MSI Afterburner setup for mining

For Nvidia

To change the timings of the graphics card, you need to flash the BIOS. However, the NVIDIA system shell has a closed source code, which excludes this possibility. Therefore, you will have to overclock the GPU with what the Afterburner application offers. For this purpose 2 parameters are more often used: Core Clock (core frequency) and Memory Clock (memory frequency).

For AMD

Video cards of this manufacturer can be firmware. It is easiest to perform this procedure on Polaris architecture chips (RX 400 and 500 series). But it should be done with caution. Priority:

• Stable operation of the hardware. It should not crash and hang.
• Achieve maximum hash rate with less power consumption.

Before flashing, you should save the original BIOS of the graphics cards. If something goes wrong, it will give you a way to bring it back. To save the backup you need to:

1. Download and install the ATIWinflash software from the developer’s website (you will need it later to flash the BIOS).
2. Create 2 backup folders in advance. The first one will store the original BIOS, and the second one is needed for future modification of the shell.
3. Open the software and select GPU.
4. Click the Save button, specifying the path to the created folder. Repeat the procedure to save the second copy for modification.

If there are many graphics cards, then you need to save the BIOS one by one. It is recommended to number each of them with a marker, and the files with backup copies are named according to the marks.

Flashing video cards

After saving backup copies of BIOS from graphics chips, you can proceed to modify them. To do this, you will need to:

• Remove the factory performance values of video cards.
• Flash and test the performance of each of them.
• Overclock the video memory, monitor performance.
• Gradually reduce the frequency of the graphics core. This will reduce power consumption but preserve hash rate.
• Reduce power to the core, and then to the memory.

The goal during the overclocking of video adapters is to save the stable operation of the system. In the process of accelerating them, miners use the utilities AtiFlash and Polaris BIOS Editor.

Warning! Interfering with the BIOS of the equipment can lead to a malfunction. Actions should be performed carefully and under your own responsibility.

AtiFlash

Working with this utility is more often done from the graphical user interface. But it displays a maximum of 3 video cards. If there are more devices on the mining farm, then the BIOS will need to be flashed separately. Another option is to use the command line, but at your own risk. The sequence of actions for flashing:

1. Click on the Load Image button. Here you need to select the modified BIOS.
2. Click on Program. The flashing procedure will start.
3. Reboot the operating system.
4. Check the work of the graphics card.

The overclocked BIOS can be downloaded from the Internet, but it is safer to create your own modification. An unsuitable system shell can break the video adapter. And to create your own firmware file, miners use the Polaris BIOS Editor program.

Polaris BIOS Editor

At the stage of saving backup copies of video cards, 2 BIOS copies were created for each device (1 – original, 2 – for modification). Now it is necessary to find out the video memory manufacturer through the GPU-Z utility. It will be indicated to the right of the Memory Type column. Next you will need:

1. Download and install the Polaris BIOS program from the GitHub repository or from the developer’s website.
2. Launch the software.
3. Click the Load button and select the BIOS file to modify.
4. Find the TIMING (MHz) window on the bottom right.
5. If the video memory is from Samsung, copy the Timing Strap value of line 1750 to the columns 1875 and 2000. For Hynix – from 1500 to 1625, 1750, 1875 and 2000 respectively.

After that you should save the file and use it for flashing via AtiFlash. The procedure is repeated for each video card of the mining farm (if there are more than 1).

Advanced MSI Afterburner settings

To increase the hash rate for mining other coins is able to overclock the core and memory frequency, as well as the power limit of AMD graphics adapters. And for devices from NVIDIA, this is the only way (you can not flash the BIOS). Overclocking graphics cards for mining with MSI Afterburner is done through the graphical interface. There are universal values for devices from each manufacturer. For NVIDIA they are presented in the table below.

These values for NVIDIA graphics cards are set with an offset. And the values of frequencies and voltages for AMD devices are specified in absolute terms. Their values are given in the table below.

All the presented indicators are generalized. But you will have to achieve high efficiency of the equipment yourself. This is due to the peculiarities of different hashing algorithms.

