CPU mining in 2024

Threadripper 3990X is used by specialists in the field of workstations. If mining stops generating income, the technique can be sold on the secondary market.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

The model is the second most popular among professional Monero miners. Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is cheaper than the leader 3990X BOX, it pays off relatively quickly. After the Castle Peak update, the memory controller and PCI Express 4.0 are placed in a separate chiplet.

The processor cores have equal access to memory. This reduces the likelihood of computational delays. Basic parameters of Ryzen Threadripper 3970X are summarized in the table.

The central circuit is effective in mining. The CPU can withstand lower voltage without loss of performance. But quality cooling is required to maintain hash rate.

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Another popular CPU model is based on 3 semiconductor crystals – chiplets. The first is a 12nm cIOD chip that tracks input and output. It houses memory controllers, PCI Express and SoC elements inside. The rest are 7nm cIOD chiplets. They contain 8 compute cores each. The characteristics of the CPUs are collected in the table.

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X can be used for coinage and work. The circuit demonstrates high performance. At the same time, the temperature does not exceed 75 degrees.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

The popularity of the processor is due to the low price, low power consumption and good performance. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X costs 2-3 times cheaper compared to analogs. The electronic unit combines 2 semiconductor chiplets for 8 and 16 cores. The latter regulates the work of external interfaces. The table collects the technical features of the CPU.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is suitable for mass use. Along with an efficient set of cores, this processor supports high clock speeds.

Intel Core i7-7700

Core i7-7700 is made on the Kaby Lake architecture on the 14 nm process. Inside, it contains 8MB of Level 3 cache and 4 cores that provide enough power to mint digital currencies.

Developers give a warranty on the central circuit – 3 years. However, Intel Core i7-7700 cannot be overclocked without removing the built-in heat distribution plate.

Intel Xeon E5-2699 v3.

The CPU appeared on the market in 2014. The Xeon E5-2699 v3 is Intel’s best offering for CPU mining in 2024. This 18-core, 36-thread CPU has a small performance.

If you manage to find a used model in good condition, the investment will be profitable.

In 2023, the Xeon E5-2699 v3 produces a hash rate of 16.6 kH/s on Monero mining. This is 1.5 times less than the competitors. The disadvantage is compensated by a low price. The new model will cost 4-5 times cheaper than AMD CPUs.

Intel processors are inefficient in Monero mining. This is due to low multi-threaded performance compared to competitors.

Intel Core i9-10900K

CPU shows 62% better single-threaded performance than Xeon E5-2699. However, the Monero mining efficiency on Intel Core i9-10900K is lower. In 2023, you can earn up to $0.55 per day.

This disadvantage is compensated by the low price. Therefore, the payback period is 2-3 years. The i9-10900K is one of the best Intel models for mining digital currencies.

The table contains the basic characteristics of the CPU.

Core i9-10900K is used for gaming, creating 3D. This is a good choice for those who want to combine the mining of digital currencies with work.

How to choose a processor for mining

To mine coins, you need a productive CPU with low power consumption at a minimum price. Before making a purchase, it is necessary to make calculations. Not always the most expensive and powerful model is the most optimal choice. It is required to find a CPU with the best payback. Therefore, many miners take a used processor. The criteria for choosing the technique are as follows:

• Compatibility with the motherboard. You can look on the manufacturer’s website, which CPUs are supported.
• The presence of fast memory modules of a large volume. This is a prerequisite for mining. Central circuits utilize the RAM more.
• Support for AES instructions for cryptographic calculations.
• Clock frequency and power consumption. Older models used larger transistors, so they spent more electricity under load.

The hash rate of mining on the CPU reacts to background processes, the work of applications. For mining coins, it is recommended to use the Linux operating system. It is created for server hardware, so it works more stably (does not hang, does not reboot during updates, has flexible settings for overclocking kernel and memory frequencies).

You can also download a build of Linux Mint 18, designed for mining. The operating system is open source and distributed for free.

Between the market leaders, miners more often choose Intel. They are compatible with almost any motherboard. But for some algorithms (RandomX) AMD processors perform better.

Performance table

The efficiency of CPU-mining is influenced by:

• Number of cores
• Power supply
• Cooling
• Memory speed.

You can increase performance through optimizing the operation of the mining software. Some utilities do not use all available cores by default. The table shows the performance of CPUs in Monero mining as of June 2022. The calculation is made at an average power cost of 0.05 kWh.

Calculation of profitability

Before buying equipment, you need to make sure that mining is profitable. You can calculate the income on an online calculator (for example – NiceHash). To do this, you need to enter such parameters:

• Cryptocurrency
• Processor model
• Electricity price
• Number of devices.

In 2023, many CPU miners are mining XMR. Taking into account the CPU and the electricity tariff, the income is $0.5-1.3 per day. To calculate the payback, the price of the technique should be subtracted from this amount. The return on investment should not exceed 2-3 years.

In the first 6 months of 2022, prices for low-performance CPU models decreased by 2-3 times, and for powerful ones – by 20-30%. Against the background of the correction of the digital and currency markets with almost unchanged network complexity, the profit of miners decreased by 40-50%. Therefore, in June 2022 for mining coins should consider Intel processors not more expensive than 20-30 thousand rubles.

