If CMP mining cards are produced and the mining efficiency of RTX3060 is limited, will graphics cards become easier to buy?

Nvidia said that its next-generation 3060 graphics card will halve its Ethereum mining efficiency by changing the algorithm, and GPUs already on sale will not be affected.

On February 18, Nvidia announced that they will artificially change the Ethereum mining efficiency of the next-generation 3060 graphics cards, reducing miners' desire to purchase 3060 graphics cards for mining profits.

This seems to be good news for gamers who have been searching for it in vain, but in reality it may not be what Nvidia and ordinary gamers want.

Only Ethereum mining is restricted, other cryptocurrency mining will not be affected

According to Nvidia's statement, if the RTX3060 graphics card is detected by the intelligent algorithm to be mining Ethereum, its mining power will be automatically halved. However, this restriction seems to only apply to Ethereum and has no impact on other POW currencies.

Graphics Card Profit Calculator

For example, the currencies that can be mined by the 3060 graphics card currently include ETH, CFX, and ETC, and the daily net income of a single graphics card is approximately 54 yuan, 33 yuan, and 12 yuan, respectively.

Even if the ETH profit is halved, it can still reach about 27 yuan. If the current selling price of the 3060 graphics card is 8,000 yuan, the static payback period of ETH and CFX is about 230 days, and the profit is still considerable.

You may have a question, why not restrict all mining algorithms?

In theory, it is feasible to design a general algorithm to restrict all PoW mining algorithms, but how to distinguish between actual mining and mining-like program applications?

Because they also consume GPU load, if all PoW mining algorithms are restricted, it will inevitably affect the application of graphics cards in AI, deep learning and big data.

Another point that needs to be considered is that the algorithms of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum are often upgraded and updated. Ethereum’s transition to PoS will inevitably undergo a series of algorithm upgrades, so it is unknown whether Nvidia’s restrictions on graphics card mining efficiency are still effective.

Therefore, the desire to unify and restrict mining algorithms is beautiful, but it is difficult to achieve.

CMP mining cards are not necessarily the best choice for miners

In addition to imposing ETH mining restrictions on the 3060 graphics cards, NVIDIA announced that it will restart the CMP (Crypto Mining Processor) production line and launch a GPU specifically for Ethereum mining—CMP HX .

CMP abandons image processing functions and optimizes mining performance and efficiency.

It has the following two characteristics:

1. CMP has adjusted the spatial structure of graphics cards to accelerate air circulation, which helps improve the mining efficiency of graphics cards in dense spaces.

2. CMP adopts a new algorithm architecture with lower core voltage peak and frequency, making it more suitable for Ethereum mining.

The CMP-HX series mining cards will be released through its official authorized partners, including first-line brands such as ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, and Colorful.

Although NVIDIA has been promoting CMP HX as a graphics card specifically designed for mining, we have made the following comparison between the CMP HX series products and mainstream NVIDIA graphics cards.

Even though the computing power of 90HX is only 86M, if it weren't for the huge advantage of RTX3080 graphics card in price, I'm afraid not so many people would buy it.

The limited production capacity of graphics cards is a fundamental flaw

Since the bull market in October 2020, the situation of Nvidia graphics cards being hard to come by has become more serious. The most fundamental reason is not the massive buying by miners, but the limited production of graphics cards due to the global epidemic.

We know that when NVIDIA and AMD provide solutions to graphics card brand manufacturers, they generally sell GPUs, video memory, etc. as a whole package, which is conducive to complying with standard specifications and ensuring product performance and stability, while also having more competitive prices.

However, in 2020, wafers, silicon chips, substrate materials and other components all faced supply shortages.

Cowcotland, a French website focusing on supply chain research, published an article saying that the production capacity and supply shortage of GDDR6 video memory have also seriously affected the shipment of GPUs and graphics cards.

Well, since the total shipment volume of graphics cards is certain, the launch of CMP mining cards will inevitably reduce the supply of other NVIDIA graphics cards.

Therefore, it is unrealistic to bring graphics card supply and prices back to normal levels by limiting the mining efficiency of RTX3060 graphics cards and producing CMP mining cards.