You might have heard that Nvidia put a crypto-mining limiter on its new RTX 30-series GPUs.This news caused a bit of a stir in the crypto world, as people wondered if it was a sign that Nvidia was backing away from crypto mining. But as it turns out, the limiter was mainly just a meaningless restriction that was accidentally left on some of the new GPUs. Nvidia has now confirmed that it’s removing the limiter, so mining enthusiasts can rest easy knowing they can continue using their RTX 30-series GPUs for mining.
What was the Crypto-Mining Limiter?
Nvidia just killed the crypto-mining limiter on their RTX 30-series GPUs. What was that limiter? It was a hardware lock that limited the use of those GPUs for crypto-mining only. So why did Nvidia kill it? Some people speculate that it’s because they’re afraid of losing market share to AMD, whose Radeon VII GPUs are better suited for crypto-mining. But whatever the reason, it’s good news for gamers and miners alike.
Nvidia no longer blocks Ethereum (ETH) mining on its graphics card. The company’s Lite Hash Rate (LHR) cryptocurrency limiter was released alongside the RTX 3060. LHR would detect an Ethereum mining workload and slow the graphics card down to lower its profitability. Ethereum mining is dead, and Nvidia’s LHR no longer has any desire. As the move is known, the unit occurred on September 15, 2022.
No other cryptocurrencies are showing profitability sufficient for GPU miners to jump ship. Reports suggest that Nvidia has removed the LHR limiter from its cards completely. The limiter was intended to prevent Ethereum mining, which no longer exists. Miners were circumventing LHR by mining Ethereum and another crypto simultaneously. One ETH is beneficial, $1,328.40 at the time of writing.
Note: Now, you can mine with your RTX 30-series GPUs without worrying about limitations, and that’s great news for anyone looking to get into mining or upgrade their mining rig.
Why was It mostly meaningless?
When Nvidia unveiled the RTX 20-series of graphics cards, it touted the miner-friendly features of the new hardware. The company said that it had built-in “crypto-mining” algorithms that would limit how much the GPUs could be used for crypto-mining and preserve their longevity for gamers.
It turns out that those algorithms were mainly meaningless, as Nvidia has now killed them in an update to the drivers for its RTX 30-series of graphics cards. The move is likely to appease gamers who were angry about a large number of GPUs being bought by miners, driving up prices and availability.
Nvidia says it “listened to feedback from its GeForce community” and decided to remove the miner-friendly features. We’re not sure what “feedback” it’s referring to, as gamers have been largely silent on the issue. In contrast, miners have been vocal in disapproving of any measures limiting mining performance.
What Is Nvidia Doing Now?
You may wonder what Nvidia is doing now that they’ve killed the crypto-mining limiter on RTX 30-series GPUs. The answer is simple: they’re giving miners free rein to mine whatever they want. This is a significant change from their earlier position, where they were trying to discourage people from buying their GPUs for crypto-mining purposes.
Why the change of heart? It’s likely because they realized that they were losing out on a lot of sales by limiting the use of their GPUs. Miners represent a big chunk of Nvidia’s customer base, and they’re not going to want to miss out on that market. So Nvidia is now focusing on catering to the needs of miners while still ensuring that regular gamers don’t get left out in the cold. It’s a delicate balancing act, but they’re up for the challenge.
How Will This Affect RTX 30-Series GPU Owners?
You might wonder how this news affects you as an RTX 30-series GPU owner. Don’t worry since we’re here to explain everything. Essentially, Nvidia has decided to remove the crypto-mining limiter from its latest GPUs, which means they can now be used for this purpose. This change is likely a response to the current market conditions, where demand for GPUs is high, and miners are driving prices up.
So, what does this mean for you if you’re not a miner? Well, it means that you may see a slight increase in prices for RTX 30-series GPUs as the miners move to purchase these cards. But don’t worry; we’ll continue to offer the best prices on the latest GPUs so you can get the most bang for your buck.
What Does This Mean for the forthcoming Cryptocurrency Mining?
This latest move by Nvidia could significantly impact the future of cryptocurrency mining. You see, up until now, Nvidia had been limiting the number of RTX 30-series GPUs that could be used for crypto-mining purposes. This ensured that gamers could still get their hands on those cards and that miners weren’t completely hogging all the supply.
But with this change, Nvidia is basically telling miners that they can mine all they want. This is excellent news for miners, of course, but it could also mean that the price of RTX 30-series cards will rise as the demand increases. So what does this mean for you and the future of cryptocurrencies? Keep an eye on the markets and see how things play out. But one thing is for sure: Nvidia is definitely giving miners the green light to mine away.
What Are the Implications of This Move?
So what does this mean for you? Well, if you were thinking about picking up an RTX 30-series card for crypto-mining, you might want to hold off for a bit. Nvidia has confirmed that it’s killed the mining limiter on these cards, so they’ll be as good at mining as the older RTX 20-series cards. But that doesn’t mean that Nvidia is done with crypto-mining altogether. The company is still exploring ways to make mining more efficient and less power-hungry, so stay tuned for future announcements.
