I’d lay awake at night planning out my first two rigs: I wanted to make sure I did it right from the beginning. So when I wasn’t researching hardware, I was assembling them in my mind. Truth is, I still made plenty of mistakes.

In this post I’ll be sharing what I know now in regards to hardware, and hopefully can put you on the right path to get going quicker while also saving money.

Save Where You Can

This should go without saying: If you have hardware laying around – even if it’s older – see if you can repurpose it. The goal with crypto mining should be to make your money back as quickly as possible. So – as our grandmas used to say – a penny saved is a penny earned.

If you or someone you know has an old functioning computer laying around – or even parts of one – see if you can use it in your new build.

Another option is to buy functioning hardware used off of local buy-and-sell groups. I’ve heard of people having a lot of success using local Facebook buy-and-sell groups. Just do your due diligence to make sure it still works before shelling out your hard earned money.

Best Graphic Cards (GPU) for Crypto Mining

The best graphics card to mine with is obviously the one you already have (assuming it can be mined with). I’d recommend heading over to What to Mine to see what you should be mining with it.

The best card to buy is the one that you can get your Return On Investment (ROI) quickest. Just about any latest generation GPU is a good investment IF you can get them at (or very close to) MSRP.

Personally I’d still try getting a 2000 series Nvidia card (ideally 2060 Super or 2070 Super). They are CRAZY efficient still and definitely a favorite of mine. The AMD variant (RX 5700 or RX 5700 XT) are also a miners dream card – largely because of how efficient they are – which makes them hard to get at a good price.

If you are on a budget, consider getting an older card at a good price. For example:

• RX 470 (8GB)
• RX 480 (8GB)
• RX 570 (8GB)
• RX 580 (8GB)
• RX 590
• GTX 1660 (any model)
• GTX 1060 (6GB)
• GTX 1070 (any model)
• GTX 1080 (any model)

I personally never buy a card that has less than 8 GB of VRAM just to future proof myself a bit, and still won’t pass up a good deal on any of the older RX series cards listed.

If you prefer going with newer (more efficient) GPUs, consider looking at some of these:

• Radeon VII
• RX Vega 56
• RX Vega 64
• RX 5600XT
• RX 5700
• RX 5700 XT
• RX 6600
• RX 6600 XT
• RX 6700 XT
• RX 6800 XT
• RX 6800
• RX 6900 XT
• RTX 2060 Super
• RTX 2070 Super
• RTX 2080 (any model)
• RTX 3060 (any model)
• RTX 3070 (any model)
• RTX 3080 (any model)
• RTX 3090

Some of these – especially the big cards – are still crazy expensive. While they tend to mine their fair share, they likely will have some of the worst ROI times.

Again, some of the best deals can be had through local marketplaces. I myself use GPU Drops to keep an eye on good deals for cards I am looking for and have bought pretty much all my cards through eBay or Amazon.

Best GPU Mining Motherboard

It’s easy to salivate over the latest and greatest crypto mining motherboards or one that promises to have slots for 19 graphics cards. I’ve been there and done that. So take my word for it: they are not worth it. Especially right now where such boards are ridiculously overpriced.

Yes, you can probably start with a basic motherboard that has room for 1 – 5 graphic cards. If you plan on only mining with a few GPUs, this is a fantastic cheap option. But if you plan on getting a real mining motherboard, an affordable one I use and HIGHLY recommend is the BTC-B250C.

• It’ll only cost you between $89 – $129 USD (other subpar boards cost double to five times that)
• It is about half the size of a standard gaming motherboard (this comes handy when building tight rigs)
• Is compatible with newer/faster hardware like DDR4 RAM
• Allows you to use older (more affordable) yet efficient LGA 1151 processors
• Allows you to plug HDMI directly into motherboard which helps with cable management.
• Allows you to plug riser cables directly into motherboard USB slots (not into flimsy PCIE bracket that then go into motherboard). This completely eliminates a common point of failure, which is a HUGE plus!!!

I bought my first one for about $128 USD and I was super impressed with it right from when I got it. It’s by far my favorite (also cheapest) mining board.

There are other 8 GPU On-Board (riserless) mining boards as well (BTC-37 or a variation thereof). They are basic (with older tech), but do the trick I am told and are mainly used in enclosed mining cases. I have no experience with them as they are more designed for older (narrow) graphic cards and limit how you can set up your rigs.

Still, not a bad option seeing that they come with a processor built in and can accommodate a bunch of graphics cards without you needing to use risers.

