The best GPUs for mining
In the modern world, the popularity of cryptocurrencies is growing fast. Every day, millions of users make transactions with digital coins. The number of new miners is constantly growing, and the mining process has become very accessible for anyone. You can join this industry too — buy a video card for mining. Just start researching the best GPU for mining and become a part of the crypto world today.
Mining on video cards
Mining is the process of creating new cryptocurrencies, requiring a significant amount of computing power. Miners use this power to maintain the blockchain, where all cryptocurrency transactions are stored.
The first thing you need to start mining is to buy the equipment. Using a video card for mining is a straightforward process that doesn’t require big investments from users. Subsequently, future miners can bump into the first essential question: which video card to choose. The same goes for prices.
Mining on Video Cards for Beginners
How to mine digital coins on GPUs is one of the most viral Google searches among beginners. The first thing you need to research before choosing a new video card for mining is what other components you need. Users should get the following equipment:
- CPU (central processing unit)
- RAM (random access memory). Make sure that you have a sufficient number of GB
- MB (motherboard)
- Power supply unit. It’s worth mentioning that graphics processors and other mining components consume quite a lot of power
- HDD (hard disk drive). It should have sufficient storage capacity to load and maintain the cryptocurrency network
Except for a video card, the listed components, and special software for cryptocurrency mining, users will also need to set up their own crypto wallet to store the earned coins. It’s worth looking into the EMCD wallet with its user-friendly interface. The key features of this service are security, speed, and convenience. This secure wallet is integrated into the EMCD ecosystem for mining, storing, and exchanging cryptocurrencies.
Video cards for mining are not the only thing beginners need to pay attention to. They should also take a closer look at the equipment for mining digital coins.
What is CPU?
Users should consider the central processing unit in more detail before wondering what is the best GPU for mining and which model of video cards can ensure profitability.
The CPU is the nerve center of the computer, which carries out arithmetic and logical operations. In addition, it serves to control all the PC components.
The central processing unit is a small and thin wafer made of silicon in the shape of a rectangle, which contains a huge number of transistors. They enable a computer to implement its basic functions, including calculating, comparing, and copying data.
Modern central processing units consist of the following components:
- Several cores
- Several cache memory levels. They can provide faster connectivity between the processor and RAM
- RAM controller
- System bus controller
A modern central processing unit is a complex and innovative device that combines all the latest advances in the field of computing technology.
What is RAM?
Users should look into one more important thing before figuring out which video card is better for mining or how to choose the right one. It’s vital to learn about RAM capacity and its type — it is one of the most crucial things for mining.
RAM isn’t storage for your ordinary files. It stores input, output, and intermediate data the processor works with.
Immediate access store (IAS) is a device that implements the basic functions of RAM. It provides quick access to the necessary information for the processor, video card, and other PC components. In addition, IAS temporarily stores the results of their work.
To put it simply, RAM helps users store any kind of information. You should also consider that you certainly need a good number of RAM GB.
RAM stores information as long as the computer is turned on. The process of mining digital coins requires immediate access to large amounts of data. Consequently, miners will need a lot of RAM GB. So if you’re wondering which graphics card is better for mining, the first thing you should pay attention to is the amount of installed RAM.
What is GPU?
All users know that the CPU is the essential component in the mining process. At the same time, GPU is the most important component. It’s especially vital for mining with a Proof-of-Work (POW) mechanism.
GPU is a specialized chip that quickly processes and displays graphics on your screen. Its key functions are:
- Graphics processing in games
- Video editing
The process of mining digital coins puts a lot of pressure on the graphics processor, ensuring the efficiency of the calculation results. It’s responsible for solving complex math problems in mining.
The mining process consumes a lot of electricity, which is required to operate all your equipment. Accordingly, users should focus on the proper selection of the GPU when choosing the best graphics cards for mining. You should also pay special attention to its cooling system because it’s the most essential and loaded component.
What is Hashrate?
Hashrate, also known as hash power, is designed to measure the performance of the mining process.
Hash power directly affects the speed of finding new blocks. In other words, the higher the hash rate, the more blocks the user can find in a certain amount of time.
Hashrate is measured in hashes per second and is denoted as (h/s).
By using mathematical formulas, hashing helps convert a certain amount of information displaying the data as a unique set of digital characters.
Hashrate is the key parameter for all miners and affects these characteristics:
- The speed of finding blocks
- Profitability
If you’re eager to learn about the best video cards for mining and how to mine cryptocurrency at home efficiently, you need to consider these factors:
- Power consumption
- Hash power
- The price range of the video card models
Relevant Video Cards for Mining
If you are looking for the top mining graphics cards, the first thing you should pay attention to is their relevance — make sure you’re not paying for equipment that’s already outdated. This is one of the most important parameters to consider when searching for profitable mining video cards. It’s worth mentioning that buying the right equipment means getting a good income and maintaining a high speed of finding blocks.
