270E GAMING is a real beast. This board is capable of supporting up to seven GPUs for mining and can also be used for gaming. Besides the fact that it looks great, it also comes with a ton of features. It has two M. 2 slots for NVMe SSDs, built-in Wi-Fi, four DIMM slots, and a wide selection of connectors on the rear panel.

ROG Strix Z270E GAMING has an extremely powerful BIOS that is very easy to use, making setting up multi-GPU configurations a breeze. The board also supports extreme overclocking thanks to efficient VRM heatsinks and high-quality capacitors, and also features RGB lighting that you can further customize to suit your own preferences.

Is it worth buying a used motherboard?

Mining farm at home
If you don’t have enough money to buy a new expensive motherboard, then you can consider used options. This will reduce the cost of building a crypto farm or use the saved funds to purchase powerful video cards or a processor.

When choosing used equipment, it is important to consider several nuances:

1. Resource generation
   . The motherboard is not eternal, it has its own service life. The longer a circuit board has been used, the more likely it is to fail quickly.
2. Possible repairs
   . As a rule, hardware sellers often keep silent about the fact that they once took the motherboard in for repair. The reason is that they are afraid of scaring off the buyer. It is unlikely that you will be able to check the functionality of the motherboard over a long period of time when purchasing.
3. No guarantee
   . If you buy a printed circuit board in a specialized store, the buyer will be given a receipt with a guarantee for 1-2 years. If problems arise during this period, the motherboard can be repaired under warranty. If you purchase the board secondhand, no one will give such a guarantee.

Buying a used motherboard has huge risks. The miner may face additional costs associated with repairs, increased power consumption, or complex setup.

When does it make sense to buy a used motherboard?

If you require a specific model that is not currently on the market.

In any case, when buying a used board, it is important to make sure that it is working. As an option, negotiate with the seller to rent for a couple of days. If the equipment does not fail during this time, then it can be taken.

Subtleties of choice

Equipment for a mining farm
The motherboard is the platform on top of which the mining farm is built. It is its capabilities and technical characteristics that largely determine how powerful the crypto farm will be.

When purchasing a motherboard for mining, you need to focus on several parameters:

Number of PCI-E slots

This parameter determines the number of video cards that can be connected to the motherboard. The more there are, the higher the farm’s capacity and final profit. Miners can use PCI-E slot expanders to mine cryptocurrencies. They allow you to increase the number of available ports. However, not every motherboard is capable of supporting their simultaneous operation.

• Crypto miners can resort to M2 expansion slots. True, experienced miners do not recommend using such devices. The reason is that they have unreliable adapter contacts that can disrupt the functionality of the entire farm.
• The most common motherboards for mining have 6 PCI-E slots. Such boards do not require complex configuration and can operate when only one power supply is connected.

Which connectors are best for choosing a motherboard?

Motherboards with PCI-E 2.0 or 3.0 slots are excellent for cryptocurrency mining. Moreover, it does not matter what bandwidth these ports have - x1 or x16. This parameter is more relevant for fans of computer games than for crypto miners.

Buying a motherboard with the maximum number of video card slots does not make much sense. But you shouldn’t choose a motherboard with a low number of connectors either. The best option is with 4-6 connectors.

• If we consider a budget version of a crypto farm, then you can buy a board even with one port. Using a special splitter, the miner will still connect several video cards.
• But it’s still wiser to buy a motherboard with several connectors for graphics cards.
• If your budget allows, then it is better to buy a board with a reserve number of PCI-E slots. The extra slot can be useful when one of the connectors comes out or to increase mining power in the future.

Important!

In rigs with 8 video cards connected, crashes often occur. Such boards are very difficult to configure and maintain.

Reliability of processor power circuits

CPU cooler
The mining farm operates around the clock. Consequently, the equipment involved in mining is constantly heating up. Particularly large heating is observed when mining the Monero cryptocurrency. Therefore, it is recommended to choose motherboards that have many processor power phases and powerful radiators for cooling.

The most common reason for processor failure during mining is the burnout of the transistor that supplies power to the CPU.

If the task is to run not only a rig with video cards, but also to work with the RandomX algorithm on the central CPU, then you will need a motherboard with CPU power cooling. Otherwise, due to increased round-the-clock load, the elements will become very hot and quickly fail.

On a note!

To cool the processor, you can use not only radiators, but also additional coolers. When overclocking the CPU to increase mining power, they will avoid overheating of important elements.