Best Processor (CPU) for GPU Mining Rig

Unless you plan on mining with your Computing Processing Unit (CPU), it does not have to be fancy. So, the cheaper, the better. I personally use a G3930 Intel CPU on the motherboard mentioned above and it does what I need it to do.

The G3930 used to sell for like $70 last year, but due to it’s popularity with miners, the price for it has gone up drastically. Meaning you (oddly) can buy a much better CPU for less now. So you might as well.

Main thing to look for is that it’s LGA 1151 (6 or 7 series).

A few options:

• G3930
• G4400
• Core i3 6320
• Core i5-6500

Any of these should work. As long as you buy from a reputable seller, buying a used CPU is not a bad option if it saves you a few dollars.

Best Risers for GPU Mining

GPU risers have evolved drastically over the last few years. Meaning just about any sold on the market today are going to be pretty good. I’ve bought different ones from different sellers. Some are fancier than others, some are pricier, but they all work just as well.

Here are a few options:

• Riser #1 (Older generation. Basic. Only has 6 pin power plug)
• Riser #2 (Newer. Plenty of safe power options)
  • Riser #2 in a pack of 6

Some people look for risers that have more capacitators to help protect their motherboard and graphics cards but most risers today should have plenty.

I know they all come with SATA cables but AVOID powering your risers via SATA. Too many fires have been started with those. ALWAYS opt for 6 pin PCI-E or 4 pin Molex

Best Crypto Mining Power Supplies (PSU)

A Power Supply Unit (PSU) is one you will NOT want to cheap out on. Each power supply has a different rating: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium. Avoid anything that is not gold, titanium or platinum.

I once got cheap and bought a few bronze rated PSUs and believe it or not, they died on me (one after the other) a month in. They are probably okay for gaming but useless for mining, as they are just not built for constant power draw.

With that said, I have never had a gold or higher rated PSU die on me. Even with a better PSU, you want to do the math on approximately how much power you’ll need to power your rig, and then add 20% on top (as a safety buffer) to get an idea of how big of a power supply you will need.

Here are a few PSUs I own that I can recommend with confidence:

• Segotep: (Gold, 600W) *
• FSP Hydro G PRO: (Gold, 1000W)
• Cougar ATX12V: (Gold, 1050W)
• SilverStone Tek: (Titanium, 1500W)
• Server PSU: (Platinum, 1027W)

* NOTE: I personally no longer buy massive PC power supplies just because they can get very expensive. What I started doing is: I buy a smaller (600 Watt) PSU with gold (or higher) rating just to power the motherboard, fans, memory, etc. And then I get server PSUs to power the risers and GPUs.

Main reason for this is because server PSUs are a lot cheaper, a lot more durable, and more efficient as well. They are built to run nonstop.

One caveat for server PSUs is: If you run them in a warm environment or max out their power draw, their little fan can wind up and become noisy. Because I have a dedicated mining room, this has never been an issue for me, but something to keep in mind if you’re going for “as quiet as possible”.

Best Storage Memory for GPU Mining Rig

I know of a lot of miners that run their rigs off of USB sticks. I personally run my Linux based rig using a 32 GB USB 3.0 stick. I’ve run it off a simple 8 GB USB 2.0 stick as well without a problem.

Here are some cheap USB stick options:

• Kingston 32GB USB 3.0

For my windows rigs I run them off of 120 GB Solid State Drives (SSD). Here are some affordable options:

• Kingston 120GB SSD

PRO TIP: The reason I run windows rigs off of SSDs is so I have plenty of space to increase the virtual memory on the rig later on to 100GB or more to help the system use each GPU more efficiently. You can download and install windows 10 for free (from here). If you’d like to activate your windows 10 license, you can buy a key for about $20 on eBay.

Best Crypto Mining Frames

There are a ton of different prebuilt mining cases and mining frames. Depending on your rig setup, you might want to consider one over the other.

I personally have always built my own frames, but if you prefer to shortcut your rig building, purchasing a prebuilt mining frame won’t break your bank.

Here are some affordable frames:

• 6 GPU Frame *
• 12 GPU Frame *
• 12 GPU Frame
• 12 GPU Frame

* Please note: The first two frames are cheap and should work well. My complaint with that style of frame is that the fans are basically blowing at the GPUs from the rear-end. Which is fine for pretty much all cards except for blower GPUs, as they blow their how air out at back. If you don’t intend on using blower GPUs, this is not a problem.

