Mining on 1 AMD or Nvidia video card: step-by-step instructions

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Published: 08/14/2020

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How is cryptocurrency related to a video card?

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Let's now see how cryptocurrency is connected to a video card and what will help you mine more.

1 What does it mean to mine cryptocurrency on a video card?
2 Why do you need a video card for cryptocurrency?
3 The principle of earning crypto using a video card
4 How to earn cryptocurrency?
5 Which video card to buy for mining?
6 Pros and cons of mining
7 Bitcoin mining

Video cards in mining

Mining ensures the existence of cryptocurrencies. Thanks to it, new blocks are opened in which transactions are recorded, and those same transactions are checked for their correctness. Accordingly, mining is one of the most popular things on the crypto market. And this is one of the first associations when anyone hears the word “cryptocurrency”.

What is it, and how to do it? It consists of using the computing power of the equipment. So, to mine cryptocurrencies, you can use a central processor, video card, FPGA, and ASICs specially tailored for a specific cryptocurrency. Each has its own characteristics. Now we will talk about using video cards.

How to earn Bitcoin using a video card

To understand the process, you need to know how cryptocurrency works. Unlike bank servers, the blockchain, which stores transaction data, is open to users. To protect against fake records, cryptokeys ( hashes ) are used to sign blocks of records. The calculation algorithm is so complex that selecting hashes requires enormous computing power. Servers storing the blockchain are not able to cope with the task on their own. Therefore, other users’ PCs are used for hashing. As a reward, they receive crypto coins, which are automatically issued by the system. The process of calculating hashes to obtain coins is called mining.

To participate in calculations, you must have powerful computing equipment and a stable Internet connection. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, whose hash rate depends only on processor performance, are mined using ASICs . The multitude of processors integrated into one chip and the narrow specialization of devices allowed them to oust more expensive and slower video cards from the market.

To earn bitcoins using a video card, you have to mine Ethereum, Zcash and other cryptocurrencies, and then exchange them for bitcoins.

To mine digital currencies you need:

assemble a farm;
connect it to the Internet;
install a wallet;
register on mining-pool;
install a miner (a program for mining bitcoins or other target currency);
configure the miner and start working.

Crypto mining on GPU requires registration on a pool that combines the efforts of users and allows you to increase earnings.

Wallet installation

To store cryptocoins, “ thick ”, “ thin BTC hardware wallets and accounts on cryptocurrency exchanges are used. They all have their advantages and disadvantages:

“Thick” ones are highly secure, but require storing a copy of the blockchain on a PC, which for Bitcoin has already exceeded the size of 100 gigabytes;
“Thin” ones work only with the latest blockchain records and do not take up much space. But their safety is significantly lower;
Hardware wallets are convenient, secure, but cost $100 and up;
Multicurrency accounts on exchanges are convenient because they allow you to quickly and without extra costs exchange earned coins. However, the security of such a “wallet” depends solely on the exchange itself. Therefore, it is not recommended to use them for storage.

Software wallets (thick and thin) can be downloaded from the official cryptocurrency websites or the developers themselves. The first launch of a “thick” crypto wallet requires a lot of time to synchronize with the blockchain. But then you can work comfortably even through a slow Internet channel.

To get an account on a crypto exchange, you just need to go through the registration procedure, which is not much different from creating a mailbox or account on social networks. To increase the limits on transactions, withdrawals and the maximum amount of money in the account, you will have to undergo verification (provide your real data, including your postal address).

Earning BTC through AntPool

ASIC manufacturing company , is intended primarily for Bitcoin mining on ASICs. However, video card owners can make money on it by mining other coins that can be easily exchanged for BTC . AMD cards the most profitable is Ethereum , on Nvidia chips - Zcash . To earn money you need:

Bitcoin mining on the Nicehash pool

Here you can mine more than 20 cryptocurrencies using your own equipment and rent users’ computing power.

To work, you need to download and install the proprietary Nicehash Miner application, which, if the user wishes, can automatically select the most profitable currency (BTC, ETH, ZEC or another), depending on the characteristics of the equipment and the current exchange rate.