Planning your budget for purchasing equipment is one of the most essential steps to take. While doing that, consider which video cards are suitable for mining and how relevant they are now.
Top Video Cards for a Reasonable Price
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti
If you’re wondering which graphics cards are good for mining, you should look at the GeForce RTX 3060Ti by Nvidia.
This model is just one of many available on the graphics card market. While it may not seem surprising at first, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti can provide high performance for both gaming and mining.
This model is at the top of the mining video card rating and has parameters like:
- Hashrate – 60 MH/s
- GDDR6 video memory capacity – 8 GB
With the data above, this graphics card will consume 200 watts of electric power, which can be considered a pretty good figure.
As a result, purchasing a graphics card for mining with this chip, for example, by MSI, will provide a significant amount of computing power.
Buying this equipment means making the cryptocurrency mining process even more lucrative and increasing profitability, since your electricity bills will be significantly lower compared to other graphics cards.
This series’ device is quite budget-friendly, easy to use, and one of the most popular GPUs for mining. The price for this item is about $500. This graphics card is also great for resale and repurposing.
The powerful video card for mining
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
The process of searching for your best mining video card among a huge number of great variants can be captivating. Nevertheless, while doing it, you might want to take a look at the most powerful graphics card for mining. It’s one of the latest models: GeForce RTX 4090 by Nvidia. There is also a possibility to overlock this graphics card to increase its performance. However, you should know that there is a chance of wearing it out fast in this case.
GeForce RTXGeForce RTX 4090 is a top-of-the-line GPU by Nvidia. It can provide users with high performance for home use. Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 has a list of some great features:
- 5nm AD102 chip;
- 24 GB of GDDR6X video memory
- Hash rate – 127 MH/s
- 16 384 CUDA cores
These parameters will provide high performance for mining. However, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 requires about 400 watts of electricity to function, which is quite a lot — it’s a better option for mining in regions with lower electricity billing rates. And it’s worth mentioning that the cost of this graphics card goes up to $1500.
AMD Video Cards
AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX
If you’re eager to learn which video card for mining is worth buying, you need to look at the Radeon RX 7900 XTX by AMD. This graphics card is a good substitute for a similar video card — GeForce RTX 4090 by Nvidia.
The Radeon RX 7900 XTX card has the following parameters that allow it to maintain the leading position on the AMD device market:
- Navi 31 chip
- 24 GB of GDDR6 memory
- Hashrate – 102 MH/s
It’s also important to mention that this video card's average power consumption while used for mining is 355 watts. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX starts at $899.
Budget Graphics Cards for Mining
While searching for graphics cards for mining, many users often choose between a higher and lower price without paying attention to other essential parameters. Fresh miners should start with the less expensive options. This be a great opportunity to prove yourself in this field without wasting an enormous amount of money. Here’s a list of top budget graphics cards for mining:
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
This video card is considered to be one of the most profitable devices for mining among budget options. Indeed, compared to its predecessors, the power consumption will be higher. However, it has a number of other advantages:
- Improved graphics memory
- Ability to mine various cryptocurrencies
- Perfect for Ethereum mining
Here are several key parameters for this graphics card:
- Hashrate – 45,1 MH/s
- Power consumption – 213 watts
- The price starts at $300
Nvidia GTX 1660 Super
Nvidia GTX 1660 Super is perfect for beginner miners because this device’s good characteristics: low price and power consumption, as well as high performance.
Buying this graphics card means getting access to mining these digital currencies: ETH, FIRO, RVN, ETC, XWP, AE, and TUBE. Here are the main parameters for this card:
- Hashrate – 31 MH/s
- Power consumption – 120 watts
- The price starts at $299
AMD Radeon RХ 6700 ХТ
Using this graphics card is a good starting point for new miners because it has all the basic features at a relatively low price:
- 12 GB of GDDR6 memory
- Sufficient capacity for overclocking the device
- Good energy efficiency
The key features of AMD Radeon RХ 6700 ХТ for mining:
- Hashrate – 45,5 MH/s
- Power consumption – 230 watts
- The price starts at $350
The best video cards for mining Ether
Top video cards for mining Ether, according to Whattomine, are listed in the table below.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
GeForce RTX 3080 takes the first place in performance in the list of top video cards for mining Ethereum. This GPU’s full potential can only be unlocked by setting the following parameters:
- Hashrate for Ethereum mining – 98 MH/s
- Power consumption for Ethereum mining – 325 watts
GeForce GeForce RTX 3080 will cost users at least $800.
