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NVIDIA To Launch Graphics Cards Specifically Designed For Digital Currency Mining (cnbc.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the sole-purpose dept.

Digital currency mining is in high demand, causing GPU prices to skyrocket. Nvidia is planning to capitalize on this trend by releasing graphics cards specifically designed for cryptocurrency. From a product listing on ASUS' website: "ASUS Mining P106 is designed for coin mining with high-efficiency components -- delivering maximum hash-rate production at minimum cost. ASUS Mining P106 enhances the megahash rate by up to 36% compared cards in the same segment that are not tailored for mining. The new card is also engineered to be seriously durable, enabling 24/7 operation for uninterrupted coin production." The ASUS Mining P106 uses an Nvidia chip, according to the specifications page on the website. CNBC reports: Nvidia, AMD and ASUS have not officially announced the digital currency mining cards, according to their website press pages. It is not certain when the cards will be available for sale. Nvidia is likely making the cards designed for this use so that the surging digital currency demand doesn't affect its ability to serve the lucrative PC gaming market.

5 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. NVidia is too slow - All mining will end soon by Karganeth · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Cryptocurrencies are moving towards being mineless. Most of the newer cryptocurrencies can't be mined and bitcoin and ethereum and moving towards an upgrade that will remove mining to a much more efficient system (that uses less than 1/1000th of the energy mining does). They are moving to a "Proof-of-stake" system from a "Proof-of-work" system.

  2. Not going to help for long... by Mal-2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It is the nature of cryptocurrency mining that the more people mine, the less each one gets in actual value. Making the hardware cheaper will let more people in, but will also reduce the payoff.

    I understand why nVidia would want to "protect" its graphics cards from being snapped up for off-label uses, and I imagine AMD would like to do the same, and this should work -- for them. But for the miners (especially the ones who already bought hardware), it's going to dilute the value of mining significantly.

    --
    How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
  3. Power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    You really have to wonder what the total cost of electricity (and CO2) has been for this nonsense. For what is essentially just a failure to come up with a better software technique.

  4. I think it's much more likely by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Interesting

    that the political family connections he had tipped him off so he could get out of the market before it crashed. But hey, the shoe shine story sounds much happier and lets go on us pretend we're not an oligarchy where privilege and nepotism are weighted more than good sense. I suppose if I was going to pass a story down I'd pick it instead of "nepotism".

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  5. Re:Nomenclature. by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Are they really graphics cards if you can't do graphics on it?