Under current conditions, the technique will pay off in 2-3 years. You can recoup the costs faster if BTC returns to a growing trend. Worshippers who use used equipment under favorable market conditions (crypto does not fall), can return the investment in a year.

How to mine on a CPU in 2023

Mining digital currency can be done on a working computer or collect a new one. It depends on the user’s tasks – serious mining or periodic launch of the PC, so that it does not stand idle.

Choosing a program

The coin mining application serves as an intermediary between the blockchain, the pool and the user’s hardware. In 2023, for mining on the central chip, you can resort to such programs:

• Claymore’s CryptoNote Windows CPU Miner. The software works on desktop and server processors. After unpacking the archive, you need to configure the command line. To do this, you need to open the file start.bat in a text editor, specify the address of the storage, pool and other parameters. There is no commission to the developer.
• XMRig miner. You can configure the number of threads for the CPU to optimize mining. By default, the program takes 5% developer commission. In the settings, the amount can be reduced to 1%.

The miner program is downloaded from the pool’s website or the developer’s resource. Unauthorized sources may contain malicious code.

CPU settings

Mining digital currencies on the CPU is low-profit. To speed up the payback, you can increase CPU parameters. Usually, developers underestimate frequencies to stabilize the system to the detriment of performance. In the processor settings, you can change such parameters:

• Clock frequency.
• The width of the data bus.
• Multiplier.
• Voltage.

Overclocking the central circuit is the search for the ideal balance of parameters. When increasing the data bus and clock frequency, the power increases, and hence the energy release. To prevent system failures, you need to increase the supply voltage and provide good cooling.

It is worth considering that increasing the parameters affects the performance of the equipment:

• Reliability. Long operation at an increased temperature can lead to failure.
• Stability. Only 60% of CPUs from the batch are able to function at a frequency increased by 20%. To check the work, stress tests are carried out on special software (AIDA64).
• Fault tolerance. It is possible to overclock the CPU stronger than the manufacturer tested at the factory. To do this, you need to provide powerful cooling and power supply. However, the resource of the technique is reduced.

When overclocking, you need to take into account all factors. If the CPU is expensive and is used for work, probably should not do it to the maximum. It is also important to allow for components to not interfere with each other. The motherboard should support SDD and memory of the latest configurations.

Processor overclocking

The following CPU parameters can be increased for mining:

• CPU frequency – increases the number of operations.
• Bus width – increases the amount of data that the CPU can process in one round.
• Power supply voltage – stabilizes the operation of the equipment.

It is also worth considering the requirements of the algorithm of a particular coin. Mindless overclocking (everything to the maximum) may not increase the hash rate. For example, for XMR mining, the main parameter is the amount of information in the pass. The efficiency of mining is affected by such indicators:

• Memory bus – is able to increase performance by 7-8%.
• RAM and GRAM memory speed – increases productivity proportionally to overclocking.
• CPU frequency – if increased by 30% will provide an increase in mining efficiency by 20-25%.

Thus you can increase mining productivity by 70-80%.

The easiest way to overclock is to customize the BIOS. The order of actions is as follows:

1. Open the main screen (press Delete while turning on the PC).
2. In the Advanced setting section select Overclocking.
3. Set the basic parameters for overclocking (specified on the developer’s website). Start Windows.
4. Open the AIDA64 program in stress test mode. It is necessary to carefully monitor the temperature of the equipment, it should not exceed 80% of the maximum (specified in the specification). The frequency can be considered stable if the computer works for about an hour without failures, overheating, freezes when watching video clips.
5. Increase the parameter by 5%. Repeat the test.
6. Continue until errors appear. Then roll back one step. This will be the optimal frequency.
7. Decrease the Multiple (CPU multiplier) and repeat the search for the optimal frequency. You need to find the ratio of the minimum Multiple to the maximum frequency.

When overclocking, it is necessary to measure the efficiency of mining. It is worth considering that increasing the supply voltage reduces the life of the technique. However, with a competent approach, the performance will increase by 50%. This will allow you to push through a higher frequency. At the same time, heat generation and energy consumption will increase.

You can adjust the indicators in the programs CPU-Z and MSI Afterburner. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Gradually increase power in search of maximum frequency.
2. Observe the temperature and processing power.
3. When the maximum value is reached, you need to roll back a step to stabilize.

CPU can be overclocked at lower supply voltage. Less heat will be generated and not so much power will be wasted. The procedure is as follows:

1. Open the CPU-Z and MSI Afterburner programs.
2. Reduce the power supply by 0.1 mV, conduct a stress test in search of the lower stability point. After that, stop at the previous value.

Advantages and disadvantages of CPU-mining

Summary

In 2023, new coins can be minted on the CPU, specially customized for mining on the CPU. However, mining reduces the CPU resource and puts the motherboard at risk. Due to the high volatility of cryptocurrencies, it is only possible to calculate the payback approximately.

This is a good way to earn money if you have a spare CPU. Mining new coins can bring high profits in the long run.

Frequently asked questions