Nicehash stands out for its wide earning opportunities:

mining on your own video cards;
rental of capacities of other users;
crypto mining through other pools.

Why are they "fit"

The main indicator in mining is hashrate. In other words, it is the speed of solving a cryptocurrency block function. So, central processors produce less than 1 MH/s, which is incredibly low. The average speed of video cards is 20–30 MH/s. This indicator already gives hope.

In addition, video cards are designed to perform repetitive actions over a long period of time. And mining is just such a task. Therefore, the computing power of the GPU can be used in the mining of cryptocurrencies.

Indeed, at the peak of the development of cryptocurrencies, video cards were very actively used for mining. Manufacturers have also created a product that is focused not on gaming, but on mining. This product was slightly different in performance and was cheaper than game cards.

They were also actively exploited for Bitcoin mining. Then its network complexity was not so high, video cards paid for themselves very quickly and brought good profits. Everyone who more or less understood the technical details turned on their home computer and started mining.

How to use them

But even without knowing all the details, you could become a miner. It is enough to have good equipment, a cooling system and reliable wiring. It's also a good idea to have thick concrete walls, because there is a lot of noise and you might get a complaint from your neighbors.

Initially, it is recommended to carry out minimal system settings. So, you can disable all additional services, unnecessary background processes, and minimize the use of video card resources for processing simple tasks, such as opening a folder. It is advised to disable your antivirus because it may stop mining.

Next, you need to find a pool (BTC.com, AntPool, ViaBTC and others), register and create a Worker. In the future, its data (name and password) will be used in the program directly for mining.

After this, the miner program is downloaded. You can run an .exe file, however, this method will require you to configure the process each time. Therefore, you need to open the .bat file and write the basic commands there. Among them, you need to indicate the pool used, the wallet number to which the reward is sent and the worker’s data.

Save the changes, re-launch the batch file and watch how your earnings begin. Does it seem very simple? Knowledge of technology will be needed to adjust mining and correct errors.

Making the right choice is the main task

It is very difficult to choose the right video card for Bitcoin mining. For a very long time, the leaders on the market have been the Nvidia GeForce GTi 1080 and Radeon Fury X. They are very fast, however, and consume a lot of energy resources. That’s why their payback period is a little longer.

Good performance is given by cards such as the Radeon RX 470, 570 and 580, as well as the Nvidia GeForce GTi 1050, 1060 and 1070. Of course, the higher the generation, the better the performance. However, for many, the average was enough.

When choosing a video card for Bitcoin mining, you should pay attention to the number of shaders, speed and type of memory, type of power supply and amount of video memory. Also, do not forget to pay attention to the cooling system.

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. It’s worth remembering that you need a video card not for gaming, but specifically for mining. A very important indicator in it is the number of shader units. Radeon has more of these than Nvidia. Accordingly, it will be a little faster to process a transaction or block from the chain.

The faster your video card, the greater your chances of winning a reward. If you are not mining solo, but in a pool, then you will provide more shares, and accordingly, you will receive a little more Bitcoin than when using Nvidia.

Features of using video cards

Initially, there was no special equipment; accordingly, video cards became the best device for mining both Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. They always gave good results.

In addition to the fact that it is well suited for mining from the technical side, there are other aspects. So, video cards are relatively inexpensive, so anyone can buy them and get into mining.

They actually do not require special knowledge. If you monitor the process and the condition of the equipment, you will not encounter errors that will have to be corrected. These two factors indicate the accessibility of mining for many.

However, there are several disadvantages. So, you will have to invest a lot in paying bills. Just think about it: when mining, the video card operates at full capacity, which means it consumes a lot of resources. They themselves require a lot, and such processes require a lot of kW.

