GeForce GTX 1080 Ti made by Nvidia. Let's see how all supported algorithms run on the new GPU. Please note that not all supported crypto algorithms are fast. Here is the hashing power on most algorithms.
The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU card started at a default 100% TDP, in other words capped at 250W, although the Founders Edition allows 20% more, i.e. 300W (though with cooling involved). Tests performed at graphics card default settings, fan speed at 100% of nominal.
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As you can see in the performance table above, the hash power and power consumption for each of the algorithms has been verified.
GTX 1080 Ti best graphics card for mining
The video card is the most expensive in the manufacturer's lineup, but it is also the most productive, and therefore the most profitable. It can mine twice as fast as the 1070 GTX. If you are wondering which card to take 1080 or 1080 TI - the answer is obvious! 1080 Ti gives about 700 sols, 1070 - 420, and 1080 gives 510-520: the profit is minimal, and the price is much higher.
This is the most profitable card for mining. Sol is solution per second, that is, the number of attempts to guess the hash of transactions in the blockchain per second. The more powerful the video card, the more salt it gives out - the faster it turns out to earn on mining.
Specifications GTX 1080 Ti
Number of GP clusters: 6 |
Streaming multiprocessors: 28 |
CUDA cores: 3584 Texture blocks: 224 |
ROP: 88 GPU base frequency: 1480 MHz |
GPU boost frequency: 1582 MHz |
Video memory frequency: 5505 Mhz |
Video Memory Bandwidth: 484 GB/sec |
Ports: 3 DP, 1 HDMI |
TDP: 250 W. |
Maximum working temperature: 91 degrees Celsius. |
GTX 1080 ti in cryptocurrency mining.
- Lyra2REv2 (ccMiner) = 48.57 Mh/s.
- DaggerHashimoto (ethminer) = 27.72 Mh/s.
- Decred (ccminer) = 3.938 Gh/s.
- LBRY (ccminer) = 437 Mh/s.
- Equihash (eqm miner) = 614.5 H/s.
- Pascal (excavator) = 1524 Mh/s.
- X11Gost (ccminer) = 9.38 Gh/s.
- X11Gost (ccminer-alexis) = 18.3 Gh/s.
The popularity of mining is growing, increasing people's interest in the issues of cryptocurrency mining and necessary equipment through which this process takes place. In our article, we will try to cover all the issues related to video cards. We will review and recommend best graphics cards for mining, we will tell you about the parameters that you need to pay attention to in order to independently choose a good device for your farm.
Is it relevant to mine bitcoin on video cards
At the very beginning of the history of crypto mining, almost all components of a computer could be used: a microprocessor, a video card, and even a hard drive. Gradually, the complexity of computing hash sums increased, which required more power equipment. At the same time, the reward of miners decreased. All these changes have made mining on a video card the most popular and profitable way to extract many virtual currencies. Except, unfortunately, bitcoin.
Bitcoin, like all PoW cryptocurrencies (read more about it in our article), was mined by entire farms from video cards that were built by mining enthusiasts. But all this is in the past. These farms have given way to special-purpose integrated circuits, which, apart from calculating hash sums, can do nothing else, but do it several hundred times faster, consuming significantly less electricity. Bitcoins today are mined by the largest ASIC hangars, more than 70% of which are concentrated in China. Beginning crypto miners have nothing to do there. Thus, mining bitcoins in 2017 using a video card is not economically feasible.
However, cryptocurrency is not limited to bitcoin, and video cards are still sold in ordinary stores, unlike integrated circuits. They still do a pretty good job of calculating the hash sums of other cryptocurrencies. For example, Ethereum. Ethereum mining on video cards, depending on the price of electricity and the exchange rate, according to experienced miners, pays off in an average of 4-6 months. This period is quite enough to have time to mine ETH before the creators transfer it from PoW to PoS.
Features of algorithms in mining using video cards
The profitability of mining on video cards (profitable video cards - later in the article) depends on the cryptocurrency, since each electronic cash has its own algorithm for creating new blocks.
- The most famous algorithm is SHA256. Such an algorithm for Bitcoin (BTC, XBT), bitcoin cash(BCH, BCC), Namecoin (NMC), SwiftCoin (STC). This algorithm is the least profitable due to the fact that it allows the presence of high-powered computing devices such as ASICs on the market, which reduces the struggle for rewards into the game of several large investors (ASICs are usually very expensive).