Best Crypto Mining Rig Cooling Fans

This I feel almost I shouldn’t even mention here just because the fans you’ll need will vary greatly. However, I feel I should mention a few things I have learned.

The common fan is 120mm, but they are not all made the same. When I started out, I bought a bunch of the cheapest 120mm fans I could find that had LED lights in them. I wanted my rig to look cool. And it did just that.

However, the fans were USELESS. They pushed no air worth mentioning. Largely because despite having 120mm hole rating and looking pretty, the fans were tiny and turning at very low speeds. So, if you’re going to get fans, here are a couple things to look for (things that actually matter):

• Fan blade size: Is the fan blade size on par with the size of the fan? You do not want a fan blade that is 80mm to sit in a spot where you need a 120mm fan.
• Fan speed: Yes, low fan speed is going to be quiet, but them being quiet usually means very little airflow. Low airflow sadly does not protect your GPU investment.
• Fan style: No, not how pretty they are, but what were they designed to do? Are they static pressure fans, or are they high airflow fans?

Noctua is the golden standard when it comes to fans, and the price reflects it. Their fans are plain and ugly, but they are efficient and push a lot of air. Especially their industrial line.

Arctic is another popular brand that is a LOT more affordable and has some decent options.

Conclusion

Hey listen: Building your first rig can be overwhelming. Hang in there… it really isn’t all that complicated. If I was able to figure it out, so can you. It’s an addictive yet rewarding hobby!

I remember researching so many random things before finally pulling the trigger. Which is partially why I wrote this post: To give you a base outline to work from.

You might get tempted to get everything perfect from the get-go with just the right color scheme, etc. Just remember that none of that matters. It’s cool to want all the bling but just like chrome rims don’t make a car go faster, so the fancy color scheme on your rig won’t make it more profitable. If anything it will delay you earning your investment back.

So go ahead. Check what hardware you already have, and then buy the parts still need. And if you need a quick guide on setting up the software side of things, check out my guide on how to start mining crypto!

The post What You Need to Create a Crypto Mining Rig appeared first on Kobra Dynasty.

While they are ultimately responsible for making them popular again, meal replacement shakes have been around longer than me. They are nothing new!

Regardless of who came up with the idea of replacing meals with quickly made (yet nutritious) shakes, it is a genius concept. And they have been a life changer for me in many ways, some of which I will get into a bit later.

But first, what are the best meal replacement shakes?

Established vs. Hype Brands

A few years ago I came across a contributed article on Tim Ferris’ blog where a young guy documented going on this meal replacement shake for a few weeks and seeing tremendous benefits despite the shakes being absolutely disgusting in every way imaginable.

Now, as someone who loves food, the first thought that entered my mind was: Why would you do that to yourself?

New Meal Replacement Shake Brand

I then started looking into the company who’s shakes he was consuming and discovered that – at the time – they didn’t care one bit as to what the finished shake:

• looked like (it wasn’t an appetizing look)
• tasted like (it didn’t taste good at all)
• felt like (slimy texture… yuck)
• smelled like (not a pleasant aroma)
• etc

Turns out the only thing the creator of the shake was concerned with was that each shake had about a third of the important nutrients the human body needs to function, so that in replacing 3 meals a day with the shake, the consumer would get the recommended daily amount of nutrients.

He seemed to not care too much if the ingredients being used were synthetic instead of natural. Definitely a very tech/engineering approach to replacing meals.

I am not saying that to discredit or dismiss the company or it’s founders. In fact, I am absolutely intrigued by the momentum they created, the raving fan base they built (in record time), how they contribute to food banks, etc.

Pretty much exactly what I would want to do if I were to start a meal replacement company. Except my focus would be more on making sure the ingredients being used are as natural as possible.

Established Meal Replacement Shake Brand

I then remembered a company I used to be with that too had meal replacement shakes. Even though they marketed their shakes as weight management shakes, the nutritional ingredients were identical if not more extensive than those of the new company I just mentioned.

I then remembered that their shakes had a wide range of flavors to chose from. Which – for a food lover like me – is important. Shake or not – I like to enjoy my meals. I like them to not only be nutritious and satisfying, but taste, smell, feel and look appetizing as well.

So the idea of just gulping down something I didn’t enjoy did not interest me much – no matter how good it was supposed to be for me.

