Why did you close the previous thread and start a new one?The trolling got really out of hand on the previous thread, so I had to start a new one that was self-moderated. That does not mean that this thread will be used to silence criticism. We are a very, very new company, and even though we're part of a larger group of companies that provides a lot of our infrastructure we've made mistakes and will definitely make mistakes in future. Therefore, we welcome constructive criticism - if we've messed up let us know and we will do what we can to fix it. We also empathise with customers that have chosen our cheapest shipping option (surface mail) and their delivery is taking extraordinarily long, we are keeping on eye on these and where the destination postal service confirms it has gotten lost our insurance does authorise a replacement or refund.
This thread is really meant to allow for potential customers to get answers to their questions, and for existing customers to talk about ways we can improve our frames and new features they'd like to see. If you are frustrated with a delivery that is taking forever, please feel free to PM me and moan. I'll even call you and you can rant on the phone;)
My order seems to be stuck in Cape Town/Johannesburg/Africa...what gives?Typically, with most postal services, packages get scanned as they exit an area and occasionally when they arrive in certain areas (inbound customs, for example). If it has been scanned and it says something like "Departure from outward office of exchange" or "Insert item into bag out" it means it's physically been put on a boat/plane (depending on the shipping method you have chosen) and has left the country. It isn't stuck, it's gone, and hasn't been scanned in at the next trackable point in its route.
My surface mail parcel hasn't arrived after 5 weeks, where is it?After around 5 weeks of actual transit time it is in your best interest to call your local post office and ask them if they can track it. Not all surface mail parcels are scanned in and available to track online. Furthermore, in some countries the parcels get a local tracking number and then track on that number, so only the post office will be able to see that it has arrived and will be able to provide you with that in-country tracking number. Typically at around the 8 week transit-time mark it's time to consider that something has gone wrong, and we file a claim with our insurance, who will talk to the local and destination postal services and evaluate whether to hold off for a bit or pay out the claim. Once the claim has been settled we will be in a position to refund or replace, dependent on your preference.
What hardware do you ship with your rigs?Nobody has actually asked this yet...but just to make it abundantly clear here's what it says in our
Terms and Conditions: Many of the images featured on the OpenRigs website show computer hardware mounted inside the OpenRigs product. This does not imply that said hardware is included in a purchase. Unless otherwise stated, all OpenRigs products consist solely of the aluminium and plastic connectors, as well as any other mounting and connector pieces that are part of the product. Hardware such as motherboards, GPUs, PSUs, and other electronic components are not included unless expressly stated as being included on the product page.
Why is the PSU mounted on the side and not underneath the GPUs?We spent a lot of time testing various configurations, including rear-mounted offset PSUs, vertical motherboard mounting, and so on. We ended up with the following requirements: PSUs need to be easily accessible, all configurations need to support dual PSUs, and regardless of whether a single PSU or dual PSUs are mounted there should be no airflow deadzones or unusual hotspots. The design we ended up with met all those criteria.
Are the GPUs securely supported?Our design goal with the OpenRigs GPU mining frame wasn't to create an equivalent of a standard ATX case with the same level of physical support. That would be bad for airflow, which is why no miner worth his salt will pack 4 GPUs into a normal ATX case. We wanted to create skeletal, open frames that promote good airflow, and reduce the need to have water-cooling blocks or tons of fans. From a GPU perspective, this means using risers to lift the GPUs off the motherboard. They thus lose the physical support of the motherboard, and have to be held in the air. In order to promote simplicity and elegance, we opted for a form factor that supports the GPUs using the backplate only. The bottom of the backplate is held in place by our own custom-designed GPU clips on to a cross-bar, and the top of the backplate bolts on to a solid aluminium bar. We have run tests where we've plugged and unplugged DVI cables 500 times (without touching the top of the GPU for added support), and the card neither flexed nor took any strain. We are confident in the design, and we are certain there is no need for added physical support for the GPUs.
How long will shipping take to my country?The
delivery and returns policy linked at the bottom of the site gives detail on the production process. A lot of the shipping speed depends entirely on what method you choose - the more expensive the shipping method, the faster it is. Typically speaking, an EMS delivery (our recommended delivery method) from the time of shipping (after fabrication and customs pre-clearance) takes 2-3 weeks.