Core voltage

This parameter in MSI Afterburner for mining represents the voltage of the video card. After installing the program, it will be locked. To start using it, you need to:

1. Click on the Settings button.
2. In the “Basic” tab, find “Unlock voltage control”.
3. Check the box next to this parameter.
4. On the right side, select “Advanced MSI”.
5. Click on “Apply”.

It is not uncommon for video adapter manufacturers to overestimate the factory voltage values by about 20%. Companies do this intentionally to be sure of the stable operation of the equipment they sell. However, the voltage can be lowered without losing performance and power consumption will be reduced.

Fan control

The cooling system should be taken care of to avoid overheating. The optimal temperature of video cards varies, but on average it is 70°C. Overheating causes trotting, which is a deliberate performance degradation. Afterburner offers users the possibility to manually adjust the cooler speed. However, it is better to enable automatic regulation. To do this, you need to click on the Auto button.

Autoboot

The software is able to run together with the operating system and set the desired parameters of graphic cards. You can also create up to 5 profiles with different settings. This is convenient in case of switching between hashing algorithms (each one has its own preset). To do this, click on Apply, select the profile number and click on Save.

How to overclock a video card with MSI Afterburner

After setting up the program, you can move on to changing the parameters of the equipment. If the mining farm has more than 1 video card, it will use the parameters for all computing devices. This is convenient if they are all the same model. In another case, you can select each device separately by going to the settings.

GPU should be overclocked in stages (by 10-15 points). This will avoid driver malfunctions, hangs and breakdown of the video adapter.

Increasing memory frequency

In MSI Afterburner for mining this parameter is called Memory Clock. To increase the memory frequency, you need to move the corresponding slider to the right. Another way is to type the new value on the keyboard and press Enter. Miners perform overclocking gradually and check the stability of the system.

Memory frequency for AMD graphics chips is displayed as a factory value (for example: 2100 MHz). Overclocking is carried out by increasing it to 2115, 2130 and so on. And owners of NVIDIA graphics cards will not see the factory memory frequency in Afterburner. The program displays the shift of the value to the side (for example: +15, +30 and so on).

Reducing power consumption

This procedure is done to save electricity, which will increase earnings from cryptocurrency mining. It is not uncommon for miners to reduce the power consumption of devices by 15-20% without loss of hash rate. But at the same time, gadgets start to warm up less.

Reduce energy consumption can be reduced by the parameter Core Voltage, which previously had to be unlocked in the settings of the software. It is recommended to reduce the voltage in small steps. It is also necessary to monitor the operation of the equipment.

Cooling system optimization

The Afterburner utility is able to adjust the fan speed itself. To do this in its settings (in the “Cooler” tab), you need to check the box next to the item “Enable program user auto mode”. Next, the software will offer to manually edit the curve line of fan speed to temperature by moving the markers on it. It remains to press the “Apply” button.

Autorun

To load the application along with the operating environment and apply all the settings, you need to enable these features. The miner will need to:

1. From the bottom, click on Apply overclocking at system startup. The option applies overclocking settings at system startup.
2. Go to Settings (in the “Basic” tab) and check the “Run with Windows” checkbox.

Possible errors during the program operation

Problems with overclocking can occur on AMD video cards at the moment of flashing the BIOS. There are 2 errors:

• The computer hangs after flashing the BIOS. Avoiding the problem will help to disable the graphics adapter through the “Device Manager” in Windows.
• The GPU is displayed in the system, but does not work. Probably, the driver is blocking the functioning of the graphics card. Installing an old version of the software can solve this problem. Another option is to use the ATI Pixel Clock Patcher program.

Summary

Overclocking video adapters for mining digital assets will increase hash rate by 20-25% on average. And sometimes you can achieve higher figures. The MSI Afterburner program for mining will help in this. Cryptocurrency miners use it to:

• Increasing memory frequency.
• Lowering the voltage.
• Increase the frequency of the graphics chip.
• Optimize the operation of coolers.

Together, these parameters can increase earnings and reduce energy costs. The main thing is to overclock carefully so that the procedure does not lead to hardware failure.

Frequently Asked Questions