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Dopamine is first computer case designed for Bitcoin mining

The open-air chassis, with room for six graphics cards, is currently seeking funding on Indiegogo from miners looking to build their own cryptocurrency PC.
Written by Sean Portnoy, Contributor
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With boutique PC companies hopping on the cryptocurrency mining trend -- iBuyPower recently released the CoinMine desktop lineup for the mining of Bitcoins, Litecoin, and the like -- it should come as no surprise that other DIY operations also want to get into the act. Red Harbinger is one of them, coming up with a unique product that it hopes to get off the ground through crowdfunding.

The company has created Dopamine, which it's hailing as the first computer chassis specifically designed for cryptocurrency mining. As you can see from the image above, Dopamine differs from a typical PC chassis in a couple of respects. Most notably, it has room for up to six graphics cards -- high-end video boards like the AMD Radeon R290X are in short supply due to their ability to perform the calculations necessary to mine coins at an efficient clip.

Needless to say, a half-dozen graphics cards running at full tilt constantly will throw off a huge amount of heat, which is why the Dopamine is an open-air case. It also includes three fan mounts (for 120mm/140mm fans) on the bottom of the case to assist in circulating airflow. Dopamine can additionally handle two power supply units and a range of motherboard form factors (from mini-ITX to extended ATX).

Because mining is still a niche endeavor, Red Harbinger is attempting to bring it to market through crowdfunding site Indiegogo. Thus far, it's earned about $4,800 toward its $20,000 goal, though it has another six weeks before the funding campaign deadline ends. A contribution of $200 gets you a case in your choice of black or white  -- add $50 for shipping outside of the U.S.

If you don't want to build your Dopamine system yourself, Red Harbinger offers a (very pricey) option for a fully configured rig. For $4,999, you can get a Dopamine equipped with motherboard, processor, a pair of power supplies, a trio of fans, and six GPUs. The specific components aren't yet listed, but you will get to customize the color of the chassis. Projected delivery dates for Dopamine shipments (presuming the necessary funding level is reached) are July and August 2014.

[Via AnandTech]

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