- The next most common algorithm is Scrypt. His main feature- the complexity of calculating the hash sum, requiring a larger volume random access memory. Cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE, XDG), BlackCoin (BC), PotCoin (POT), BitConnect (BCC) and others “sit” on Scrypt.
- Ethereum (ETH), like its fork Ethereum Classic(ETC) are mined using the Ethash algorithm, which was created as an ASIC-resistant analogue of SHA256. Ethash is the main mining competitor of Equihash.
- The latter is based on the concept computer science and cryptography called "Generalized Birthday Problem" (Paradox of birthdays). Equihash sets the algorithm for the following crypts: Zcash (ZEC), Zcash Classic (ZCL), Zencash (ZEN) and Hush (HUSH). Just like in Scrypt, the amount of coins you can mine in Equihash depends on how much RAM you have.
How to choose a video card
The list of PoW cryptocurrencies that can be profitably mined on GPU devices is very clearly grouped by algorithm type on the nicehash website.
Diagram. The most profitable algorithms for GPU mining* (for September 2017):
* for NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti.
Thus, Equihash is the most profitable mining algorithm to date for mining cryptocurrency on video cards. This statement is also true for the following TOP-5 GPU devices as of 10/04/2017:
- NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti.
- NVIDIA GTX 1080.
- NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti.
- AMD R9 Fury Nano.
- NVIDIA GTX 1070.
Thus, The best way choose the right video card- to determine its profitability (profitability). The profitability calculator for mining on video cards will help you with this.
For example, mining a GTX 960 using the NeoScrypt algorithm will bring its owner 0.00460810 BTC per month, or ~ 1,149.25 RUB per month (at the rate of 249398.7 RUB/BTC). The average price of GTX 960 on Yandex.Market is ~16,000 RUB. Thus, the payback of your card, excluding electricity and exchange rate volatility, will be 16,000 RUB / 1,149.25 RUB ~ 14 months.
How specifications affect payback
Technical parameters affecting the payback of video cards:
- video card memory size, Mb;
- GPU frequency, Mhz;
- memory frequency, Mhz;
- power consumption W.
The first 3 indicators will affect the hashrate (mining speed). 4th - for the cost of electricity.
Let's take a look at the top 5 graphics cards mentioned earlier. All parameters are aggregated from Yandex Market. Additionally, the cost of components in the computeruniverse online store is reflected (purchase with a promotional code FWBFBDF will be cheaper).
Table of video cards for mining with a comparison of characteristics (when hovering over a parameter, a description pops up):
Video card name | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti | AMD Radeon R9 Fury X | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Specifications | |||||
Process technology | 16 nm | 16 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 16 nm |
Memory | 11 264 MB | 8 192 MB | 6 144 MB | 4 096 MB | 8 192 MB |
GPU frequency | 1632 MHz | 1607 MHz | 1025 MHz | 1050 MHz | 1607 MHz |
Memory type | GDDR5X | GDDR5X | GDDR5 | HBM | GDDR5 |
Memory frequency | 11448 MHz | 10,000 MHz | 7010 MHz | 1000 MHz | 8 108 MHz |
Memory exchange bus | 352 bit | 256 bit | 384 bit | 4096 bit | 256 bit |
Math block | |||||
Number of general purpose processors | 3584 | 2560 | 2816 | 4096 | 1920 |
Number of texture units | 224 | 160 | 176 | 256 | 120 |
Number of ROPs | 88 | 64 | 96 | 64 | 64 |
additional characteristics | |||||
CUDA Support | YES | YES | YES | - | YES |
Support AMD APP (ATI Stream) | - | - | - | YES | - |
Auxiliary power connector | 8 pin + 8 pin | 8 pin + 6 pin | 8 pin + 6 pin | 8 pin + 8 pin | 8 pin + 6 pin |
Recommended PSU Wattage | 600 W | 500 W | there is no data | there is no data | 500 W |
TDP | 250 W | 180 W | 250 W | 275 W | 150 W |
Cooling system design | custom | custom | custom | reference | custom |
Price, rub (October 2017) | from 59 728 | from 33 365 | 50997 | 27404 | from 31 988 |
Computeruniverse price on 10/04/2017 | 50 616 + delivery 2 045 | 30 678 + delivery 2 045 | - | - | 31 192 + delivery 2 045 |
As you can see, only cards with GPU are technologically different from different manufacturers. The main competitors of standard configurations are known to everyone - these are AMD and NVIDIA. Otherwise, the hashrate, according to by and large, will be determined by the parameters mentioned above. The higher these figures, the higher the hashrate.
