Mining with GPUs, an affordable method of earning cryptocurrencies. Nvidia video cards are in constant demand among miners. They are ahead of the competition in terms of energy efficiency and ease of setup, do not overheat so much and run quieter.
Mining enthusiasts have been waiting for the release of the next RTX 2080 series, no less than gamers, pinning high hopes on the new device. But the twentieth line of video cards from Nvidia disappointed both. As they say, the first pancake is lumpy.
All errors and shortcomings were taken into account when releasing the next series, which, by the way, has also already been released and turned out to be much better than the previous one. And RTX 20 ** video cards were not in the lot, and if it were not for the sharp rise in prices for cryptocurrencies, they would be unprofitable for mining.
However, when the digital asset market is in an uptrend, even such gpu devices can be quite profitable. If, of course, you find them on sale at a reasonable price. Let’s see how efficient the 2080 GPU is in mining.
Graphics card specifications
In August 2018, the release of the GeForce lineup began with the new generation Turing chip, designed to revolutionize computer graphics, thanks to Arthur Eppel’s ray tracing method. The technology, patented 50 years ago, was previously used only in the film industry and special computing centers. Photorealistic image quality is now available on a personal computer.
Main characteristics of new generation graphics accelerators.
| Model | RTX 2070 | RTX 2080 | RTX 2080 Ti |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU clock speed | 1410 MHz -1620 MHz | 1515 MHz -1710 MHz | 1350 MHz -1635 MHz |
| Video memory type | GDDR 6 | GDDR 6 | GDDR 6 |
| Video memory size | 8 GB | 8 GB | 11 GB |
| Memory bus frequency | 14 GHz | 14 GHz | 14 GHz |
| Number of CUDA cores | 2304 | 2944 | 4352 |
| Number of RT cores | 288 | 368 | 544 |
| Memory bus width | 256 bit | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| PSP | 488 GB / s | 488 GB / s | 616 GB / s |
| Productivity of tensor kernels | 6 Giga beams / sec | 8 Giga beams / sec | 8 Giga beams / sec |
| Energy consumption | 185 watts | 215 watts | 250 watts |
| Additional food | 8 Pin | 8+8 Pin | 8+8 Pin |
According to the statements of the creators of the 20 series video cards, they are 6 times ahead of their predecessors. But the payback of the RTX 2080 video card in mining directly depends on its price and the volatility of the cryptocurrency market. Real-world hash rates for Nvidia’s new line of RTX graphics adapters were quite modest. The cards work quite fast, but they are also much more expensive than the previous models.
Prices for new items from Nvidia in the store:
| GeForce RTX 2070 | GeForce RTX 2080 | GeForce RTX 2080 Ti |
| From 33, 190.00 rub. | From 55, 000.00 rub. | From 77, 000.00 rub. |
It is almost impossible to find at least one store in which this model is on sale. But, this is not at all because the RTX 2080 is in high demand, but rather the opposite. Popular among miners, the GTX 1660S and RTX 3060/3070 video cards are on sale, albeit at inflated prices, but the GPU devices of the twentieth line and, first of all, the RTX 2080 model are not available. True, there are a lot of them on Avito, at a price of 61,000 rubles and more, and most sellers claim that “they did not mine on it,” but buying supported video cards in the rig is a very risky business.
Which is better to choose, GeForce GTX 1080 or RTX 2080?
How promising is the 2080 Ti graphics card for mining? The new GPU showed a 30% increase in hashrate at the factory settings. At first, many miners thought that in order to unleash their full potential, the creation of appropriate software was required. In fact, the video card itself needed some work.
The new RTX 30 line is much more efficient at mining than all previous models, and the 20-series cards were just an intermediate stage. It makes sense to buy these cards only if you find a very advantageous offer. And if you choose between the 2080 and 1080 Ti, then it’s better to buy the latter. An even more rational solution would be to buy a new RTX 3060/3070/3080 graphics card.
Manufacturers release 5 RTX 2080 models, which one to choose for mining? First of all, you should pay attention to the cooling system. There are two coolers installed on the 20 line reference graphics accelerators. But if the card is purchased for mining, you need the coldest 2080. It is preferable to have an option with three large coolers, capable of efficient heat dissipation under high loads.
It is important to choose the right power supply. A farm for mining 2080 of six video cards requires a minimum of 2.2 kW of PSU power. For the calculation, the consumption of nodes (motherboard, processor, GPU, riser) is summed up and 20% is added to protect against overloads.
Never buy cheap models with low efficiency and try to keep the total power of the power supplies 10-15% higher than the minimum required level. This ensures the stable operation of your rig. Video cards often break down due to bad power supplies.
The motherboard is chosen so that the number of PCI-E matches the number of video cards, you can use a switch to connect several risers in one slot, but this method does not guarantee correct operation. RAM at least 8 GB. At least 30 GB of virtual memory is allocated on the hard disk. But, first of all, pay attention to the price.
If you do not save on the power supply and ensure normal operating conditions for the equipment, first of all, good ventilation, then a two-cooler card can work in mining for three years or even longer. Of course, provided that you regularly clean the components from dust. The lower the cost, the faster you will recover the money invested and start making a profit.
