NiceHash

Broadly speaking, the answer is “yes.” While buying secondhand graphics cards from Bitcoin miners carries a few inherent risks, they’re not really greater than the risks of buying used parts in the first place. Let’s break it down.

A gaming and mining motherboard The MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon is one of the best mining motherboards not just because it’s good at mining, but because it’s also good for gaming .

OK, the “rig” is essentially a customized PC . It has all the common elements of a PC: CPU, motherboard, RAM, and storage. Where things deviate from the norm is when it comes to the graphics cards. It’s the GPU that’s doing that hard work when it comes to mining cryptocurrency, and not the CPU.

GPU mining itself isn’t a danger to your PC—it’s the mileage . Since most GPUs rely on attached or auxiliary fans, these parts can degrade faster during periods of sustained use. To prevent damage to your card, you’ll need to clean them often.