And so – when I finally came to a point where I wanted to replace 1 to 2 meals per day with a shake (for a myriad of reasons of which I will go into later), I ended up choosing the company that had a 40 year track record of making quality meal replacement shakes over a company that was just a few years old.

Best Meal Replacement Shake Company

Anytime I hear someone make a biased claim like “this company makes by far the best product” in whatever niche they are in, I shake my head. Did they try the product of every competing brand? If not, how do they know that their brand is the best?

The same rule applies here. I am not going to pretend that I have tried every meal replacement shake under the sun and that this is the best meal replacement shake company out there, but I will say I have tried and researched enough products (by different companies) to know value when I see it.

In this case, the protein shake that ticks all the boxes for me is the Herbalife meal replacement shake. Aside from an abundance of vitamins and minerals in their shakes, Herbalife has a few important factors going for it that most other meal replacement shake companies don’t have.

Here are just a few examples:

1.) Established Track Record

Herbalife isn’t a new company. Unlike most of the meal replacement shake companies out there, Herbalife has been around for 40 years. What other company has been improving and standing behind it’s products for this long? Not many!

No-one is in business for 40 years unless they have a pretty solid product. Period!

2.) Established Science

Again, 40 years of testing and tweaking with the oversight of dozens (possibly hundreds) of different doctors, nutritionists, and scientists, the Herbalife products are pretty solid.

To add to that: there are roughly 40 million health conscious people around the world consuming the Herbalife products right now. If the science had been off on these shakes for over 40 years, this would not be happening.

3.) Affordable Prices

I remember the first time I purchased the Herbalife meal replacement shakes I thought they were expensive. I suppose I wasn’t used to prepaying for 30 meals at once. Once I looked at it from that perspective, it seemed very affordable.

Also, when I attempted to purchase a similar powder from a couple other brands, I quickly realized how the Herbalife shakes were actually extremely competitively priced. Especially considering the companies long established reputation in the industry.

What’s more, if you buy in larger quantities like I am, you can easily get a 25% discount (message me if this is something that interests you), which makes these one of the most affordable meal replacement shake powders sold today.

4.) Complete Nutrition

Later I will get into how you can customize each shake to your needs/liking, but one thing I have always liked about Herbalife is that their products support (and can be customized to support) various nutritional needs. It’s not at all a one glove fits all approach.

Every one of their meal replacement protein powders comes with at 9 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and over 20 essential vitamins and minerals per serving.

On top of that, there is plenty of room for you to customize each shake/smoothie to be:

• the best meal replacement shake for weight loss
• the best meal replacement shake for muscle gain
• the best meal replacement shake for runners
• the best meal replacement shake for diabetics
• etc, etc.

I will get more into how I do this a little later, but for now…

Why Should You Consume Meal Replacement Shakes?

As just hinted at, people look for meal replacement shakes for a variety of reasons. My reason was to get my gut health under control. I was having so many food sensitivities that I was always in pain or discomfort.

Replacing 1 to 2 meals a day with a nutritious meal replacement protein shake has allowed me to get that part of my life under control. No more pain. No more discomfort. And I feel healthier and stronger than I felt in my youth.

Here are some more reasons as to why people choose to replace their meals with the Herbalife meal replacement protein shakes.

1.) To Save Time & Simplify Daily Life

It really depends on how you make your shake, but a simple version – where you put the powder and your choice of milk into a shaker bottle and shake it – can be made within 30 seconds and can be consumed within a minute or two.

This makes it a huge time saver. Not just that, but it makes it extremely convenient as well. No need to spend an hour or more every day cooking or eating out. You got all the fuel you need with less than a minute of prep time. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

2.) To Balance Daily Nutritional Intake

Having a toast with jam first thing in the morning is nice, but how nutritious is it really? Having those hamburgers and fries for lunch is delicious, but how stuffed and tired will you feel after? Having pizza for supper is fun and convenient sometimes, but again: does it have the optimal nutrients your body needs to run on all cylinders?

Whether you replace one meal a day or three meals a day with the Herbalife meal replacement shakes, you can rest easy knowing that your body gets the nutrients it needs to thrive. Especially if you customize the shake to your needs (as I outline further down this page).

3.) To Help Deal With Food Allergies & Sensitivities

As mentioned earlier, this was the primary reason for me to start replacing meals with these protein shakes. I had severe bloating issues whenever I ate something containing wheat or cow milk. On top of that I was supposedly allergic to eggs (according to an allergy test I did).

