Those who want to mine virtual assets buy expensive equipment or invest in cloud mining. But modern mobile gadgets are also capable of generating income.
And, although at first glance it seems that mining cryptocurrency on a laptop is absolutely impossible, in fact it is not entirely true. Much depends on the device model and the mined coin. Cheap laptop computers really won’t be able to mine at all, but more solid gaming gadgets are even quite suitable for mining digital coins.
Of course, the performance of a smartphone or laptop is lower than that of mining farms based on GPU or ASIC devices, but the power consumption is also significantly lower.
Therefore, laptop mining is a comfortable way to get acquainted with the basics of crypto mining and a bonus in the form of additional earnings for the laptop owner.
Setting methods and model selection
The software of the portable device practically does not differ from that installed on a stationary PC, suitable for working in a barn. Starting mining on a laptop, the main attention should be paid to the choice of software for crypto mining and adjusting the hardware parameters.
Mining on a laptop step by step:
- It is advisable to install the operating system Windows 10 (you can use Linux) and install the latest version of the video driver.
- Download and install the miner compatible with the device components. A number of mining programs have created separate versions for GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, or it is possible to work with only one of these manufacturers.
- Determine the coin to be mined. When mining on a weak laptop, it is better to choose inexpensive Ethereum, Monero forks with reduced computational complexity. Cryptocurrencies Biticoin or Litecoin will be absolutely unacceptable when mining on a regular laptop.
- We create a wallet for our virtual savings. You can choose a hardware wallet, online storage, or the Trust Wallet smartphone app.
Select a pool and configure the mining utility. But before proceeding to the next stage, it is necessary to set the threshold of temperature indicators to values that do not reach the critical level. Such a measure, when mining on a regular laptop, will help avoid premature contacting a service center.
Which laptop is right for cryptocurrency mining?
Mining on a weak laptop is possible for informational purposes only. The hash rate directly depends on the performance of the video adapter. Therefore, budget models are seriously inferior in performance to gaming laptops.
D iskretnye graphics cards and CPUs inexpensive laptops have moderate computing capacity. For profitable mining on a simple laptop, it is recommended to connect an external graphics accelerator to it via an adapter.
Additional power will be required and the price of a powerful video card for mining often exceeds the cost of a mobile gadget, but this is the only way to increase the profitability of mining on a weak laptop.
Rating of laptops for mining 2021
Mining cryptocurrency on a laptop will be successful if the device is equipped with high-performance components. First of all, the speed of the cryptocurrency mining process on a laptop depends on the installed video card.
The rating of powerful laptops for mining is calculated according to the criteria: efficiency, reliability, cost.
| Model | Video card | CPU | RAM | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSI GT75VR 7RE Titan SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 230,000 / 270,000 rubles |
| ASUS ROG G701VI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 255,000 rubles |
| MSI GT83VR 7RF Titan SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | Intel Core i7-7290HQ | 64 GB DDR4 | 375,000 rubles |
| ASUS ROG GX800VH | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 500,000 rubles |
| Acer Predator 21X | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 700,000 rubles |
Powerful and expensive notebook models are equipped not only with high-performance components, but also with an efficient cooling system to cope with high loads. Of course, hardly anyone will actually use a device for 500-700 thousand rubles to earn digital coins. For this money, you can build a small mining farm, which will bring more income and last longer.
But for purely informational purposes, it is quite possible to launch crypto mining on a powerful laptop. This way you will learn the basics of mining and then it will be easier for you to set up a real rig. Well, or you will understand that cryptocurrency mining is not your profile and forget about this business forever.
Although, more often than not, people who are not understandable and not interested in the blockchain industry will not even visit our site, and if you are reading this article with enthusiasm, then it is worth trying to move from theory to practice. And then decide who you are: a miner, a trader or a holder.
Advantages and disadvantages
Mining virtual assets on a laptop has its positive and negative sides. The advantages of mining on a laptop include:
- No costs for special equipment. A gaming laptop can be used in parallel with the main tasks for mining cryptocurrency.
- Low power consumption.
- Easy to set up . Mining through a laptop, on one video card, can be easily set up even by a beginner.