Payback of video cards
We know the best devices, now it is necessary to calculate their payback periods. The table below shows the same top 5 video cards with a payback calculation for each for October 2017. The algorithm column shows the most profitable algorithm in terms of mining time for a specific video card for the month (September).
Table with the calculation of the payback period:
Video card name | GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | GeForce GTX 1080 | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | AMD Radeon R9 Fury X | GeForce GTX 1070 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price (minimum), rub | 52 661 | 32 723 | 50 997 | 27 404 | 31 988 |
Algorithm | Equihash | Lyra2Rev2 | Equihash | Equihash | NeoScrypt |
Hashrate | 630 Sol/s | 49.11 MH/s | 461 Sol/s | 450 Sol/s | 1.01 MH/s |
Income per month, rub | 4 513 | 3 453 | 3 209 | 3 092 | 3 085 |
Payback (excluding electricity costs and course changes) | 12 months | 10 months | 16 months | 9 months | 11 months |
The most payback card in the ranking was AMD Radeon R9 Fury X - 9 months. Of course, you need to take into account the cost of electricity, changes in network speed and the volatility of the exchange rate that you are going to mine. But nonetheless big picture we have seen the payback of top video cards.
Where is the best place to buy video cards?
In the second quarter of 2017, NVIDIA increased revenue by more than 50% compared to the second quarter of 2016 - $ 251 million. AMD's revenue for the same period is up 18% - $ 1.2 billion. You know what we mean?
The main manufacturers of GPU chips are breaking records in terms of revenue and, most likely, do not keep up with demand. Manufacturers, followed by retailers, unable to meet demand, begin to raise prices. In Russia, the situation is aggravated by the weak national currency, due to which the cost of cards can be 1.5–2 times more expensive.
Perhaps that is why ordering video cards in foreign stores will be a little more profitable than buying them in Russia. On Internet forums, you can find people who will deliver components from abroad for 500-1000 rubles. The problem will be only in finding a reliable intermediary. Do not forget about customs duties. In Russia, the customs payment is 30% of the value of goods imported in excess of $1,000.
If we talk about online stores, then video cards are bought on a foreign computeruniverse (5 euro discount using the promo code FWBFBDF) or Russian onlinetrade (+ 150 registration bonuses).
Mining on old devices
Buying devices in the secondary market is always a risk. It is important to know how carefully it was used, overclocked or repaired old map. You should check the used device on the spot before buying. Mining involves overclocking the device to the maximum limits. This opportunity is used by many miners in order to quickly recoup an expensive purchase. This can result in loss of performance due to elevated temperature and incorrect operation.
Try to use new video cards or new models that already have built-in reliable system cooling. Such a system during acceleration will not allow overheating. As a rule, the later the release date of the card, the more stable and efficient its operation at maximum loads. Which is exactly what is required in mining.
Is it possible to mine on cheap GPUs
If the goal is mining with a profit, when the income received will cover all the costs of paying for electricity, the characteristics of the video card must be above the minimum bar. Cryptocurrency mining on cheap cards will not be economically feasible if the performance of video adapters does not provide this condition.
This method is suitable if you System Administrator with access to a large computer network in which you can organize . But this is illegal activity. On the forums, miners say that a month with an average load of several dozen PCs during the working day, it turns out to mine up to $ 150.
Mining on special video cards
Some video card manufacturers, predicting further high demand for their products, are planning to release special mining devices in the near future. Such devices will be intended only for crypto mining, and the price for them will be significantly lower than for gaming GPUs.
ASUS has already presented the Mining-RX470-4G model on its website. Its characteristics:
- AMD Radeon RX 470;
- 7000 MHz (1750 MHz GDDR5);
- 256-bit;
- GDDR5 4GB.
Specialized cards do not have video outputs.
