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Nvidia launches dedicated crypto hardware, limited mining capabilities of RTX 3060

Nvidia launches dedicated crypto hardware, limited mining capabilities of RTX 3060

Hardware giant Nvidia has said that it has limited the efficacy of its RTX 3060 graphics card in mining cryptocurrency.

In a blog post, the firms' global head of GeForce marketing Matt Weubbling wrote that it wanted to make sure that the upcoming GPU wouldn't fall into the hands of crypto miners.

In the past, cryptocurrency booms have seen huge demand for graphics cards, meaning that people who want to buy GPUs for their intended purpose – playing games – have either been unable to find stock, or have had to pay a huge premium. In a statement to The Verge, Nvidia said that the limitations it has introduced to the RTX 3060 won't be rolled out to older graphics cards already out in the market.

In order to meet the demand for hardware to mine cryptocurrency, Nvidia has released a new bit of tech called the Cryptocurrency Mining Process (CMP).

“CMP products — which don’t do graphics — are sold through authorised partners and optimized for the best mining performance and efficiency," Weubbling wrote.

"They don’t meet the specifications required of a GeForce GPU and, thus, don’t impact the availability of GeForce GPUs to gamers,” Nvidia wrote in a blog post.

“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.”

Nvidia said last month that there would be a shortage of GPU stock until March. Though the hardware firm didn't say it, the fact that cryptocurrencies have seen a boom in value is likely a factor in this.


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.