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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. Re:What a pain in the ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Selling shovels to gold miners is a much better and more profitable business than gold mining.

  2. Pure marketing by locater16 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is pure marketing on the part of ASUS, all they did was cut out all the display ports and call it "Mining oriented!" It doesn't really do anything beyond a normal GTX 1060. It should be noted that AIBs have almost no control over GPUs, they are there to slap branding on it and take over warranty duties. They're a bit like car dealerships, in that they're middle men and I'm not sure why they exist anymore. Which isn't to say AMD and Nvidia won't be putting out newer GPU types that'd get more out of AI/Sim/Mining etc. eventually. Just that they haven't yet, and so any claim that an AIB has is bullshit.

    1. Re:Pure marketing by Woldscum · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not true. They are using chips that would have been shit canned because of bad display controllers. It is a Win Win If the prices are low enough. The clocks are slower because they are compute only now. Sapphire is making a 470 also.

      https://www.pcper.com/news/Gra...

  3. If only.... by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If all the graphics card used by the miners were put to use for folding@home or SETI, we would have cured cancer, Parkinsons, and Alzheimers by now.. .... AND we would have found aliens.

    But oh no.... gotta waste the world's resources on make believe instead for personal greed.
    Humanity sucks.

    --
    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
  4. Re:Nomenclature. by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 4, Interesting

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