You CAN Mine Your Own Crypto: CPU Monero Mining

If you’ve ever thought about mining crypto but assumed you needed a loud rig with fancy graphics cards — think again. I mine Monero (XMR) using a mini PC, and it works.

This post walks you through:

• The exact mini PC I bought
  
• How I wiped Windows and installed Ubuntu Server
  
• How I set up Monero mining with XMRig
  
• My real-world performance and tips
  

✅ Don’t want to erase Windows? No problem. You can mine on Windows too — and I’ll cover that in a future post.

But if you want a clean, powerful, headless (no screen) setup that just mines and nothing else? Read on.

🔧 The Mini PC I Use

This is the one I personally run 24/7:

👉 Buy the mini PC on Amazon (affiliate link)

Specs:

• AMD Ryzen 7 CPU
  
• 16GB RAM
  
• 512GB SSD
  
• Small, quiet, and low power usage
  

Performance: ~3500 H/s mining Monero
Power draw: ~45–60 watts

It doesn’t look like a crypto miner — but it works like one.

🧹 Step 1: How to Erase Windows (Optional) and Install Ubuntu Server

⚠️ IMPORTANT:
You do not have to erase Windows to mine Monero.
You can install and run XMRig on Windows, and I’ll cover that in a follow-up post.
This guide is for people who want to use Ubuntu Server for better performance and remote access.

What You Need:

• Another computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux)
  
• A USB flash drive (8GB or more)
  
• Ubuntu Server 22.04 ISO
  
• balenaEtcher or Rufus — for creating a bootable USB
  

🔥 Step-by-Step: Create a Bootable Ubuntu Server USB

1. Download Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
   👉 https://ubuntu.com/download/server
   
2. Plug in your USB drive to your computer.
   
3. Use balenaEtcher or Rufus to flash the ISO:
   
   • Launch balenaEtcher
     
   • Click “Flash from file” and select the Ubuntu Server .iso
     
   • Select your USB drive
     
   • Click “Flash!” — this erases everything on the USB and installs Ubuntu Server on it
     

Once done, you now have a bootable Ubuntu Server installer.

🧨 Step-by-Step: Install Ubuntu Server and Wipe Windows

Reminder: This will delete everything on your mini PC, including Windows.

1. Plug your new USB installer into the mini PC
   
2. Power on the mini PC and enter the BIOS or boot menu
   
   • Usually DEL, F7, or F2 — it should say on the screen during startup
     
   • Select your USB drive from the boot options
     
3. The Ubuntu Server installer will start
   
   • Choose your language, keyboard, and networking (use default unless you’re picky)
     
4. When asked “Installation Type”, choose:
   
   
   Erase disk and install Ubuntu Server
   
   
5. Confirm the warning. It will erase Windows and use the entire drive for Linux.
   
6. Select your timezone
   
7. Create a user account and password (write this down!)
   
8. Say yes to installing OpenSSH Server — this lets you control the mini PC remotely over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
   
9. Finish the install and let the system reboot. Remove the USB drive when prompted.
   

✅ Congratulations. You now have a clean, fast, command-line-only Linux machine ready to mine Monero.

🛠️ Step 2: Install XMRig on Ubuntu Server

Once logged in:

1. Update your system:

bash

CopyEdit

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install dependencies:

bash

CopyEdit

sudo apt install git build-essential cmake libuv1-dev libssl-dev libhwloc-dev -y

3. Clone and build XMRig:

bash

CopyEdit

git clone https://github.com/xmrig/xmrig.git

cd xmrig

mkdir build && cd build

cmake ..

make -j$(nproc)

Let it compile. This may take a few minutes.

⚙️ Step 3: Configure and Start Mining

1. Create your config:

Go to the XMRig Wizard

• Choose a pool: pool.supportxmr.com:3333
  
• Enter your Monero wallet address
  
• Set “donate-level”: 0
  
• Optional: add your email for stats
  

Download the config.json and copy it to your xmrig/build folder on your mini PC (use scp or nano).

2. Start mining with:

bash

CopyEdit

sudo ./xmrig

You’ll start seeing your hash rate and accepted shares. You’re now a crypto miner.

🧠 Pro Tips

Monitor temps:

bash
CopyEdit
sudo apt install lm-sensors && sensors

View performance:

bash
CopyEdit
sudo apt install htop && htop

• Want mining to start automatically on boot? Let me know — I’ll walk you through setting up a systemd service.
  

🤔 Is It Worth It?

• I get ~3500 H/s
  
• Power draw is ~50W
  
• It mines quietly in the background 24/7
  
• With solar power? Even better
  

This is passive, private, and educational income. Not flashy. Just solid.

🛒 Want to Try It?

Here’s the exact mini PC I use:
👉 Buy it on Amazon

It works. It’s quiet. It fits on a shelf. And it’s a fun project to get into crypto the smart way.

Stay tuned for:

• A follow-up guide on mining XMR with Windows
  
• Auto-start mining on boot
  
• How to set up a remote dashboard to track your rig
  

Have questions or want help getting started? Contact me at A-A Events.