Cryptocurrency mining is an intensive process, and you’ll be running your rig at high load for long periods of time. As such, things like power draw become crucial, not just the outright power of your GPU. The GTX 1080 Ti, for example, is one amazing GPU, but it’s also fairly power hungry, so it’s not necessarily the best choice for this purpose. If you’re getting into mining, you’ll be better suited with one of these options.
Team Green
NVIDIA GTX 1070
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The NVIDIA GTX 1070 is probably the best outright GPU for crypto mining. It’s not being bought for gaming as much now, but it’s a great choice if you want to make a return on mining. One of the key factors in choosing the GTX 1070 is its balance of hash rate to power draw. It pulls 30 mh/s but even at full load the maximum power draw shouldn’t exceed 150W. You’ve also got 8GB of memory.
Budget friendly
AMD RX 580
AMD’s cards are excellent for mining, and since they’re (normally) priced lower than NVIDIA GPUs they’re quite popular. The RX 580 has a hash rate of 29 mh/s and a fairly low power draw, albeit with a higher TDP than the GTX 1070 at 185W. The RX 580 should be cheaper than the GTX 1070 though, which can offset the slightly higher overall TDP. You’ll be looking at getting a decent and quick return on your investment at a much lower starting price.
Red power
AMD RX Vega 56
The Vega 56 from AMD has great mining performance, but more importantly, prices have come down recently and they’re easier to find. However, if you’re running it for longer periods the Vega 56 will run hotter than a GTX 1070 and it has a higher power draw with a 210W TDP. In gaming and mining, the Vega 56 can outperform NVIDIA’s GPU, so the extra power costs might be worth it. The return will still be good, though perhaps a little longer to achieve.
Mining cryptocurrency requires different priorities in a GPU to gaming, and the most powerful cards on the market aren’t the best overall solutions. Generally speaking, you’ll get the best all-around results with an NVIDIA GTX 1070, although the AMD RX 580 is a worthy alternative if you’re on a tighter budget.
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