Disadvantages of mining on a mobile computer:
- Low income compared to mining farms.
- Quite a quick failure of the laptop due to overheating and increased wear of parts.
The most productive option is mining through a laptop on an external graphics accelerator. How to connect a graphics card to a laptop for mining? There are two ways:
- We connect the EXP GDC device via mini PCI Expres of the laptop. To access the port, you need to remove the battery and unscrew the service cover. Then connect the device using the appropriate cable, insert a video card and connect an additional power supply. In order for the image from the external card to be displayed on the laptop screen, you need to enter the BIOS and enable the UMA Graphic mode. After installing the drivers and setting up the hardware, you can start mining on a laptop with an external video card. Important! If there is only one mini PCI Expres connector, when connecting a GPU, you will have to disconnect the WI-FI adapter.
- The second option for connecting a video card to a laptop for mining is the purchase of a «docking station». This is a special device for working with an external graphics processor, outwardly similar to a small system unit. The device connects to a laptop via a Thunderbolt port, has a built-in power supply and good bandwidth. But the cost is also much higher than that of EXP GDC. How quickly the costs will pay off when using this mining option on a laptop with an external video card depends on the volatility of cryptocurrencies.
What coins can you mine?
The choice of altcoins for mining depends on the manufacturer of the video card and the state of affairs in the cryptocurrency market. The Ethereum cryptocurrency is now in an upward trend and is profitable for mining on any video card.
As for the rest of the coins, here you need to focus not only on the amount of profit, but also on the energy intensity of the process. Profitable, but very hot Ravencoin on a laptop is better not to mine at all. Red card holders should look out for the Haven coin, or if you have an Nvidia card try mining one of the MimbleWimble forks like BitTube.
Of course, mining on a laptop is launched partially for informational purposes, but still, you should not use the equipment in vain, even if your practical experiences bring at least some income. So you will learn how to conduct financial transactions with cryptocurrency.
Actual programs for mining
After selecting a coin, we proceed to installing the mining program on a laptop. The same software that is used on mining farms from video cards will do. The main selection criteria are: mining algorithm, video adapter model and user training level.
How to mine bitcoin on a laptop? Due to the high complexity of mining, the generation of new BTC blocks is possible only on special ASIC devices.
- For mining Ethereum and its forks, the Phoenix miner has proven itself well. This program is easy to install and allows you to adjust the load on video cards.
- Those wishing to receive a reward in bitcoins need to download the Nicehash miner software for mining on a laptop and computer.
What to extract so that the device does not work negatively?
New projects are regularly created on the blockchain platform and forks of popular coins appear. At the start, the complexity of mining is low, which allows you to make a profit even on low-power equipment.
Pool selection tips
Gone are the days of solo mining. Now even the owners of large crypto farms prefer mining in the pool. The main criteria for choosing a «virtual pool» are stability and decency. When mining on a laptop, you should pay attention to the payout threshold. If it is too high, then the set of the required amount will stretch over weeks and months.
On most Ethereum pools, the minimum threshold for paying remuneration is 0.05 ETH, in order to collect such an amount on a laptop, you need to work 24/7 for more than a month. It is unlikely that your laptop will withstand such a load, but there is a way out.
The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has its own mining pool, the Binance Mining Pool. There you will be able to receive payments daily, no matter how much you have earned. Of course, it is not profitable to withdraw small amounts of ETH from the trading platform, but they can be used for trading or converted to BNB. Domestic binance token is also showing solid growth.
Mining profitability
A gaming laptop with an external card like Radeon RX Vega or Navi connected will show pretty decent results, but the payback period is poor.
Can I mine on a laptop? Yes you can, for informational purposes. It is still not worth buying a laptop specifically for mining. But for those who want to understand the principles of the crypto mining system, the possibility of mining on a laptop will become a good practice.
In February 2021, a video appeared on the network in which Chinese craftsmen launched mining on a game console. It is possible that this is just another fake, but it clearly demonstrates that during the period of crypto fever, enthusiasts are trying to mine digital coins on any available computing device. However, it is better to use ASIC miners or video cards for this purpose , and use other gadgets for their intended purpose.