How much is shipping to my country?To see your shipping options and their cost, add the items you need to your shopping cart. You can then view your cart by using the
Shopping Cart link at the top of the page (also accessible when hovering over the cart icon) and using the Shipping Estimator.
Can I mount two motherboards on an 8 GPU rig?No, it's not designed for that, and that sort of configuration doesn't promote easy access to hardware and doesn't fit in with our design ethos. You will also find it difficult to mount the PSU on the opposite side of the rig, and if it is mounted only on the one side the ATX power cable won't reach the second motherboard. Finally, you may find that the second motherboard simply doesn't fit in the space near the PSU, as the PSU physically rests on top of the motherboard support bar. You are, of course, welcome to do whatever you want with it once you receive it, but we'd prefer customers opt for a horizontal row of Arianna grid frames than trying to re-purpose something.
What is the difference between the Vitalia, Giorgina, and Arianna?The Vitalia is a standalone, self-contained unit. It is useful when you have a single rig, or when you have individual rigs you want to keep in separate places. The Giorgina is similar, but stacks vertically. Up to about 3 units is structurally sound. Most customers stack two Giorginas on top of each other, and then put a Vitalia at the top to keep it neat. The Arianna is a grid that stacks both horizontally (in a row) and vertically (same-length rows on top of each other).
What do the various add-ons mean?Pre-Drilled Bolt Holes: your frame will always come with holes for GPU mounting, and with brass risers for motherboard mounting. This option is for pre-drilled holes to allow you to bolt the aluminium extrusions to the plastic connectors. The holes are ONLY in the plastic connectors, but it is simple to drill holes in the aluminium and through the pre-drilled holes in the plastic if you require. It is not required for structural integrity, and many customers think the bolts detract from the clean lines of the frame. This option, and the nut and bolt set, is recommended for customers who frequently move their rigs around. It is also a suggested option if you think you may use this in the future, as the aluminium will retain its clean look until you decide to add bolts where required.
Nut and Bolt Set: this is a set of 30mm or 40mm nuts and bolts that will allow you to bolt the frame together if you go for the option above. You are also welcome to drill your own bolt holes at your leisure, and use the nut and bolt set to lock it together.
Full Thumbscrew Set: whilst all the frames come with motherboard risers and GPU mounting holes, they don't come with any screws. This option includes a full set of thumb screws for the GPUs and for the motherboard.
No Nut and Bolt Config (Arianna only): this removes the pre-drilled bolt holes and the nut and bolt set from the Arianna grid, as it is a standard option on the Arianna grid series.
What is the "Horizontal Type" option on the Arianna Grid?Each row in a typical Arianna grid (consisting of 3x3 connected frames, housing 9 rigs in total) has a left end, a middle, and a right end. Since some customers start off with just a left and a right end connected together, and add the middle bit later on when they expand, the horizontal type let's customers pick and choose and build up their grids as necessary. Arianna grids can contain multiple "middle" pieces, although the 3x3 grid has certain advantages such as a consistent heat map, as well as the ability to connect all 9 rigs to a 10-port switch, with 1 free port to connect that switch to the rest of the LAN.
How do you get the risers to reach the cards in 6 and 8 GPU setups?We recommend 30cm XL powered 1x->16x risers from
Buy-A-Hash to reach most of the cards. For cards that are further away, 1x->1x unpowered risers can be daisy chained, as long as the daisy chain is terminated by a 1x->16x powered riser. Unpowered risers can be purchased from Buy-A-Hash or on eBay.
How do you get the PSU connectors to reach the cards in 6 and 8 GPU setups?To reach those cards furthest from the PSU, we recommend using your PSUs Molex adapters and connecting them to the Molex->PCI-e adapters that came with your graphics card. To stretch these further, you can daisy chain Molex extension cables (available quite cheaply on eBay). The Molex standard provides a tight fit, and there is little chance of power issues even if you stretch your connectors over the full 110cm of an 8 GPU frame.
Are there discounts on large purchases?For purchases of 10 or more frames please contact us and we can see what we can do to reduce your order cost.