This didn’t leave me with many breakfast options. So I started replacing my breakfasts with the Herbalife meal replacement shakes. At times I will even replace lunch (and/or) supper with a shake and I always feel great doing so.

4.) To Help With Weight Management

Weight loss (weight management) is by far the most common reason why people take meal replacement shakes.

It is also the main reason Herbalife made the meal replacement protein powder to begin with: to help men and women from all walks of life burn fat and then make it easy to keep off as well.

You can – however – use these shakes to gain healthy amounts of muscle weight as well if that is your end goal. Instead of using them to replace a meal, you would add them to a meal – thereby increasing your daily calorie intake instead of reducing it.

Why Herbalife Meal Replacement Shakes?

I am careful with what I put in my body. You could argue I am not very trusting of mass produced consumables. So finding a product with a long history of consumption was important to me. Herbalife ticks that box with 40 years of history in the meal replacement category.

Herbalife has been under the microscope too long to have subpar products. Beyond that though…

Herbalife Gives You Options

As delicious as the Herbalife shakes are (they really are), I like to mix things up so it isn’t the same shake every time.

Flavors:

First off, I love the ability to pick a different flavor whenever I feel like it. Depending on what country you live in, Herbalife has a wide range of flavors. Here are the ones available to me in Mexico:

• Dulce de Leche (caramel)
• Vanilla
• Strawberry (my daughter’s favorite)
• Banana (my favorite)
• Choco Mix Mokaccino
• Choco-Hazelnut
• Coconut
• Cookies’ n Cream (my wife likes this one)
• Strawberry
• Tropical Fruits
• Piña Colada (great addition to a real Piña Colada

Optional Add-ons

These shakes are formulated to give you the nutrients you normally need to get from a meal, except at about half the calorie count. This makes them ideal if you want to lose weight or if you don’t live a physically active lifestyle (where you don’t burn a lot of calories).

I personally don’t consume these shakes to lose weight (although they have helped me manage my weight), so I am not too worried about the calorie count. Meaning I usually throw in a real fruit into the blender with the roughly 25 grams of recommended powder – just to boost my fresh fruit intake for the day.

I often add one of the following:

• a banana
• an apple
• a handful of fresh or frozen berries
• a table spoon of powdered additive like:
  • hemp protein
  • spirulina
  • moringa
  • acai
  • etc
• a table spoon of coconut oil
• etc.

Point is: a shake will have less calories than a typical meal. So unless you are trying to use meal replacement shakes for weight-loss, you can add your fruit of choice into it. Ultimately giving you the freedom to have a different tasting (yet delicious) shake every meal of the week.

Heck, some mornings I’ll blend the shake powder with a cup of soy-milk and pour it over my cornflakes. It’s to die for delicious

Herbalife Saves You Money

The cost of a Herbalife meal replacement shake obviously depends on how you prepare it. I laid out some of my favorite ways of doing it earlier (25 grams of powder, a cup of soy-milk, plus whatever else I feel like adding), but it costs me a whole lot less than I would pay if I were to eat out that meal and on average probably less that it would cost me to cook something at home.

The cost of a container can seem expensive at first, but when you look at how much time and money you save by replacing 30 meals, it is starting to make a lot of economical sense. And it sure is a whole lot more nutritious than a typical on the go sandwich.

Where To Get The Best Meal Replacement Shakes

I have seen people buy the Herbalife meal replacement shakes off of Amazon but I strongly discourage it. And for good reasons:

1. They aren’t actually Herbalife products. With so many fake products being sold online, you just never know if the product is legit… even if the containers appear to be legit. What if the container being sold was resealed and sold as new? You just can’t be 100% certain what you’re getting when purchasing from any source that isn’t the official one. So DO NOT BUY HERBALIFE PRODUCTS FROM THIRD PARTY SOURCES.
2. It isn’t fresh inventory. Distributors often buy large quantities of Herbalife products to get a discount. When they don’t use all that inventory, they attempt to sell it through sites like Amazon. This often leads to them selling products near or past the expiry date. NOT GOOD!
3. You get no guarantee. Herbalife is so committed to their product that – if for whatever reason you do not like the shake – you send the container back within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked. When you purchase through Amazon, you bypass this guarantee. So… DON’T DO IT!

I always order mine directly from their closest warehouse. That way I always get fresh products and have the official Herbalife guarantee with each product I get. No room for monkey business that way.

To get your own meal replacement shake protein powder, order them here.

The post Best Meal Replacement Shakes: Personal Review! appeared first on Kobra Dynasty.