This is the best time of the year to invest in a serious mining rig. All the big hardware manufacturers have already rolled out their best offerings. And the crypto industry is once again expanding rapidly. So, let’s take a look at the coolest GPUs to augment your mining hardware.
1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
If you can find and afford one, NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 3080 is a monster. Just released in January 2021, and top of the line for the GeForce 30 series, with Ampere microarchitecture.
According to some leaked mining benchmarks, the GeForce RTX 3080 delivers an unprecedented 75 MHash/s on the Dagger Hashimoto algorithm. Now, if you overclock it, performance jumps to 93 MHash/s. To put these figures in perspective, the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti manages approximately 54 MHash/sec, while the older GeForce GTX 1080Ti turns in only 30 MHash/sec. As for specs, this graphic card comes with a base clock speed of 1440 MHz that can be boosted up to 1710 MHz. Besides, it has 10 GB of 10GB GDDR6X.
The best thing about this card is that even with overclocking, this thing runs cool. The temperature always stays within the 65 degrees Celsius range. Although the fans run at 1000 RPM (with no load), you can barely hear them hum.
However, there’s a caveat. It has a TDP rating of 320W, considerably higher than both GeForce RTX 2080Ti and GTX 1080Ti. With an overclock, power consumption easily touches the low ends of 400W. If you can play around with different power limits, clock, and memory speed to maximize your crypto profit, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is your champion for 2021. Go splurge!
These are in short supply are a few similar products on Amazon that have this or similar GPU models:
- GeForce RTX 3060: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Gaming OC
- GeForce RTX 3070: ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition
- GeForce RTX 3070: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra
- GeForce RTX 3070: EVGA 08G-P5-3755-KR GeForce RTX 3070 XC3
- GeForce RTX 3080: ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition
- GeForce RTX 3090: MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3090
And since these are in short supply also you can find them on Ebay:
- GeForce RTX 3070: MSI GeForce RTX 3070 VENTUS 3X OC 8GB GDDR6
- GeForce RTX 3080: MSI RTX 3080 SUPRIM X
- GeForce RTX 3090: ASUS RTX 3090 ROG Strix OC
2. XFX Radeon Rx 5700 XT
When it comes to profitability, the XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT is a huge draw. That’s because the chip is based on 7-nm Fin FET semiconductor technology, which is a lot cheaper than the latest 6800 series that draws considerably more power.
The Navi 10 processor has a 1605 Mhz base clock speed and a 1750 MHz memory clock speed. It features 160 texture mapping units, 2560 shading units, and 64 ROPs. Moreover, it has 8GB GDDR6 memory interconnected via a 256-bit memory bus interface.
The GPU runs at 52 MHash/s, drawing just 105 Watts from the power supply. Of course, you will need to overclock and power tune the GPU to achieve these results. Thankfully, as it’s an old card, you can find plenty of tuning options online.
The only problem is, this GPU is a bit harder to set for Ethereum mining. But, after it’s all set and working stable, the trouble is worth the effort. We strongly recommend it as long as you’re getting it on the MSRP.
Amazon Page: XFX Radeon Rx 5700 8GB GDDR6 3xDP HDMI, Pci-E AMD Graphics Card (RX-57XL8MFG6)
3. AMD Radeon RX 480
The Radeon RX 48 is one of the most economical and cost-efficient pieces of hardware for Ethereum mining, thanks to a hash rate of 25MHash/s. However, to achieve this feat, the GPU runs at a core clock speed of 1095 MHz & a memory clock speed of 2160. That consumes approximately 69 Watts. Not Bad, right?
The AMD Radeon is equipped with 8GB GDDR5 RAM. There’s also a 4GB version, but it’s less suitable for mining. Inside, you get an Ellesmere processor chip with 2304 shaders. The base and memory clock speeds of this beast are 1120 MHz and 2000 MHz, respectively.
The Radeon RX 48 can go toe-to-toe with heavy hitters, such as AMD R9 390x because it consumes far less power. This is because it has a TDP rating of a mere 110W and comes with a single 6 pin connector. So, you can even utilize it for gaming without upgrading your power supply.
It’s also jam-packed with features such as VR readiness, DX12 support, and the latest GCN architecture. Overall, AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB is a great value for Ethereum mining. It has a great hash rate with very little power consumption.
