ASRock has added the H510 Pro BTC+, a motherboard designed specifically for cryptocurrency mining. What makes this motherboard unique and suitable for mining is that it has half the number of PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, all enhanced. In addition, two additional 24-pin ATX power connectors (three total) allow for six graphics cards, and users can connect multiple power supply units to power all GPUs.

The concept of a motherboard for mining is not new, but its addition at this time is interesting. Just a few days ago, ASRock announced that amid the recent crackdown on cryptocurrency mining in China, there is evidence to suggest that demand for graphics cards in China is slowing.

ASRock also undoubtedly recognizes that graphics card mining could virtually disappear in the coming months as Ethereum prepares to transition to a proof-of-stake model. This is noteworthy because Ethereum is the most popular blockchain network for GPU mining. Bitcoin, on the other hand, is mostly mined these days with dedicated ASIC hardware rather than GPUs, although its value remains influential (it is not uncommon for other cryptocurrencies to be mined and exchanged for bitcoin).

Be that as it may, ASRock has taken a gamble with a new motherboard designed for mining crypto with GPUs. The elongated board measures 20.1 x 8.8 inches, so you won't be able to fit this in a typical ATX case or a full tower that can accommodate an Extended ATX (E-ATX) form factor motherboard (at least not without some serious modifications).

In fact, there is no form factor that can accommodate these special dimensions. These boards would be placed on racks or cardboard boxes in an open-air environment, with a box fan blowing air to cool the GPU.

Technically, it is possible to build a non-mining PC around an H510 Pro BTC+, but that would be like buying a 56-passenger charter bus to get between work and the grocery store; a typical car or even a van would be better suited for this task.

As for the PCIe 3.0 slots, when using multiple graphics cards, only the first slot (the top slot closest to the CPU) will operate at x16, the rest at x1. Each port has its own indicator LED to let the user know if there is a problem with a particular GPU, even if no display is connected.

Despite all this board space, storage options are fairly sparse. There is only one M.2 slot for installing a gumstick-sized SSD and one SATA 6Gbps port. The board also has only one DIMM slot and supports up to 32GB DDR4-3200 memory modules with Rocket Lake and 32GB DDR4-2933 memory modules with Comet Lake.

External connectivity is somewhat robust, consisting of two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a LAN port, HDMI output, and a PS/2 mouse/keyboard port; Wi-Fi and audio are not included.

The H510 Pro BTC+ is available for pre-order on Newegg for $280.