Zcash mining rig with the release of ASIC has received more attention than before. And Zcash mining rig is currently built with graphics card rigs and ASIC miner devices.
ZCash started with a bitcoin fork but uses a different hash algorithm than Bitcoin. So Zcash cryptocurrency works based on proof of work with the Equihash algorithm while the SHA-256 hashing algorithm is used for Bitcoin cloud mining and defining the hash value. Zcash uses advanced encryption techniques called Zero-Knowledge Proofs to keep transactions secret.
Smart transactions are published in the public blockchain, but the recipient, sender, and transaction amount remain secret. It also can make the transactions of users in a public way and not confidential, if they wish.
In general, the process of starting a cost-effective Zcash mining through a Zcash mining rig is as follows:
- Preparation of special devices (ASIC) or graphics card rig,
- Create a smart wallet to receive the mined Zcash coins,
- Start Zcash mining rig by running the required software and joining the mining pool or a cryptocurrency cloud mining service.
Zcash
Is it possible to build a Zcash mining rig with ASIC devices?
The word ASIC stands for Application-Specific Integrated Circuit. An ASIC chip is designed for a specific purpose or use. Also, an ASIC can be used for any other devices but today we see the main application of this idea in mining devices.
These devices and chips have several times the power of the graphics card and are much more efficient in terms of power consumption, space, and heating. Therefore, miners can use these devices for Zcash mining rigs and profit. The ASIC devices are easy to install and operate.
Following the announcement by Bitmain in May 2018 that it would produce an ASIC machine capable of mining with the Equihash algorithm, the first ASIC was launched in June for use in the Zcash mining rig.
This was the Antminer Z9 Mini, which had a power equivalent to 10 KSol / S and power consumption of 300 watts. It means that if you provide two powerful rigs, the power of this device will still be higher. After the release of this device, other powerful devices were introduced to the market, which reduced the price of the Z9 mini.
ZEC mining rig
What are the best mining devices for the ZEC mining rig?
After 2018 and after the release of ASIC devices, the hardness of the Zcash network increased up to 10 times. This event caused the initial ASIC devices such as the Z9 mini and Antminer z15 don’t have profit.
April and May 2019 can be named as the months of smart miners or, more technically, the months of algorithmic miners for Equihash algorithms. In these months, two mining equipment giants (Bitmain) and (Innosilicon, the producer of Innosilicon a11 pro eth miner) launched a new generation of mining equipment.
After the influx of mining enthusiasts in the Zcash community and the acceptance of the arrival of ASIC devices, we saw a sharp increase in the difficulty of mining in the Zcash network. It was the time for the departure of graphics card miners from the mining community.
Recently, three current powerful devices are suitable for the Zcash mining rig. They are also good for other cryptocurrencies which are Equihash-based. These devices are ASICminer Zeon 180K, Innosilicon A9 ++ ZMaster, and Bitmain Antminer Z11.
The most powerful miner device available for the Equihash algorithm is the ASICminer Zeon 180K, which has a power equivalent to 180 Ksol / s.
ASICminer Zeon 180K
Is Zcash mining rig Profitable?
Zcash, like most cryptocurrencies, relies on its miners to add trades to blocks on the blockchain. Due to the current difficulty of Zcash Network, graphics card mining, which was done in early 2018 and before, is no longer profitable at the moment. The hash rate of this network is almost entirely provided by ASICs.
You need to get graphics card rigs for cost-effective mining via the Zcash mining rig. Rig means a pack of hardware. The Graphics card rig is similar to home computer cases but with a higher number of graphics cards.
You can purchase Zcash mining rigs ready-made. But miners usually collect parts and assemble them according to their capital and needs.
Developers generated Bitcoin blocks every 10 minutes, but ZiKash has an approximate duration of 2.5 minutes per block. That is, for every block created, it rewards ten ZEC coins to the cloud miner center.
Zcash rank
What are the components of the ZEC mining rig for Zcash cryptocurrency?
In general, Zcash mining rig includes the following hardware components:
- Powerful graphics cards: The main part of the Zcash mining rig is its graphics card. You need a set of powerful graphics cards to mine its smart cost.
The Nvidia GTX series is currently the best graphics card model for the Zcash mining rig. GTX 1080Ti and GTX 1070 are good graphics cards for this model. You can use a variety of graphics cards, but you should note that instead of buying a large number of weak graphics cards, get several powerful graphics cards. Also, note that you should choose all your graphics cards from one commercial brand like AMD or Nvidia.
- Chassis, The chassis is a means of mounting pieces of the Zcash mining rig on it. You can prepare the chassis ready or make it yourself. The chassis should be such that the components, especially the graphics, are screwed well on it and are balanced.
GTX 1080Ti
- Proper power supply: Take this part very seriously to prevent damage to the parts. A 300-500 watt power supply is sufficient for home systems. But for some graphics cards, you need powerful power supplies. For example, for six powerful graphics, power above 1200 watts is required in the PlusGold version and above. Be sensitive to select the right mining power and consult with experienced experts.
