Trying to get started. Want to keep it simple, and start with something easy.
Where do I start assuming I plan to spend $1500 or so, and Ill be running solar power to a battery bank.
Normal AC conditions as it will be in my home (space I don’t use)
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PS. I’ll spend more if I need to. $1500 is my low end.
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Well, what are your goals with setting up a rig? Are you trying to learn about building a computer and tweaking it for mining? Trying to accumulate a specific coin? The answers to that really impacts what you should try to get/build.
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Id like to be capable of mining ethereum, but short term Id like something capable of mining the most profitable short term currency utilizing the same or similiar hardware to what I would use to mine ethereum.
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PS. Building the computer seems to be very fundational, so yes I would like to learn that during this first project.
It is way easier than you think don’t do like I did and go cheap if you are serious about doing this. I never built a computer before so I was very nervous going into my first build. I probably wasted about $500 on cheap stuff just making sure I could figure it all out before I bought some better hardware to make a real rig. My favorite GPU for the price right now is the AMD RX 5700 non XT. The MSI Mech version is one of the cheapest versions but it works great for me. I am able to get low temps with it while also using less power than my XT version.
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The Nvidia 1660 super vosk just reviewed are very interesting at the price point
This is helpful, so don’t go cheap, and buy the Nvidia GeForce 1660.
Any chance somebody’s got a checklist of everything needed to build one of these machines?
Well, there’s been a couple of threads on here around this from myself, MeatyMouse, and one other person.
If you haven’t built a computer before, the first thing to do is figure out your list of parts. Vosk’s video on how to build a cheap rig for under $1,000 is a good starting point https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0s_Wj-6zyo&t=27s
At a minimum you will need a power supply unit, a mother board, a CPU, some RAM memory, some sort of hard disk (can be a USB for some builds), and of course GPUs. You may also want to get some sort of case or frame to hold everything, and possibly accessories like a cheap monitor, mouse, and keyboard to hook up to it.
The next question is if you want to get parts new or used? New is going to be more expensive, but also tends to come with warranties. Used is definitely going to be cheaper, but carries a bit more risk if anything is faulty. Personally I went for used, since I’m trying to keep it under $1,000 myself 
Well, before going too overboard with shopping for parts, you should also figure out your electricity set-up. If you are hooking it up in-doors on residential electric, are you using a standard 120 outlet, or a 220 (like a washing machine/dryer would use)? That is going to limit how big of a rig you can hook up safely. You don’t need to buy a giant power supply or tons of cards, if you don’t have infrastructure to support them.
Putting it together probably won’t be as daunting as you think. But, if you have questions on specifics after watching that video, someone here can probably give some input.
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cpu i3 will work fine
Motherboard I would get a mining specific MOBO like ASUS b250
ram 8 gb
PSU 850-1000W
risers and cables for risers
gpu’s
USB/HDD/SDD one of these three for you OS
rig frame
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I’m a big fan of the trio builds. https://youtu.be/fOzz6YFSNxE old video so replace the cards with something more modern (or not) and use smos instead of nvoc.
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here is the list of everything I bought so far I wasted some money so don’t use this list exactly like you only need one PSU that MSI motherboard was a waste because it can only run two GPUs.
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if you do this build you will be under budget and making about 3$ a day mining ETH on Nicehash before you factor electric costs the total cost would be about $400 less depending on how much you spend on the PSU and the 3 AMD RX 5700 and not wasting the money I did.
You are looking for a shopping list like those listed above, but I will list a few items and tell you why you would prefer them:
MOTHERBOARDS:
Capability: The type of motherboard will determine the CPU versions, Memory SPEEDs, and Boot Drives you can use. The best motherboards $$$ are capable of TRI-MINING See this video:
Yes, you can mine with your HARD drive, CPU, and GPU but did you know that only the newest CPU’s have AVX2 capability? It makes a big difference when hard drive mining and CPU mining but again the LATEST CPU’s will not fit in the CHEAPEST motherboard version. The CPU capability in top down order is: AVX2, AVX, SSE4.2. Top end Processors also have more CORES, which make a BIG difference in CPU and Hard Drive mining. Let’s leave this Multi-computing for Advanced users and look at quick/easy systems that get the mining job done with GPU’s.
Still on motherboards here where you’ll find that while capable and powerful, these CHEAPER motherboards will not support series 300 (gen 8) CPU’s you will need to stick with the cheaper Celeron’s and Pentium processors like these:
I use both of these processors in two of my rigs and they are capable or running 6/8 card rigs.
