A gaming rig that pays for
itself
Exotic Car Paint, multiple GPUs, and custom-built chassis’
be damned, boutique PC builder Xidax thinks it has the sexiest sales pitch on
the planet with its M6 Mining Rig: It pays for itself! Now, we can’t say this
PC is basically “free” because it ain’t that, but Xidax says by using the box’s
spare GPU cycles to mine for crypto-currency, this baby would be paid off in
about four months. To be honest, it’s not something we've ever considered, as
we've seen gaming rigs, and we've seen coining rigs, but never in the same box.
It seems like a solid idea though, as the system can game during the day, then
mine at night to help cover its cost.
The system’s specs include a 3.4GHz Core i5-4670K with 16GB
of RAM, a Corsair RM 850 PSU, closed-loop liquid cooler, 250GB Samsung 840 EVO
SSD, 1TB WD Black, and a pair of Sapphire Radeon R9 290X cards. In application
performance, it's pretty pedestrian with its stock- clocked Core i5-4670K. Why
not something more badass? Xidax says it weighed hardware choices carefully
because the pricier the hardware, the longer it takes to pay off with
crypto-coins. The Radeons are a wise choice, as they offer about twice the
performance of Nvidia's fastest GPUs in mining applications. Gaming is also
quite excellent (obviously, for a two-card system), and its mining performance
is impressive at 1.7 to 1.8 Kilohashes per second. (Hashes of the
kilo/mega/giga variety are the units of measurement for mining productivity.)
Xidax M6 Mining Rig
Xidax ships the PC ready to start mining operations almost
right out of the box, which is normally a daunting task. It also includes a
Concierge (or should we say coin-cierge) service that has a Xidax rep remotely
connect to the rig and do a final tune on the box for maximum mining
performance. On this particular machine, it came ready to mine for Doge Coins
and was forecast to make about $21.60 a day, or $670 a month, on a 24/7
schedule - including electricity costs.
What’s the catch? There are a few. First, it’s loud when
mining. In fact, it's so loud that you won’t be able to stand being in the same
room with it. Second, you can't do anything with it while it's mining because
all GPU resources are pegged to the max. Third, crypto-currency can be
volatile. Bitcoin saw its value see-saw from $130 to $1,242 and then back to
$455 and $900 in just four months. It could all go kaput in a few months, or who
knows - the government might even step in and ruin the fun.
Xidax M6 Mining Rig’s front
Considering its performance outside of mining, the M6 Mining
Rig is pricey at $3,000. However, the price includes a lifetime warranty on
parts and service except for the GPUs. Those carry a five-year warranty, which
is still surprisingly good, considering that board vendors are already making
noises that they don’t want to eat the cost of dead boards killed by mining.
Xidax says it will cover them, though. And - again - it pays for itself, right?
That’s ultimately the appeal of the M6 Gaming Rig, but it
has to be carefully considered by potential buyers. After all, anything that
sounds too good to be true usually is, but then again, it is a powerful gaming
PC that could theoretically pay for itself in a few months. And even if the
market blew up, at least you’d still have a formidable gaming PC rather than
just standing there with your RAM sticks in one hand. And if it works out, whoa
baby, you just got a PC for free!
Xidax M6 Mining Rig’s back
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Specifications
·
Price: $3,000
·
Processor: 3.4GHz Core i5-4670K
·
Mobo: MSI Z87-G45
·
RAM: Corsair 16GB DDR3/1600
·
Graphics: 2x Sapphire Radeon R9 290X in CrossFire
·
Storage: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO. 1TB WD Black
·
Optical: LG Blu-ray Combo Drive
·
Case/PSU: Corsair Air 5A0 / Corsair RM850
Verdict
·
Pros: Concierge service; excellent warranty.
·
Cons: Loud; subject to volatile currency markets.
·
Rating: 8/10
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