Sorry to be off-topic a bit, but does the power draw of a 5830 matter? I have it maxed out at 1195 using Trixx with clocks at 1000, memory at 300 and fans at 100. I'm getting 315 mhash/sec but am wondering if I'm overdrawing power? I've got 3 5830s in my rig. Thanks for any input.

Like Lexiko mentioned, there is no ideal GPU temp.  While mining, temperature doesn't affect hashing speed, unless it is extremely high like 100 Celsius or more.  As a general rule of thumb, you risk damaging components in the long term if running the GPU at a temperature constantly above 80 Celsius. 

Good to know this, I'm getting a few 5830s real soon.

I own the 1200W Corsair and run dual 6990s and a 6970 with no problems.  I've seen pictures of 3 6990s powered under the 1200W Corsair, so I would say it's possible.  It's a great power supply, and comes packaged very nicely to boot.  I would venture to guess it's more expensive because of the brand name.  You'd probably have no problems with either of them, though.

Yes, I tried using it but ended up returning it because it didn't work for multiple 6990s.  It will fit two 6970s and a single 6990 in the middle, but the case gets really cramped and becomes a hassle for cable management.  I was able to run this case successfully for about 1 week, and it was pretty cool looking while it runs.  The big fan on top has clear blades that light up and change colors.  There's 3 LED lights pointed at the top fan.  It also provides excellent air flow to all the components.  If you're looking for a cool looking case with aesthetic appeal, it's worth it.  For serious mining though, not so much.

You can find that information here:   https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Block_hashing_algorithm

To understand how the current difficulty plays into generating a hash that solves a block, look at this page: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Difficulty

You should probably look at this pdf also to understand the whole thing: http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

http://i.imgur.com/vDCgx.png

Tradehill looks to be down for nearly an hour now.  The color of the bar turned white on bitcoincharts.com  Anybody know what's up?

Another idea is you can keep BTC liquid by exchanging it to USD once you get a few.  And then keep the USD you make from that in a savings account.  That is, unless you feel strongly that BTC is going to shoot up one day to $50 or beyond.

I've read a couple times on this forum that you need to have the 2nd graphics card detect that it is being in use for it to function.  That requires either plugging in a 2nd monitor, or attaching a dummy plug that tricks the card into thinking it's being used.  I've found one here:

https://cablesaurus.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=13&zenid=e4d7820ab94335667e21685e7a001f28

And they even charge in USD or BTC.  I hope this helps!

Hello there, Cecil's the name!

Been lurking these boards since.. oh I started mining on June 1.  I've made 1.25 BTC so far!