Again, running at full power means high temperatures. No matter how well the cooling system works, you will encounter the fact that the room will become quite hot. In addition, as mentioned above, they will make a lot of noise.

other methods

In addition to mining, other methods of earning bitcoins are increasingly being used today. Moreover, in this case, the power of the computer no longer matters so much, since the amount of free time, on which the amount of earnings on faucets and various affiliate programs depends, and the skills of the trader, which affect, quite naturally, the level of income from exchange operations, are much more important .

Passing captcha on faucets

One of the easiest ways to earn bitcoins. Faucets are understood as special advertising sites that are willing to pay Satoshi, that is, an extremely small part of Bitcoin, to those who follow advertising links or spend a certain amount of time on the site. In fact, clicking on advertising banners is the passage of a kind of captcha. Of course, it is difficult to expect that this method of earning money will allow you to receive any serious amount. However, it does not require any investment, so if you have enough free time, it is quite capable of significantly filling up the computer owner’s Bitcoin wallet.

Gambling

To a large extent, they are reminiscent of the most common and widespread online games, in which not rubles or dollars are used as winnings or rewards for participants, but the satoshis already mentioned above. It should be noted that a significant part of such games provides the possibility of not only winning, but also losing. In addition, almost all online games provide incentives for participants who attract new players, so-called referrals. This also requires a certain amount of Satoshi.

Partnership programs

They involve posting links to affiliate programs on a website or social network page. A reward is provided for each transition on them. Its level is relatively low, so in order to earn serious income, the computer owner’s website or social network page must be quite popular.

Trading

It is another option for earning money, along with mining, which requires quite serious start-up costs. They are necessary to replenish a personal account opened on any of the numerous exchanges that today work with cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. It is important to understand that trading involves the implementation of exchange financial transactions, the characteristic feature of which is the presence of a certain risk. In the case of Bitcoin, it is quite high. Therefore, as a result of working on the stock exchange, you can get both serious profits and no less significant losses.

Free Bitcoins

They are digital coins in the form of Satoshi, which are awarded to visitors of special advertising sites, often simply called faucets. Their number is increasing every day, so they are forced to constantly improve the conditions they offer to ensure the required level of traffic. The advantages of this method of earning money are obvious - no start-up costs and the impossibility of any losses. The disadvantages include a low level of income and the need to spend a fairly large amount of time.

How much Bitcoin shines when using video cards

Bitcoin is almost 10 years old, and a lot has changed over the years. So, at the beginning of his era, an old computer was enough for mining, since the complexity of the network was very low. You could earn several coins a day. But then they were worth nothing.

Today the reward is 12.5 BTC, which is equivalent to more than 100 thousand dollars. However, it is impossible to receive such an award alone. Even the best mining rigs are already having a hard time coping with the Bitcoin network.

Accordingly, earnings on a home computer will also be far from the maximum reward. According to bitinfocharts, the average profit per day is half a dollar per 1 THash/s. And this is much less than one Bitcoin.

Ways to earn bitcoins on a slot machine

Recently, so-called automatic cranes have gained significant popularity. The main feature of such services is the minimal participation of the computer owner, who is actually only involved in registration on the site and the subsequent withdrawal of earned virtual funds. Obviously, this improved option for making money is much more convenient for the faucet visitor, since it does not involve any serious investment of free time. It is quite natural that the reward in such a situation is set less than usual for such advertising sites.

However, today it is possible to earn money automatically and by visiting the most common faucet sites. It is achieved using special programs that automate the collection of bonuses without requiring any action from the computer owner.

Selecting a service

Today, anyone is offered a fairly wide range of sites that provide the opportunity to automatically earn bitcoins. In most cases, they provide free registration, however, in some cases, the client may be provided with some special status for a fee. Its presence can increase the size of payments or the likelihood of receiving any other, no less pleasant and profitable bonuses.

It is important to note that the number of such sites is constantly growing, but the most popular are:

Moonbit. Offers to collect a certain amount of Satoshi every 5 minutes. However, it is allowed to automatically accumulate winnings and withdraw them at any time convenient for the site visitor;
BitCentric. A characteristic feature of the service is the ability to withdraw earned funds at any time without setting a minimum payment amount;
Hashprofit. An original site that offers a kind of cloud mining services, as it requires an initial payment. Its payback period is 4-6 months, and earnings are accrued automatically.