3. Use of quality components during assembly

For reliable and stable operation of the rig with video cards, it is recommended to use only high-quality elements:

• solid capacitors on the motherboard;
• transistors with power reserve;
• good quality radiators and coolers that are installed on the video card or processor;
• high-quality soldering on the board.

The quality of the assembly of the mining rig directly determines how long the cryptocurrency mining farm will last. If the equipment is selected correctly, then the crypto miner will not encounter constant breakdowns and failures of individual elements.

Availability of various methods of protection

Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P motherboard
The motherboard must be protected from the following factors:

• dust;
• moisture;
• electrostatic shock;
• voltage fluctuations.

Some miners neglect these requirements, and this is wrong. Protection allows you to increase the reliability of the assembled system for crypt mining.

5. Acceptable value for money

During the boom in the cryptocurrency market, many motherboard manufacturers began to produce boards aimed purely at mining. As a rule, we were talking about components that are related to Bitcoin mining.

• Such devices do not have any bells and whistles, and the motherboard itself is thicker.
• They have a universal PCI-E power supply and are highly popular among crypto miners.

Standard motherboards with similar technical characteristics are sometimes cheaper than cryptocurrency mining-oriented equipment promoted by hardware manufacturers. In addition, there is much more choice on the market for regular boards.

Availability of additional functions

Motherboard Asus B250 Mining Expert
One of the useful options is the presence of a button to turn on and off the individual equipment that is used for mining. Thanks to this function, the user can reboot the desired device directly from the motherboard.

If older riser models are used without additional power, then you need to have spare connectors for PCI-E circuits. When using modern devices to connect graphic cards, the need for such equipment disappears.

LEDs that indicate the health of computer equipment can also be useful. Using them, a miner can periodically monitor the performance of the elements of a cryptocurrency farm.

Support for video cards and ease of setup

There are motherboard models that have a large number of PCI-E slots. However, many graphics cards cannot be run on them. The reason is there is no support in the BIOS. There are two ways to solve the problem:

1. Through installing Linux OS;
2. Using a BIOS update.

In order not to encounter such difficulties, experienced miners advise before purchasing a motherboard to find out whether it supports the operation of several video cards that are connected to all PCI-E slots at the same time.

When choosing a motherboard, it is better to stick to time-tested options. Moreover, on the computer equipment market there are motherboards that work with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 or more graphics cards.

How many video cards can you run simultaneously in Windows 10 when assembling rigs?

This quantity is limited. The user will be able to run no more than 12 GPUs. Another option is also possible. If you connect video cards from different manufacturers, you can bypass this limitation. However, such a setup will cause certain difficulties that may negatively affect the performance of the crypto farm.

#8 - MSI Z390-A PRO

Price: 9,700 rubles

The debut of the famous manufacturer MSI in our top. It has exactly the same architecture as the B360 from ASUS, so you can connect 6 video cards without any problems. The owners report that there are no difficulties at all with it - it works stably, without bugs, crashes or performance drawdowns. At the same time, the motherboard does not require a special approach and is ready for use, as they say, right out of the box. For those who don’t want to spend a lot of time fiddling with the settings, this is one of the best options not only in the brand’s lineup, but also on the market as a whole.

MSI Z390-A PRO

Conclusion

Choosing the right motherboard for your mining rig largely depends on the number of GPUs you will be using for cryptocurrency mining. If you are a beginner, you should start with a motherboard that has at least six slots. The motherboards we have listed here are known for their stability and reliability, so whatever you choose should yield good results. We hope our buying guide has helped you find the information you need. If you still feel confused and need advice on your purchase, feel free to leave a comment below. We will try to help you.

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Cheapest option: ZOTAC B150 Mining ATX

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• Extremely cheap
• Supports 8 GPUs
• Durable and simple

• Non-existent software support
• No VRM heatsinks
• 5.1 channel audio

ZOTAC B150 Mining ATX is a very cheap motherboard. In fact, it's even cheaper than some entry-level mATX motherboards that only have a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. What's more impressive is that the ZOTAC B150 comes with support for eight GPUs, which is quite an amazing achievement compared to what its competitors can offer for the same price.

However, the low price also means it doesn't have many standard features. ZOTAC B150 Mining ATX is a very simple motherboard. It features the company's ancient 5.1-channel built-in audio and only four USB ports. The motherboard also does not have VRM heatsinks and there is no driver support. However, when it comes to mining, it does the job quite well and pays for itself very quickly.