So I've been seeing a lot of stuff about how BFL hasn't shipped people's ASICs yet. This thread isn't about that.
I just want some info about this:
https://products.butterflylabs.com/homepage/5-gh-s-bitcoin-miner.html

Am I incorrect in thinking that 5 GH/s is 5000 MH/s?
At $274 (assuming BFL ever gets their shit together) isn't that an excellent deal?

Also, it says it needs to be plugged into a host computer. What part of the host computer does it draw on?

Thanks both of you. I can't do the crate case because I have a lot of cats that jump on everything... But I will definitely get a good quality PSU.

I might do that. I just have to wait a bit longer to get enough. I'm still using my trusty old 560ti for games

So you think the other parts are fine? Will I need more RAM? RAM is cheap as chips, so I don't mind that.

I have it in my head to build a super cheap mining rig. I'm not kidding about super cheap.
Before I say any more, this is my spec list. Don't panic and call the fire department.

Raygo MT MicroATX Computer Case and OEM 600W ATX
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7730413&CatId=1509

Intel 775 motherboard combo Pentium D 3.2 GHz 1GB DDR Memory Intel D946GZIS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-775-motherboard-combo-Pentium-D-3-2-GHz-1GB-DDR-Memory-Intel-D946GZIS-/330905987847?pt=US_Motherboard_CPU_Combos&hash=item4d0b88ab07

Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 11200-16-20G Video Card - 1GB
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5273329&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&cm_mmc_o=mH4CjC7BBTkwCjCV1-CjCE&gclid=CJ_Eyv3fwLYCFeR_QgodPE0ARg


Feel free to give me a virtual slap to the face to make me come to my senses if necessary.
Please know that I'm not really doing this for profit, I'm doing it because a. cryptocurrency is the future and I want to participate and b. I love building and messing around with computers.

You mean add that riser, and then add two more 16x risers in each of those? O_O

You should put a bit more description in your main post. I understood exactly what it was when I went to your site, but was confused after just reading the post.

Excellent idea by the way.

Awesome! I wasn't looking at a specific mobo, but that's a guideline. What about for AMD mobos? AM3 the oldest?

I just read somewhere that if you use a riser (like this one: http://dx.com/p/pci-e-1x-to-16x-riser-card-extension-cable-15-5cm-length-100061) you can actually use newer cards in older mobos without a loss in hash rate. Is this true? I've only read it once and it sounds kind of bullshit.

If it is true, I can save a lot of $$$ on my mobo

I might have put it wrong in my first post, I am very new to this stuff.

What is a good card for LTC?

Something else you could do if you don't think your printer is up to snuff, is to go get a bunch of blank ones printed in high quality, and then just run them through your printer with only the address part of the template showing.

Hey all, I'm putting together the parts for my budget rig, and I'm having a lot of trouble choosing the GPU.

I'm deliberating between getting one 6870 or two 5750s. I'm just not sure how accurate the data at https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining_hardware_comparison is.

Two 5750s get 365mhash/s and are about $180 for both. **[Also, will a 5750 fit in a PCI Express x1 slot? The mobo I'm look at has a x16 and a x1. Not two of either.]
One 6870 gets around the same and is $203.

Advice? Should I be looking at a completely different card? Budget wise I want the most power for as little as possible, and I want to keep it close around $200.

What's the hash rates for two 5850s?
I couldn't find any cheap 5850s. However https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining_hardware_comparison says that a 6570 has a 124-114 hash rate (not sure the difference between the different listings on that page.) I feel like that number is incorrect though, because a 6570 is $68 on Amazon. Is it because it is low profile? How much does it being low profile effect the performance for mining?

Really? My Rosewill HIVE has been running perfectly for over a year now...
Though I agree some of their products leave a lot to be desired.

Thanks, I'll do a but more looking around. I'm using a Rosewill PSU in my current PC, so I might look at those as well.

Hey there, I'm just a kid so I can't afford to buy a huge quad-card watercooled monster. I still want to get into this cryptocurrency thing, not only is it fascinating, but it probably is the future.
So I've been toying with the idea of getting a budget rig. From what I read, the only component that really matters is the GPU, with the mobo being only as important as its Pci-16x slot. This build has the cheapest of the cheap in everything, and I'm going to go the route of the milk crate case:

-XFX Radeon HD 6870 2GB
-Thermaltake TR2 600W
-AMD Sempron 145
-Biostar A780L3B (I'm aware this is probably absolute shit, I might spend the extra bucks to get an crossfire-enabled board in case I upgrade someday.)
-Crucial 2GB (1 x 2GB)

Its a $342 build, so kind of an investment for a sixteen year old with no job.
What do you think?

I'm doing graphic design work on another site to get cash for a rig! I'm a third of the way there.

Its a bit harder when still in high school, but I'm confident.

Drugs. Drugs as far as the eye can see.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_(marketplace)

Does a workstation GPU do better at mining than a gaming GPU? Which part of the GPU actually determines mining efficiency?
Newb here, I'm putting together my first build to (maybe) buy.

Thanks for replying. I guess I'll think it over- I probably wont have the cash for a little while and who knows what will happen by then!