Registration

Most sites offering automatic bitcoin earnings services have an extremely simple registration procedure. Moreover, in some cases it is carried out not at the time of the first visit to the site, but during the withdrawal of earned funds.

Downloading the program

The list of special programs that allow you to collect cones automatically is constantly changing. This is explained by the fact that their use can hardly be called a legal operation, since such scripts simply take advantage of weaknesses in the faucet software. However, most of them are freely available and can be easily downloaded from the Internet.

Starting the program

After downloading the program to automatically receive bonuses, you should install it, while following the attached instructions.

It turns out that there is no benefit?

As mentioned earlier, the average speed of video cards is 20–30 MH/s. You don't need to do any heavy mathematical calculations to understand that the profitability of such a video card will be zero.

There are benefits from mining Bitcoin on a video card, however, under one condition: you build a farm from video cards. But this should not be a home farm, but a separate large room with server racks filled with video cards, the power of which is aimed at mining Bitcoins.

The fact is that the total hashrate of the entire network is already 31 EH/s, although a couple of months ago this figure was 27. Accordingly, the competition is incredibly huge, with only 7 blocks being solved per day. Therefore, there is a benefit, but the likelihood of receiving it is very small.

How much can you earn?

The level of earnings depends on several factors. Firstly, the method of receiving bitcoins chosen by the computer owner. It is obvious that until recently the most profitable option for obtaining cryptocurrency was mining. However, today its effectiveness has noticeably decreased, although it remains in most cases the most cost-effective way to earn bitcoins.

Secondly, the level of income received when using faucets is determined mainly by the time that the computer owner is able to spend on earning bitcoins. Thirdly, when carrying out exchange transactions, on the one hand, the level of profit received can be the most significant. However, on the other hand, no less serious losses are possible. The choice of a specific earning option, the level of risk and the amount of possible expenses that the user is willing to make ultimately determine the amount of final earnings.

Is it worth starting?

You can try it as an experiment. But immediately prepare yourself for the fact that you will not earn a single drop if you use one video card. The number of shares is simply not enough to receive the slightest percentage of the reward.

But if you are not focused on Bitcoin mining as a separate activity, then you don’t even have to take it up. Based on the above, it becomes clear that today and in the future, Bitcoin mining on a video card is already dead. Now this is a huge business, and strong sharks are running it.

Besides the usual difficulty issues, there is another pitfall. The fact is that if someone can concentrate 51% of the power of the entire network, he will dictate the rules for the use of cryptocurrency, as well as mining. After all, other users will be forced to spend much more money on equipment in order to increase their percentage and, accordingly, reduce it.

As a conclusion, we can only repeat ourselves: Bitcoin mining on a video card is no longer relevant. No matter how frustrating it may be, it is impossible to mine the most valuable cryptocurrency without huge investments.

Cryptocurrency mining: Video

Bitcoin mining on video cards

So, let's look at how to earn bitcoin on a video card. First, you will need to build a fairly powerful computer. After this, you need to install a special client program “Bitcoin Wallet” on your computer. You can download it for free on this website: . Just click on the “Download Bitcoin Core” button.

The first time you launch Wallet on your computer, the program will begin downloading blocks. So you will have to wait. The download process may take quite a long time (about 24 hours). After downloading the blocks, you can proceed to setting up the program.

To begin, go to the “Receive” tab in the program.

Here in the “Label” line you can designate the received invoice as you wish. You don't have to write anything here. Below is the line “Amount” - leave the field empty. We are interested in the “Request Payment” button.

After clicking this button, you are assigned a BTC wallet address and URL.

It's a kind of wallet. You may not use this program. But instead, you will need to create your account on some site that allows you to store bitcoins. For example, the EXMO.com exchange is suitable for you.

It is worth noting that using the Bitcoin-Core client program is very convenient and simple. So, after creating a wallet, you need to join the pool.