Quick Comparison
| Product | Best For | Est. Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Celeron G3930 | Best Overall | ~$45-$65 | 4.7/5 |
| Intel Pentium G4400 | Best Budget | ~$35-$55 | 4.6/5 |
| Intel Core i3 7100 | Best Premium | ~$80-$110 | 4.7/5 |
| Intel Celeron G3900 | Best for Mining | ~$40-$60 | 4.5/5 |
| Intel Pentium G4560 | Best Compact | ~$55-$75 | 4.6/5 |
Intro
The ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ is one of the most popular dedicated mining motherboards ever made, capable of hosting up to 13 GPUs via its six PCIe x1 slots, one PCIe x16 slot, and additional USB3 riser connections. Its LGA1151 socket was designed for 6th and 7th generation Intel Core, Pentium, and Celeron processors. In a mining context, the CPU is essentially an afterthought. it runs the OS and mining daemon while the GPUs do the actual work. That means your goal is the cheapest, most stable, most power-efficient LGA1151 chip you can find. Spending $200 on a Core i7 for a mining rig is money that should be in another GPU.
Top 5 Picks
1. Intel Celeron G3900. The definitive mining rig CPU. Dual-core Skylake at 2.8 GHz, 51W TDP, and a street price that has dropped to near-nothing. It boots mining software, manages 13 GPUs without issue, and contributes almost zero to your monthly power bill. The first choice for any H110 Pro BTC+ build.
2. Intel Pentium G4560. A step up with dual cores plus Hyper-Threading, giving you 4 logical threads for slightly more responsive remote management. At 54W TDP it remains very efficient. Ideal if you run multiple monitoring tools or a web-based rig dashboard simultaneously.
3. Intel Celeron G3930. A minor Kaby Lake refresh of the G3900. Same dual-core design, marginally higher clocks (2.9 GHz), and full compatibility with 7th-gen microcode updates. Slightly better for rigs running newer mining OS images that prefer Kaby Lake optimization.
4. Intel Core i3-6100. Dual cores with Hyper-Threading at a very low price on the used market. Overkill for pure mining but useful if youโre repurposing the rig as a light server or running a coin wallet node alongside the miner. 51W TDP keeps power costs manageable.
5. Intel Pentium G4400. Budget Skylake alternative to the G4560. Dual-core, no HT, 2.8 GHz, and 54W. Functions identically to the G3900 for mining purposes. Choose whichever is cheaper in your region. they are interchangeable for rig duty.
What to Look For
LGA1151 6th/7th-gen only. this cannot be stressed enough. The H110 Pro BTC+ looks like a standard LGA1151 board but it only officially supports 6th-gen (Skylake) and 7th-gen (Kaby Lake) CPUs. Inserting an 8th-gen Coffee Lake chip risks no POST, BIOS errors, or system instability even though the socket is physically identical.
TDP under 65W. mining rigs run 24/7 and every watt of CPU power draw is margin lost. Celeron and Pentium parts at 54-65W TDP cost pennies per month to power. Avoid Core i5/i7 parts; they add heat and electricity cost with zero hashrate benefit.
No iGPU requirement. you can save marginally by choosing the F-suffix (no integrated graphics) if available, but most budget LGA1151 chips include an iGPU. Use the boardโs DVI/VGA output for initial setup, then manage remotely.
Used market. these CPUs are old by consumer standards, which means theyโre dirt cheap used. Check local marketplace listings; you can often find a G3900 or G4560 for under $15 used and in perfect condition.
Cooler. a basic boxed Intel cooler is sufficient. Mining software does not stress the CPU, so the stock cooler runs nearly silent with minimal temperature rise.
Final Thoughts
For the ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ mining motherboard, the Intel Celeron G3900 is the definitive answer. It costs almost nothing, draws minimal power, and handles every task a GPU mining rig asks of the CPU with complete reliability. If you prefer a bit more headroom for remote management tools, the Pentium G4560 with its Hyper-Threading is worth the small premium. Do not overthink this decision. the GPU-to-CPU ratio in mining means the processor choice has no bearing on profitability. Buy cheap, buy compatible, and put the savings into your next GPU.
Frequently asked questions
What CPU socket does the ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ use?+
The ASRock H110 Pro BTC+ uses the LGA1151 socket and supports Intel 6th-generation (Skylake) and 7th-generation (Kaby Lake) processors. It does not support 8th or 9th generation Coffee Lake CPUs despite sharing the same physical socket, so check the board's official CPU support list before purchasing.
Do I need a powerful CPU for a GPU mining rig?+
No. In a mining rig the GPUs do all the computational work. The CPU's only job is to run the operating system, mining software, and manage PCIe communication across the riser slots. A low-power dual-core or quad-core LGA1151 chip like the Celeron G3900 or Pentium G4560 is completely sufficient and keeps power draw and heat low.
Does the CPU affect mining hashrate on the H110 Pro BTC+?+
For GPU mining, the CPU has essentially zero impact on hashrate. Hash computations run entirely on the graphics cards. A faster CPU will not increase your ETH, RVN, ERGO, or other GPU-mined coin output. Choose the cheapest stable LGA1151 chip that keeps your OS running reliably around the clock.