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
This graphics card has the following characteristics that make the efficient Ethereum mining possible:
- Navi 23 GPU
- 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 32 MB Infinity Cache
- Hashrate for Ethereum mining – 33,5 MH/s
- Power consumption for Ethereum mining – 160 watts
- The cost starts at $379
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti by Nvidia is a more powerful version than the previous model, GeForce RTX 3080. The characteristics of this video card are:
- GA102 GPU
- 12 GB of GDDR6X memory
- Hashrate for Ethereum mining – 120 MH/s
- Power consumption for Ethereum mining – 350 watts
- The cost starts at $1000
This graphics card model has significantly higher performance than its predecessor, GeForce RTX 3080. However, it has almost the same characteristics as the next-generation model, GeForce RTX 3090.
Users should know that this graphics card has a hashrate limiter by Nvidia. This mechanism cuts down the video card performance for mining Ethereum in half.
The most energy efficient cards in mining
You can find the list of the most profitable graphics cards for mining in the table below, and detailed information on these devices is provided in this video card guide. The energy efficiency parameters of the graphics cards in the table below depend on the payback of these models.
Price-Quality Ratio Video Cards for Mining
You need to consider several vital conditions while choosing a suitable and budget graphics card for mining. First, it’s important to make sure the price of these devices matches their performance.
Users should pay attention to graphics cards that can meet these conditions and look through the list of the top 10 video cards for mining. You can find devices with a relatively low price and sufficient performance.
Take a look at these graphics cards:
- AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
- AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
These devices for mining have a good balance of price and performance. The following graphics cards can also be considered affordable:
- Nvidia GTX 1660 Super
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
Nevertheless, these devices do not have high performance at such a relatively low price. Users should not hope for a quick ROI buying these budget devices.
In case you aren’t interested in the low-budget graphics card models but still want to stick to a strict budget, you should look through the list of mid-tier video cards for mining. One of the best models in this range is Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti. This is a solid alternative for miners with the following characteristics:
- High performance
- Medium price range
- Short ROI period
Comparing Video Cards for Mining
If you’re eager to dive into the crypto world and learn more about it, you should take a look at this list of the most popular graphics cards for mining in the table below. It’s worth mentioning that the comparison is based on hashrate and the cost of these graphics cards.
Video card model | Hashrate | Price |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 | 127 MH/s | $1500 |
AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX | 102 MH/s | $1009 |
AMD Radeon vii | 42 MH/s | $375 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti | 60 MH/s | $399 |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT | 54 MH/s | $209 |
Radeon RX Vega 64 | 44 MH/s | $299 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | 98 MH/ss | $899 |
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT | 33,5 MH/s | $239 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 120 MH/s | $849 |
AMD Radeon RХ 6700 ХТ | 45,5 MH/s | $299 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 | 121 MH/s | $1338 |
Nvidia GTX 1660 Super | 31 MH/s | $189 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | 45,1 MH/s | $278 |
AMD Radeon RX 580 | 32 MH/s | $240 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | 36,5 MH/s | $260 |
The cost of these video cards is listed in US dollars. Prices may vary depending on retailers and the release of new video card models.
Conclusion
Using graphics cards for mining is a great opportunity for every person to dive into the crypto world and become a digital coin miner.
Look through the pros and cons of using these devices and find the necessary and important advice for gaining profits in the mining process — we put the essentials into this guide for you. It’s worth noting that you should pay special attention to the characteristics and unique features of each graphics card when choosing it. Studying this information will help you make the right decision about your purchase.
In conclusion, keep in mind that while looking for a suitable graphics card, you should accurately assess your budget for future expenses, too. Investing in the best mining equipment will help you make a substantial profit in the future.
F.A.Q.
How do I choose a video card for mining?
While looking for a graphics card, you should pay attention to the main characteristics that affect its profitability. First, you should set your budget, choose a cryptocurrency to mine, and then find a suitable video card.
Which processor should I choose for mining on video cards?
Nowadays, AMD and Intel are considered the best processor manufacturers for mining cryptocurrencies. They offer a wide range of processors, varying from the most expensive to the most budget ones.
Which video cards are not suitable for mining?
Users should avoid choosing a graphics card with the following characteristics: insufficient performance, high power consumption, and limited overclocking capabilities.
What can I mine on besides a video card?
Users can mine digital coins on graphics cards and on ASICs. These are special devices that are designed for this field. Their main perk is that you don’t need to assemble ASICs. A single unit like this can surpass the performance of several graphics cards.