Buy on Amazon Links: AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB Samsung GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Gaming Graphics Card - OEM
4. AMD RX 6800 XT
AMD RX 6800 XT is AMD’s flagship GPU based on RDNA 2 architecture. In Ethereum mining, AMD’s latest GPU offers a 15 percent better performance than the previous generation of GPUs. When using the Phoenix 5.2c miner on stock settings, Radeon RX 6800 XT shows 59 to 60 MHash/s on 250W power consumption.
Sure, the video memory subsystem hasn’t undergone a drastic overhaul. But the 256-bit memory bus and GDDR6 are a little faster, though. Not to mention, the latest AMD drivers come with the fast timings feature designed to increase the overall performance of this series of GPUs in mining crypto, particularly Ethereum. When you enable this function, the hash rate increases by approximately 2 to 3MHash/s.
To increase performance, you can also overclock the video memory up to 150 MHz. Because it’s one of the newest cards, we don’t have the rich mining experience that backs CPUs like RX 5700 yet, however, in the near future, expect to witness better mining settings for RX 6800 XT to fine-tune crypto-mining rigs. Oh, and don’t forget Infinity Cash!
Note: Using the latest AMD Zen 3 CPU chip and the latest AMD Navi 21 GPU provides a remarkable boost in performance compared to using a Zen 2 or Intel processors.
Amazon Page: XFX RX 6800 XT 16GB GDDR6 2xDP HDMI USB-C PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card RX-68TMATFD8
5. GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
Believe it or not, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is still a solid value in 2021. What a beast of a card! That’s why we have put it on our number 5. This EVGA model provides a hash rate of nearly 38 MHash/s for Ethereum mining while consuming approximately 150 Watts.
Agreed, it’s an old GPU that has 11GB GDDR5X memory and a 352-bit memory interface. However, the PCB has 9 additional sensors and MCUs embedded in the chip. It has 88 render output, a massive 11 GB frame buffer, and 224 texture mapping units for rendering purposes. That makes it a great choice for crypto-mining.
Inside, you get a GP102 graphics chip with 3584 shaders. The base clock speed of GTX 1080Ti is 1481 MHz, and the memory clock speed is 1376MHz. Overclocking easily adds around +150MHz and +300MHz to both clock and memory speeds, respectively. And the best thing? Even with overclocking, the card stays cooler than 1070.
The price is also reasonable, considering other hard-hitters on our list. Overall, the EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a solid card for long time use.
Amazon Page: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3, 11GB GDDR5X, iCX Technology 9 Thermal Sensors & RGB LED Graphics Card 11G-P4-6796-KR
Best GPU for Ethereum Mining – Buyer’s Guide
As far as Ethereum mining goes, the gaming and rendering performance of a GPU is irrelevant. Instead, you should focus on aspects that really impact your mining efficiency. These include:
AMD vs. Nvidia
We think Nvidia is better for novices. Their GPUs are straightforward to set up and consume comparatively less energy. Additionally, they also work great with more mining algos. On the other hand, AMD cards offer low power consumption per hash rate, making them cost-efficient.
Hashrate
Hashrate, or the problem-solving capability, demonstrations how many hashes your GPU makes per second. This is basically the performance of your GPU. It directly impacts the speed at which your rig mines the crypto and depends on the algorithm of a particular blockchain you’re currently on.
Power Consumption
The running cost of a mining GPU is the amount of power it draws from your system. It shows how much electricity your card needs for a stable and optimal performance. Cards that draw more power will also need system upgrades for stability.
Memory Size and Memory Speed
Both memory size and memory speed are important for performance of a mining system when mining Ethereum blockchain. Generally, GPUs with a bigger memory size and offer better memory speed should be prioritized over others. However, they also tend to be more expensive.
Warranty
Always check for a warranty. Many top brands offer a one-year limited warranty. Since mining is rather resource-intensive, GPU parts such as a fan can malfunction or stop working altogether. You can also experience other issues. Therefore, a warranty is a great option, so you can either fix or replace your card for free.
Price
The price of a card will be your initial investment. And make no mistake, mining cards don’t come cheap. You have to empty your wallets to get the best mining GPU for Ethereum mining. So your goal should be to find a suitable option that fits your budget.
Final Thoughts
That’s a wrap on our best GPU for Ethereum mining guide! We hope this article helps you find your next Ethereum mining GPU. Remember, the performance of a GPU varies depending on the coin that is being mined. That’s why ROI also varies. To optimize your ROI, check various online resources for your profit ratios. This way, you can adapt to the changing market accordingly. Finally, always send your profits to your own crypto wallet and not to exchange. Otherwise, you can lose your hard-earned profits.
