We are gamers, through and through. We obsess about new gaming features, new architectures, new games and tech. We designed GeForce GPUs for gamers, and gamers are clamoring for more.
NVIDIA finally takes a stand against the gamers vs mining debate by formally segregating their product lines with the debut of the NVIDIA CMP Series of cryptocurrency mining graphics cards. NVIDIA designed the the CMP series GPUs to be optimally tuned for mining operations. The cards are named CMP or Crypto Mining Processor and will have the HX branding in their desgnation e.g. 90HX, 50HX, 40HX and 30HX for this particular release.
At the same time NVIDIA is also boldly stating that to counteract miners becoming interested in the upcoming RTX 3060, they will limit the RTX 3060’s hash rate by half. This will be employed thru drivers and will limit the mining performance of the card than otherwise possible from the hardware.
The release of the CMP will now make it clear that NVIDIA’s GeForce products are for gaming and the CMP products are for mining. These cards will be sold through NVIDIA partners including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, Palit, and PC Partner, (more could follow). For now the details are listed below but NVIDIA has not made it clear which dies these cards are based on as the TDPs only loosely match their RTX 30 counterparts.ย The NVIDIA CMP GPUs will not have video display output and are optimized to run in denser systems controlled by one GPU.
With this announcement, both for CMP and the software castration of RTX 30 hash rate, it is possible for NVIDIA to release a revision of their existing RTX 30 cards to allow driver-level control of the hashrate, effectively limiting mining performance on GeForce GPUs. NVIDIA doesn’t disclose this in their post but it remains unclear they will be rolling out the same hashrate limit on existing cards. This could easily be circumvented by sticking with the current drivers.
Pricing is not announced as well but with miners paying resale prices for their cards, NVIDIA may employ this premium model through their partners. The cards listed above also denote their release dates with the more powerful NVIDIA CMP 90HX and CMP 50HX arriving in Q2 2021 and the CMP 40HX and CMP 30HX arriving this quarter, could be next month.
Full NVIDIA blog post below:
We are gamers, through and through. We obsess about new gaming features, new architectures, new games and tech. We designed GeForce GPUs for gamers, and gamers are clamoring for more.
Yet NVIDIA GPUs are programmable. And users are constantly discovering new applications for them, from weather simulation and gene sequencing to deep learning and robotics. Mining cryptocurrency is one of them.
With the launch of GeForce RTX 3060 on Feb. 25, weโre taking an important step to help ensure GeForce GPUs end up in the hands of gamers.
Halving Hash Rate
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.
That only makes sense. Our GeForce RTX GPUs introduce cutting-edge technologies โ such as RTX real-time ray-tracing, DLSS AI-accelerated image upscaling technology, Reflex super-fast response rendering for the best system latency, and many more โ tailored to meet the needs of gamers and those who create digital experiences.
To address the specific needs of Ethereum mining, weโre announcing theย NVIDIA CMP, or, Cryptocurrency Mining Processor, product line for professional mining.
CMP products โ which donโt do graphics โ are sold through authorized partners and optimized for the best mining performance and efficiency. They donโt meet the specifications required of a GeForce GPU and, thus, donโt impact the availability of GeForce GPUs to gamers.
For instance, CMP lacks display outputs, enabling improved airflow while mining so they can be more densely packed. CMPs also have a lower peak core voltage and frequency, which improves mining power efficiency.
Creating tailored products for customers with specific needs delivers the best value for customers. With CMP, we can help miners build the most efficient data centers while preserving GeForce RTX GPUs for gamers.