Mining cryptocurrencies became almost a sport all around the world in 2017 and 2018. Investors, performing their mining activities on GPU or Antminer devices during the boom in 2017, are mostly still mining cryptocurrencies. Some have extended their facilities by acquiring more graphics cards or ASIC modules. In the internet you will surely find several guides: What is mining cryptocurrency. More and more people are also asking the question: What is it about mining cryptocurrency? For those who want to quickly start mining cryptocurrencies on the computer and the GPU in 2018 and further in 2019, we present the step by step guide.
How to quickly start mining cryptocurrencies on a computer in 2018?
If you are looking for TLDR; (too long didn’t read;), please check out short list of the guide’s content below.
- Get a graphics card, if possible, buy when cryptocurrency market is down to get better price. We selected RX480.
- Plug it in and configure it on a desktop computer that you have permanent access to. We used normal Windows desktop.
- Use one of the available pools to mine Ethereum, Monero, Ethereum Classic, Sia, Electroneum, Pascal or other cryptocurrency, which pays off the best. We mined Ethereum and Ethereum Classic on Nanopool.
- Regularly check your progress and solve incoming issues, like software updates, power outages, computer resets, dusting. Good luck!
Select good graphics card to mine cryptocurrency
Which graphic card is the best choice for cryptocurrency mining? One of the most important parameters is the amount of RAM: in 2018 you need at least 4 GB due to the difficulty. We chose a graphics card from the RX480 family, which was bought a year ago for games, but because of lack of time has not even been unpacked. Currently, such a graphics card costs several hundred dollars.
What add-ons are needed to mine cryptocurrency with a graphics card? You will definitely need an HDMI cable and a monitor. Fortunately, we work on a regular, desktop computer, so we do not need to configure remote access.
Is a regular desktop computer enough to mine Ethereum?
Yes, mining cryptocurrency on the computer is OK! As it turns out, a regular desktop computer with a good power supply (600W in our case) is enough for easy installation and configuration as well as long-term mining. This is by far the most important factor, because the bulk of the extracted cryptocurrency depends on the time of trouble-free operation of the mining rig setup.
The installation runs smoothly on a computer running Windows 7 / Windows 10. First, it is smart to update the system to the latest version and to install the recommended patches. Otherwise there is certain probability you are going to wait quite some time during something important for updates to download and install. You also need to make sure that the motherboard has a PCI-Express graphics card slot, without which the mining setup will not have the most important component, GPU.
Install the graphics card when the computer and power supply are turned off. Before installation, it is worth discharging the electric charge that could have accumulated on the metal case. To stabilize the card, use the lever at the connector.
Also, pay attention to the metal end of the slot in the housing, from which you had to remove the plug. The metal tab is used to stabilize the other metal end of the graphics card (fits exactly in the GPU tip hole).
Connect the power supply to the card, paying close attention to the shape of the appropriate connectors. Fortunately, it’s hard to go wrong.
How to configure cryptocurrency mining on the graphics card?
After turning the computer on, watch carefully the login screen and make sure that GPU card has been recognized by the system. Potential problems you may encounter are:
- motherboard power plug has been removed from the connector while inserting the graphics card (the computer will not turn on then),
- the graphics card is too loosely plugged into the connector,
- the power plug of the graphics card is not properly inserted.
To check if the graphics card has been recognized correctly, check the system list of devices or view the list in the component monitoring program.
Step-by-step guide for configuring the graphics card to mine cryptocurrency:
- A software program for mining cryptocurrencies on a graphics card
- Program to monitor graphics card and components during mining of cryptocurrencies
- Script configuration for mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card
- System commands needed to start and stop mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card
- Monitoring and checking the progress of mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card
Please follow the subjects from the list below.
A software program for mining cryptocurrencies on a graphics card
The simplest program for mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card is Claymore. The great source of knowledge about this mining program is on the BitcoinTalk.org board. There are naturally more scripts to mine cryptocurrency, our priority is the simplicity and ease of configuration of the miner, though.
The latest version, dedicated to the Nanopool recommended by us, can be found on github.
Program to monitor graphics card and components during mining of cryptocurrencies
Open Hardware Monitor is a program that will prove very useful in the event of problems that will surely occur during the long-term maintenance of a cryptocurrency miner. It is worth installing it at the very beginning, which often allows you to avoid basic errors, for example related to overheating of components.
Script configuration for mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card
We used automatic configurator on the pool site: nanopool.org. A convenient interface will generate configuration files that only need to be replaced in the extracted directory with the mining script.
When operating mining on a Windows desktop computer, you need to become familiar with the command line. It is enabled by entering a command in the start menu:
cmd
after which, choose cmd.exe. Go to the directory where the miner has been downloaded and unzipped, in our case it is the “mining” catalog, which is in the GPU directory on the C drive:
cd C:\gpu\mining
The standard configuration of the miner allows a quick start of mining, in our case we decided to mine Ethereum Classic. All you have to do is provide your ETC address and optionally an e-mail address that will be used for both receive notifications and as a password for any changes. A good practice is to set an email address at the beginning, for example to reduce the withdrawal limit.