They are not on sale yet, but we are sure that they will be in demand and, most importantly, they will free up the market for gaming cards.
Conclusion
Currently mining on GPU devices is the only way start mining cryptocurrency for beginner "farmers" who do not have a large amount to invest in equipment. Be sure to remember: digital currency- high risk investment. But as they say, the higher the risk, the greater the profit. Mainly, the success of mining depends on 3 things: the cost of the video card, the cost of electricity and the growth of cryptocurrency. And if the cost of equipment and electricity costs are more or less understandable things, then one can only hope for an increase in the rate of crypto money.
Write to us in the comments which video card you chose and how the calculations were justified, as well as your questions regarding certain devices, we will be happy to answer you!
In the field of mining, as, probably, in any business, there have always been pessimists and optimists. The first ones always confidently declare that mining is about to “die” and the purchase of video cards forunpromising, because even before your card pays off, mining on it will be unprofitable. However, is this true? Let's see what they were talking about GTX cards 260 when they first came out and after about a year or two.
The nVidia GeForce GTX260 came out in 2008, before the advent of cryptocurrencies. In 2010, the cryptocurrency market was still in its infancy, with only bitcoin present so far. The first miners mined coins only on computer processors. But in the middle of 2010, mining moved to the GPU, giving rise to the era of industrial mining. At that time, there were still 3 years left before the creation and implementation of ASIC devices.
For the first time, the GTX260 video card was mentioned as mining equipment in 2011. The map at that time was quite advanced. At least in gaming world she rated very highly. However, at the time of the start of mining on the GPU, the card was already 2 years old, but at that time it was not yet as critical as it is now. The card not only coped with its tasks, but also allowed to receive a good income. If you search for references to the GTX260 on the Internet, you can see that even in 2013 the card was still in service and was able to extract about $ 2 per day for its owner. But even then, in 2011-2012, you can find posts on the forums that GPU mining did not last long and the purchase of a GTX260 would be wasted money. Nevertheless, for another 2 years, until the beginning of 2014, the cards generated income. This means that they continued to work for the benefit of their owners for another three years, who used them as the main tool for mining coins.
In 2013, ASIC devices and GPU mining entered the field of mining.began to fade away very quickly. At first, GPU miners switched to the Scrypt algorithm, and then, when ASIC devices already appeared in 2014 to this algorithm, GPU mining completely fell into a coma until cryptocurrencies appeared on algorithms like Ethash and CryptoNote with protection from ASIC devices.
Currently, the peak of popularity of GPU mining has passed, but further prospects are not yet clear. We can say that in fact we are now in the 2012-2013 stage, but the role of the GTX260 card today is played by the GTX1080Ti. The card is certainly much younger than the GTX260 in 2012, but the progress is much faster. Hardware manufacturers are already offering higher performance gaming cards equipped with new memory and using new technologies, in six months, nVidia and AMD promise to release video cards based on the new 7 nm process, which will significantly increase performance and reduce power consumption. But while the leader among cards foron affordable price and the 1080Ti remains strong. No matter how progress goes, 1080Ti will still generate income for at least another year or two. Just as the GTX260 slowly went into decline at one time, the 1080Ti will be very reluctant to give up ground. For example, GTX260 is made on 65nm technology, and the most popular and advanced cards of that time (2012-2013) were considered GTX470/480, which were made on 40nm process technology and gave 2-2.5 times more hashrate. By the middle of 2013, more advanced cards (GTX770/780) began to appear on those. 28 nm process, which already gave out 3-4 times more than the GTX260. No, there were certainly more advanced models that had several times more hashrate, for example, the GTX590, which gave almost four times more than the GTX260 or the Tesla 2070, which had a hashrate more than 10 times higher.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, we can conclude that even if the promised companies nVidia and AMD video cards will come out on time, the 1080Ti card will still be able to pay off and still long time will remain in value in the gaming market. For example, today even cards like the GTX1050, which entered the market more than a year ago, continue to generate income. At the time of writing, the 1080Ti brings in about $3 net profit per day. With a card price of $ 800, the payback will be 8-10 months. However, there is every reason to believe that the current lull in the field of mining is temporary and very soon algorithms or mining methods will appear that will allow the 1080Ti to bring a stable income to its owners for a very long time.