Can I mix graphics cards on a mining rig RX480 and RX 470?

Question

I want to experiment with building a mining rig to better understand ethereum. And to motivate myself to really learn as much about it as possible.

Is it possible to mix graphics cards on the same rig? I was thinking of mixing rx 470s and 480s due to them selling out.

I wanted to try and only buy 8gb models because i am afraid the 4gb models wont be usable too far into the future.

Could i run rx 470s along side rx 480s on the same rig or is this a terrible idea? I planned on starting with one card confirming I can join a pool and everything works and then scaling up.

Sub question, could i mix different models of the same graphics card? could i do a Nitro+ RX 470 with 8gb memory along side a 4gb rx 470? or could this be possible if I did them in pairs of two?

And even if its possible is there some reasons why this isnt ideal? I planned on mixing rx 470s and rx 480s because they seem to be some of the best hashing power per dollar out there right now. My electricity costs are very cheap and even if I loose money I am not concerned as my primary focus is learning.

My concern was so i could get started quicker without trying to buy cards that are super common so I need to find the exact same one to scale up.

http://forum.ethereum.org/discussion/comment/60436

It appears its possible, for what its worth I planned on running ubuntu because I am familiar with many linux distros and I think the Hash rates are typically better.

Answer 1

Generally speaking, the answer to this question is almost always "Yes."

I've yet to see a situation in which this was not the case. You may have difficulty (but not impossibility) mixing CUDA (Nvidia) and OpenGL (AMD) mining modes, but even Genoil's ethminer is equipped to handle this case.