Also, the motherboards have chipsets that will limit the memory speeds to the specification DDR4-1600 in the H-110 chipset or the Faster performance of DDR4-2400 memory using XMP profiles in the B250 chipset.
Still talking motherboards here and looking at the # of pci-E slots. Do we really need 19 slots like those in this mining motherboard? No, as I explain later you can’t power more than 8 cards anyway.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075KFPJ6M/?coliid=I2ZDBZ1X1N6COG&colid=OK1U1PK1E5IV&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im
or pci-E slots so close together that the riser cards short against each other as in this motherboard?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073BX57M1/?coliid=IQGTW33Q8APHE&colid=OK1U1PK1E5IV&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im
I am using the GA- B250 Fintech motherboard from Gigabyte with no problems with 6 GPU’s.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07988FLFW/?coliid=IYY0UEHA46FPH&colid=OK1U1PK1E5IV&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
This motherboard is currently overpriced and requires an external hard drive or SSD. I actually prefer the model above this one that accepts an NVme M.2 boot drive for that neat/clean look. Currently out of stock on some sites. The Linux OS will boot from a thumbdrive.
So, the motherboard is going to determine which CPU’s you can use, how many cores will be available for Tri-Mining, how fast the memory can run, and whether the boot device fits On-Board.
Extruded Aluminum Rigs can be bought cheaper than buying the Aluminum itself. $35 on Amazon should do it as shown here: Choose a 6 or 8 GPU model.
https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Mining-Case-Frame-ZCash/dp/B073SMF21G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Mining+rig+frame&qid=1590195343&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Stackable-Excellent-Convection-Performance/dp/B073Q2CN14/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Mining+rig+frame&qid=1590195343&sr=8-2
Vosk uses a stronger/smaller frame that is better so maybe shop around.
The reason you don’t need a motherboard with 19 slots is also due to the fact that to run 8 GPU’s you will need a 1600 watt power supply and a 20 Amp receptacle/breaker with only 1 rig on it. You can run a 6 GPU rig on a 1300 Watt Gold or 1200 Watt Platinum rated power supply and 15 Amp receptacle/breaker depending on the model Video Card you use. These are 120 VAC power Supplies. Some models will run any voltage up to 220 VAC. Here are some examples:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=EVGA+supernova+1600&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Notice eBay is $200 cheaper
Why EVGA? I like that the pci-E and peripheral cables work with many model power supplies. I prefer the braided sleeved ones to the ribbon cable type cables
VIDEO CARDS:
You mention the RX-5700XT and that is a great mining beast of a card but consider power and memory when you buy video cards. Also, the rx470 rx580 cards may be cheap but draw more power per hash than modern cards. I would stay away from the 3 or 4 GB GPU’s because that vRam is necessary for storing the current hash and can quickly get large with the newer algorithms. While perfectly capable for ETH, you may wish to mine a different coin when the value shifts to a more profitable coin such as RVN DGB BEAM GRIN VERUS NAMEBASE, etc which may currently be less profitable. I prefer the 1660TI with 6GB of memory and only ONE pci=E power connector. The 6 card RIG will draw less than 500 Watts with power reduced using AfterBurner. The higher end cards run much cooler than the cheapest ones which tend to run 10 to 20 degrees hotter. I run my 1660TI’s at just over 70 Watts and get 28KH/watt on each GPU on ZCoin. Currently mining RVN @ 167+MH/watt for the 6 card rig.
The EVGA XCULTRA and ASUS ROG STRIX run the coolest but are the most expensive:
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-Backplate-06G-P4-1665-KR/dp/B0822799L2/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=evga+1660+ti+xc+ultra&qid=1590197248&sr=8-2
and the cheaper but hotter:
No longer made by ASUS
Switching to 8GB GPU’s you can find a more powerful 2060 Super with just one power supply connector if you spec them out. These will give you a higher hash rate at low power draw. I typically get a 1660TI to 70+ watts and the 2060 Super and 2070 to run @110 Watts. The hashrate of the 1660TI may run in the 20MH/s and the 2070 30MH/s. Seems like the higher priced card mines more but you draw more electricity which reduces the profitability.
Hey, now if your electricity is free…buy 2080TI’s and crank those guys but remember your wall receptacle will not handle more than 8 GPU’s regardless of video card or power supply.
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Now that’s one hell of a reply! 
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6 1660TI’s in a rig
1 2070 on my desk
About $3.50/day before electric. You can view my current hashrate 24hr earnings, etc mining RVN with progpow. I make about 10 cents/day more mining ETH
You could start by mining on whatever computer you have now to learn. 0xMonero is easily mineable on an older model CPU or GPU.