Rig
A rig is a mining build. The name originally meant a frame with several graphics cards, and now people use it about ASICs as well.
What a rig is
A classic rig is an open frame, a motherboard, a power supply and several graphics cards on risers. Builds like that were put together for algorithms where cards made sense, and up to 2022 it was a mass story.
ASICs are laid out differently: the asic arrives finished, with its own boards, its own power and its own case. There is nothing to assemble, so strictly speaking an ASIC is no rig. In conversation the word caught on though, and somebody who says his rig does 200 terahashes means an asic.
The difference goes past words. A graphics card rig can switch between algorithms, while an ASIC is nailed to its own: a miner for SHA-256 will never compute Scrypt. That same trait makes an ASIC better value where the algorithm does not change, and more dangerous where the coin can die.
Today graphics card rigs live in niches where there is no ASIC or where it gives no lead. On RandomX, for example, the work runs on processors, and specialized hardware barely wins there. For SHA-256 and Scrypt there is no discussion: cards lost by orders of magnitude.
Quick reference table
| What it is | a mining build, usually on graphics cards |
| Parts of a classic rig | frame, board, power supply, cards on risers |
| Is an ASIC a rig | strictly speaking no, though people say so |
| Flexibility | a rig has it, an ASIC does not |
| Where rigs still live | algorithms with no ASIC or with no lead |
What this means when you buy
If a seller calls an ASIC a rig, no harm done: it is a habit of speech. Be wary when the word rig covers a homemade stack of hashboards with no case and somebody else's power supply.
The flexibility of a card build sounds attractive, but count the efficiency. On SHA-256 and Scrypt the ASICs win by orders of magnitude, and no amount of versatility covers that.
And remember noise and heat. An open rig of cards is quieter than an air cooled ASIC, and it also gives off less heat, because the draw is usually lower. Compare by kilowatts rather than by looks.
An example from the bench
People bring us a rig and ask for a flash. Nine times out of ten it is an Antminer or a Whatsminer, which means a finished asic, and everything is fine. The tenth time it is a contraption put together on a table out of hashboards and a power supply from another model, and the conversation starts with why nobody should do that.
Related terms
Where to go next on the site
Hardware
- ASIC Miner knowledge base
- Antminer S21 tool
Algorithms
Questions and answers
Are an ASIC and a rig the same thing
In the strict sense no: a rig is a build, usually on graphics cards, while an ASIC is finished specialized hardware. In conversation the words often get mixed up, and that is no error in substance.
Is it worth building a rig on graphics cards
On SHA-256 and Scrypt no, the ASICs win by orders of magnitude. The point remains where there is no specialized hardware or where it gives no visible lead.
Can you build your own asic out of hashboards
Enthusiasts do it, technically, but the control board has to match the hashboards by firmware, and the supply by number of lines. Homemade builds like that reach our bench more often than they reach working order.
How the terms connect
Every link in the chain is clickable. Orange marks where you are now.
Looking for an ASIC miner
The catalog holds 212 models. You can compare them by hashrate and by joules per terahash, then plug your own rate into the calculator and see what stays in your pocket.
Page written and checked by Denys Klimchuk. Updated .