- RAM: Zcash mining rig does not require much RAM. A 4GB DDR 3 RAM is enough. If you want to do more than mine from your system, you can get 8 GB of RAM.
- CPU: You do not need a very powerful CPU to mine with graphics cards. A medium CPU connected to your motherboard is enough.
- SSD drive: You need memory to install the operating system and run the Zcash mining rig A 120 GB SSD drive is enough for you. Of course, if you want to mine separately without joining the mining pools, you have to download the whole blockchain of Zcash. In this case, have an estimate for yourself how much volume will need for this blockchain in the future.
- Cables required: For different connections in the Zcash mining rig, you need suitable cables, which are abundant in the market. PCI Express USB cables are required to connect the graphics to the motherboard.
- Motherboard: Finally, you need a good motherboard to connect the parts. To connect multiple graphics cards, you must use a motherboard with the appropriate PCI Express slots. Asrock – H81 Pro BTC motherboard is one of the good models for this.
- Adsl + modem internet: Zcash mining rig does not require very high-speed internet, but its stability and uncertainty are important. The best type of Internet for mining is Adsl Internet, which if you have a landline, you can activate your Adsl service through telecommunications or private companies. Internet speed of 2 to 4 mg is suitable for extraction. You need a modem to connect to Adsl. A simple and durable modem is enough. With an Ethernet cable, you can connect your modem to the motherboard network card. Note that you should reduce the modem connection as much as possible. Because disconnection and reconnection make the mining process difficult.
Crypto cloud mining does not consume a lot of the internet. The Zcash mining rig with eight graphics cards has a maximum of 4 gigs per month of internet consumption.
Adsl + modem internet
How is the ZEC mining rig installed?
After supplying the required parts and equipment, the following two steps should be performed:
- Assembling parts: Now you have to mount the prepared parts on the motherboard and chassis. This is fairly simple but it is recommended that you do this with an expert. There are many videos on YouTube that you can use. Just search for “mining rig assembly” on Youtube.
- Installing operating systems and drivers: You can use Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems to run mining software. We recommend installing Windows 10. Because you do not have a DVD driver, you must install Windows from a flash drive. Run Windows on the flash with ISO software. Connect your system to a power supply and a monitor and turn it on. You can install Windows via USB boot. Install the required graphics card as well as network card drivers on Windows.
Zcash mining setup
How to make a smart wallet?
After installing the Zcash mining rig, you need to get your wallet so you can store your mined Zcash. The process of making a wallet and getting its address is very simple and with a few clicks.
- The Zcash official wallets that Zcash introduced are web-based and phone wallets.
- Coinomi wallet is one of the popular wallets that supports Zcash. You can download the mobile and desktop versions of this wallet from its official website.
Zcash official wallet
How to start the ZEC mining rig?
After preparing the Zcash mining rig and its smart wallet, the most important part is starting work. You must join a mining pool to mine a coin or any other currency. The mining pool is a virtual place where the miners gather and everyone tries to mine a block. In this method, each miner benefits based on its processing power.
Without joining the mining pool, your chances of mining a block will be very small, and only large mining farms will operate independently.
Also, we should note that if you use ASIC for extraction, make sure that the extraction pool is compatible with ASIC devices. Flypool is a mining pool that is compatible with miner devices.
How to connect the ZEC mining rig to a mining pool?
After connecting the LAN cable to the device and making sure it is connected to the Internet, we first check the IPs connected to the modem with the Scanner software to get the IP of the device. There are a few software for Zcash mining as other crypto mining including Optiminer, Claymore, and Genesis SGminer for AMD and EWBF Cuda graphics cards, Nicehash EQM, and NEHQ for Nvidia graphics cards.
So if you are using an ASIC device, make sure that the mining pool is compatible with the ASIC device.
Connecting the ZEC mining rig to a mining pool
What is the reward for the ZEC mining rig?
The number of Zcash is limited. There is a total of 21 million Zcash. Currently, the reward of each block is equal to 6.25 Zcash, and the average time for mining a block is equal to 75 seconds. But every four years, after mining 840,000 blocks, a halving occurs (like halving for Bitcoin), which halves the reward to 3.125, 1.5625, and so on. The maximum size of each block is 2 MB.
Also, we should note that 10% of the total currency mined as a reward belongs to its founders and developers.
How is the profitability of the ZEC mining rig calculated?
Above we talked about how Zcash mining rig and hardware and software equipment required for that. The amount of your reward in the Zcash mining rig process depends on several factors, including the strength of the equipment purchased, the cost of electricity consumed, and the presence of mining pools with different fees.
You can use special calculators to estimate the profitability of Zcash mining rigs. CryptoCompare is an online cryptocurrency profit calculator that allows you to have a relatively accurate estimate of the profitability of mining and its costs.
This calculator allows you to determine your profit per day or each month by entering the hashing power, energy consumption, and cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Before buying hardware, you can use this type of calculator to determine your profitability and return on investment (ROI).
