All about mining on an integrated graphics card

Installing drivers

Before you can mine on integrated graphics, you need to put new software for Intel and AMD. If the operating system does not update them automatically, it is worth cleaning the OS with a cleaner program (for example, AMDCleanupUtility.exe). It will remove old utilities, which will simplify manual installation of fresh ones.

For mining on an integrated graphics card, you need to download new drivers with OpenCL support, without which computation is impossible. For miners with AMD integrated graphics cards, it is recommended to install the Adrenalin Edition package. It allows you to switch the GPU to Compute Mode, which increases the number of hashes per second.

There is no such program for Intel, so they are less effective for mining. The only way to increase hash rate is to overclock the GPU through performance settings.

If after installing drivers, the laptop started to hang, cryptocurrency mining is unstable, then it is worth uninstalling them again and downloading new ones. You can also try to increase the swap file (the amount of virtual memory).

Installing and configuring the miner

With the setup of cryptocurrency mining should not be difficult if the PC meets the minimum requirements. How to install and run NiceHash Miner:

1. Register on the NHM website.
2. In the “Mining” section, copy the address.
3. In the “Download Miner” tab, download the program.
4. Install the application.
5. Go to settings by clicking on the gear and paste the wallet address.
6. Open the “Devices” tab and click on the Start Mining button.

You will not have to connect to pools when working with NHM. The miner transfers the equipment for use to other people. Because of this, the owner does not receive a share of the reward for creating a block, but a rental fee. Those who want to mine specifically cryptocurrency, it is worth installing lolMiner or EasyMiner.

Choosing a cryptocurrency

To begin with, it is worth looking at whether you can mine on the built-in video card, whether there is support for OpenCL. If yes, you should also check the amount of RAM on the laptop to store the DAG file. It contains information about transactions, blocks and nodes. If there is not enough space, the hashrate will jump.

For coin mining, you need to have at least 3 GB of video memory. This is enough to work with Ethereum Classic, Ravencoin. For weaker laptops, DAE and Ubiq are suitable, which require up to 1.7 GB.

At the same time, it is worth taking into account that the file size is gradually increasing. Experts expect that in 2025 Ethereum Classic will already require 4 GB of memory. Because of this, most integrated GPUs will not be able to continue mining.

Creating a wallet

It will be needed to store the earned cryptocurrency. It is desirable to use a non-custodial wallet, which is characterized by anonymity and security. How to create one (using MetaMask as an example):

1. Install the program on your laptop or phone.
2. Click on the “Create a wallet” button.
3. Enter a password to enter the application.
4. Rewrite the Seed-phrase. It is worth keeping it on paper in a safe place, because it allows you to access all the cryptocurrency in the wallet.
5. Finish the registration.

Now it remains to copy the public key and enter it in the settings of the miner. According to it, the pool will pay a part of the remuneration for the creation of blocks. Confidential key can not be shown to anyone.

Increase the amount of RAM

To store temporary data, video cards must have a reserve of memory. Discrete GPUs allocate on-board RAM, but integrated GPUs do not. Usually video cores get 1.5-2 GB of video memory. This amount is not enough for stable mining. It needs to be increased to 3-6 GB. Instructions:

1. Turn on the computer and during startup press the button to enter the BIOS (it differs from manufacturer to manufacturer).
2. In the BIOS, find the item “Graphics settings” or “Size of total VGA memory”.
3. Enter the new value opposite.
4. Save the changes and reboot the device.

Start mining

When the built-in card and the miner are configured, you can start mining cryptocurrency. For the first few days, you should carefully monitor the state of the equipment, especially after overclocking. If the processor heats up above 75°C (Intel) and 80°C (AMD), you need to strengthen cooling with external fans.

High temperatures lead to chip failure. If the integrated video card and CPU are constantly overheated, they will fail faster.

In a miner, it is worth monitoring the hash rate. It is necessary to determine a constant value, so that in the future you can understand when the GPU is not working at full capacity. This will help to quickly find and eliminate an error in the settings or increase the size of the swap file in time.

Overclocking the integrated graphics card

You can’t optimize an integrated GPU in the same way as a discrete one. In MSI AfterBurner program all sliders are inactive. Because of this, you can increase the hash rate only by optimizing the graphics core through settings. How to overclock an Intel video chip:

1. Call the context menu on the desktop.
2. Go to “Intel Graphics Specifications”.
3. In the 3D tab, enable the “Optimal Application Mode” mode.
4. Disable “Morphological anti-aliasing”.
5. Put “Maximum Performance” in “Power”.

This will not give a gain of 30-50%, but can add up to 5% to the hashrate without risk to the integrated card. You should also install a second RAM bar and expand the video memory up to 6GB.

Is mining on a laptop CPU profitable?

In general, mining cryptocurrency on processors is more difficult than on video cards. In terms of hash rate, they are inferior to GPUs, and they do not even compete with asics. Miners who plan to use CPUs have a limited choice of digital currencies. They should mine coins with the RandomX algorithm, which is specially designed for the CPU. It is supported by Monero, Epic Cash, and Dagger.

CPU mining is also mostly done on farms with 10-20 processors. It is possible to set up mining on the CPU of a gaming laptop, but the benefit of this method is questionable.

On the example of 2 top processors, we can see that mining on Intel is more profitable due to the large hash rate. However, the income is only $0.02 per day, which means that the cost of the technique will be recouped after more than 4000 days.

Frequently Asked Questions