Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
With the launch of Nvidia’s RTX 3000 Series of GPUs, a new generation of powerful and efficient visuals are within the grasp of PC gamers… or they would be if players could find places to buy them. With the rush of aftermarket resellers, bots, and particularly cryptocurrency miners buying up RTX 3060s, 3070s, 3080s, and 3090s, it’s been difficult for the average PC builder to get their hands on any of these cards. On the matter of cryptocurrency, Nvidia itself addressed the problem and, at least in the case of the RTX 3060, is doing something to try to ensure cryptocurrency miners are deterred and some of its GPUs end up in the hands of gamers.
Nvidia released a blog post addressing the cryptocurrency matter with its GPUs on February 18, 2021. In said post, VP of Global GeForce Marketing Matt Wuebbling both announced the launch of a new crypto miner-deterrent driver for the RTX 3060, as well as a solution for those looking to use the RTX 30 series for that purpose. New 3060s will feature a driver that identifies and limits its Ethereum hashrate, a metric used for cryptocurrency mining performance.
“RTX 3060 software drivers are designed to detect specific attributes of the Ethereum cryptocurrency mining algorithm, and limit the hash rate, or cryptocurrency mining efficiency, by around 50 percent,” Wuebbling wrote. “With the launch of GeForce RTX 3060 on Feb. 25, we’re taking an important step to help ensure GeForce GPUs end up in the hands of gamers.”
It’s a bold statement, and it will remain to be seen if the driver actually does its work to deter crypto miners from buying up the new GPU. After all, it’s not as if a workaround to the driver is unfeasible. Moreover, the new driver likely won’t have any impact on older Ampere GPUs as miners can simply use older, unblocked drivers to continue to utilize their cards as they please.
That said, Nvidia isn't completely out to cut off cryptocurrency miners from using its products. Whether taking advantage of a market opportunity or as a further deterrent to use of its gaming-intended GPUs, Nvidia also announced a new line of Cryptocurrency Mining Processors or Nvidia CMPs, which forgo graphics in favor of producing power and functionality specifically focused on cryptocurrency mining and be sold through approved Nvidia partners.
The Nvidia doesn’t feature drivers for graphics or video output, but rather focuses more thoroughly on producing the power for a strong Ethereum hashrate. The first of the CMP cards will supposedly be out by March with stronger options coming later on.
As the Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU’s launch dawns, it will be interesting to see if Nvidia’s efforts pay off, but at the very least, the launch of the Nvidia CMP line in March may alleviate pressure on purchase of other gaming GPUs. Stay tuned as we continue to follow these products for more information and details.