Mining test on different algorithms
According to technical data, the performance of mining farms from the RTX 2080 is higher than that of previous assemblies.
| Mining algorithm | Mining speed | Core Clock |
Memory Clock |
Power Limit | Energy consumption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethash: (Etherum, Ethereum Classic Ubiq, Expanse, Pirl, Ellaism, Metaverse, Callisto) |
41 Mh / s | 150 | 850 | 70 | 150W |
| Zelhash: (Zell) | 61 H/s | 150 | 850 | 70 | 170W |
| MTP: (Zcoin) | 4 Mh / s | 150 | 850 | 70 | 170W |
| Equihash: (Zcash, Zencash, Zclassic, Hush, Komodo, BitcoinPrivate) |
680 Sol / s | 150 | 850 | 60 | 145W |
| Zhash: (Bitcoin Gold, Anon, BitcoinZ) |
74 Sol / s | 150 | 850 | 70 | 170W |
| Cuckaroo29: (Swap) | 9,9 H/s | 150 | 850 | 70 | 170W |
| Lyra2rev2: Vertcoin, Verge, Straks, Galactrum, Monacoin, Hanacoin |
69 Mh / s | 150 | 500 | 60 | 135W |
| Hex: (XDNA) |
21 Mh / s | 150 | 500 | 60 | 170W |
| X16R: (Ravencoin, Gravity, HelpTheHomeless, Motion, Nicehash-X16R) |
27 Mh / s | 150 | 500 | 70 | 180W |
| KawPow: (Ravencoin) | 27 Mh / s | 150 | 850 | 75 | 190W |
| Argon2d-nim: (Nimiq) | 380 kh / s | 150 | 850 | 75 | 190W |
| Cuckatoo31: (MWC) | 1,7 H/s | 150 | 850 | 75 | 180W |
The introduction of advanced technologies made it possible to reduce power consumption during overclocking, which is very important for the profitability of the computing process. This, of course, is a big plus, but the hash rate could be higher.
What to mine? Coin selection
Is it possible today to earn anything from the extraction of virtual funds. How many mines per day 2080 during a long decline in cryptocurrency prices? In August 2021, the following coins are the most profitable for mining on farms, collected from RTX 2080 cards:
- Ravencoin (KawPow) – 3.96;
- Ryo (CryptoNightGPU) – 3,77;
- Firo (MTP) – 3,74;
- Swap (Cuckaroo29s) – 3,67;
- Equilibria (CryptoNightGPU) – 3,66;
- Conceal (CryptoNightGPU) – 3,53;
- Flux (ZelHash) – 3.41;
- Zclassic (EquihashZero) – 3,38;
- Conflux (Octopus) – 3,36;
- Eternity CuckooCycle) – 3,32;
- BitTubeCash (CuckooCycle) – 3,23;
- Ethereum (Ethash) – 3,14;
These figures are the sum of the earnings of one RTX 2080 graphics card in US dollars for 24 hours of operation, excluding the cost of electricity. On the RTX 2080 Ti, the profits will be higher, but the graphics adapter itself is more expensive. The RTX video cards with the SUPER prefix have shown themselves quite well in crypto mining.
Of course, the figures for how many mines per day in RTX 2080 rubles are not impressive. This model brings low income on the air and is more suitable for mining alternative coins on the forks of kryptonite, ZEC and mimblewimble. Well, the most profitable as of 08/20/2021 is the Ravencoin cryptocurrency.
How to overclock the RTX 2080 and reduce power consumption?
Graphics accelerators from NVidia are pre-overclocked on the factory assembly line. The latest version of MSI Afterburner is used to achieve optimal mining performance on the RTX 2080 . The program opens access to control the frequency of the core and memory of the video card, change the limit of consumed energy, the speed of rotation of coolers.
After installation, a shortcut to the program in the form of an airplane will appear on the desktop. We open the dashboard, with many numbers and sliders. The core frequency is set on the Core Clock scale . To achieve the required indicator, you can move the slider manually using a computer mouse. But it is much more convenient to click on the numerical value above the scale and type the required frequency on the keyboard.
When adjusting in the process of mining on the RTX 2080, you should very smoothly change the numbers on the panel. Otherwise, the driver will freeze, leading to a black screen and restarting the PC. Below, under the core frequency scale, is the memory frequency ( Memory Cock ). The required value is set in the same way. You can also expand the parameters of the official RTX 2080 overclocking, using the » Settings » button , it is located on the left under the cooler speed slider.
Above the core frequency scale, there is a temperature threshold and GPU power control ( Temp Limit, Power Limit ). The sliders move synchronously, with their help, they limit the energy consumption of the mining card 2080 in order to achieve maximum energy saving. Recommended indicators are in the region of 70-80%, these values are selected individually for each card and mining algorithm.
The upper scale controls the core voltage ( CoreVoltge ). Undervolting ( lowering the voltage ), reduces the risk of overheating the video card, saves energy and increases the overclocking potential. Too low voltage will result in loss of functionality of the device, therefore, this function should not be overused.
Conclusion, relevance of investment
Summing up, we can say that it would make some sense to assemble a mining farm based on the RTX 2080 if they really cost in the store in the range of 50-60,000 rubles. But since they are practically not on sale, there is nothing to talk about.
This overview is presented to you for informational purposes only . It’s not worth buying a used 2080 for 70,000 rubles on Avito, for this price you can buy a new GeForce RTX 3060. And if you really decide to build a farm for mining cryptocurrency from scratch, first of all, pay attention to the RTX 30 series video cards. We’ll have to shell out a considerable amount, but with a competent approach to business, this money will pay off with interest.
The blockchain industry is developing rapidly. New promising projects appear, top crypto coins are developing new methods to speed up transaction processing and increase scalability.
More and more new services are offered to traders on exchanges. Large marketplaces such as Binance have launched their own mining pools and NFT marketplaces. Even the panic caused by the COVID-19 epidemic failed to seriously and permanently bring down the virtual asset market.