Configuration you need to replace in the script directory is in the epools.txt file. This is actual working configuration, which looks like this:
POOL: etc-eu2.nanopool.org:19999, WALLET: 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / 123456, PSW: x, WORKER: gpu, ESM: 0, ALLPOOLS: 0
POOL: etc-asia1.nanopool.org:19999, WALLET: 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / 123456, PSW: x, WORKER: gpu, ESM: 0, ALLPOOLS: 0
POOL: etc-us-east1.nanopool.org:19999, WALLET: 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / 123456, PSW: x, WORKER: gpu, ESM: 0, ALLPOOLS: 0
POOL: etc-us-west1.nanopool.org:19999, WALLET: 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / 123456, PSW: x, WORKER: gpu, ESM: 0, ALLPOOLS: 0
POOL: etc-jp1.nanopool.org:19999, WALLET: 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / 123456, PSW: x, WORKER: gpu, ESM: 0, ALLPOOLS: 0
POOL: etc-au1.nanopool.org:19999, WALLET: 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / 123456, PSW: x, WORKER: gpu, ESM: 0, ALLPOOLS: 0
123456 is a place for an e-mail if you naturally want to give it.
The start.bat file should contain the basic configuration of the graphics card. You can create a start.bat file by copy and paste the following configuration into the start.txt file, and then change the extension to .bat:
setx GPU_FORCE_64BIT_PTR 0
setx GPU_MAX_HEAP_SIZE 100
setx GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS 1
setx GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT 100
setx GPU_SINGLE_ALLOC_PERCENT 100
EthDcrMiner64.exe -epool etc-eu1.nanopool.org:19999 -ewal 0x06ce95bc2992e39b0857283e2a9beaac0e11f968.gpu / gpu / 123456 -mode 1
The files mentioned above can be found in the catalog to which the Claymore miner was unpacked.
Remember to replace the ETC address in the configuration with one that you control! If you do not have an Ethereum wallet yet, check how to get an ETC address. We recommend using the automatic configuration generator, which is on the page of the pool. How to quickly start ETC mining?
When you start mining for the first time, Windows Firewall will ask you to accept connectivity of the script. You should accept connections from and to script for it to work properly.
System commands needed to start and stop mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card
To start ETC mining, simply enter the start.bat command in the window we have opened earlier. We remind you once again that the command line will be in the script directory for extraction. You can check the contents of the directory with the dir command.
For immediate interruption of mining, use the Ctrl-c keyboard shortcut. A following confirmation should appear in the command line: Quit ...
A useful method of speeding up the work with the command line is to automatically fill out the path with the tab key. After checking the mining status quickly, you can lock the screen with the Windows-L keyboard shortcut.
Monitoring and checking the progress of mining cryptocurrencies on the graphics card
How to monitor the GPU cryptocurrency mining? To check the average and current hashrate, simply log in to the pool and check the chart. All you have to do is log into your account with the ETC address, which you have set in the configuration: https://etc.nanopool.org/account/copy-paste-your-etc-address
To change the withdrawal threshold, enter an e-mail address from the configuration, it works as the password. Changes in configuration will be enabled as soon as your miner reaches the appropriate reputation, which increases along mined shares.
If you do not have 24/7 access to a desktop computer, consider installing TeamViewer. This application you can get a remote access to the computer desktop and control the situation in the mining endavor without a monitor.
What to expect when GPU mining cryptocurrencies with a graphics card? How to manage your expectations? Expect that once in a while mining will be interrupted for a trivial reason. Most often there will be short power outages, problems with the power supply or other components. Such problems will most often be solved by restarting the computer and restarting the script. You may also experience interruption of mining due to overheating of the graphics card (dust cleaning may help) or overloading of the weak adapter or power supply. Sometimes, the common failure of the Internet and the unavailability of the network will prevent miners from exchanging data with the pool, which results in a break in mining.
What to mine? Select cryptocurrency for mining
There is some selection of cryptocurrencies that could be mined on GPU. Ethereum, Monero, Ethereum Classic, Sia, Electroneum, Pascal are first choices, but you could also search the Internet to pursue fresh projects with low difficulty. Keep in mind that such coins are not popular and chance they increase in price involves a lot of risk, comparing to well established coins.
How much will you earn mining cryptocurrencies with GPU? The profitability of mininig cryptocurrencies
Now that you know more about how to mine cryptocurrencies, you can calculate potential earnings. If you use an average performance graphics card just like us, and in addition do not feel like spending 24/7 monitoring the mining, the effects will be … ranging from average to “OK”. In a good month you can dig around 1-1.2 ETC, which in the best in terms of exchange rates for this currency means $15 to $20. Currently, after the correction of the crypto market in 2018, the amount is far away from hundreds of dollars, not uncommon in 2017…. So in 2018, this is how the profitability of digging cryptocurrencies looks like. Miners hope for the value of the crypto market to expand in the future. One is currently sure: the profitability of cryptocurrency mining was better in 2017. After deducting the always expensive power consumption, profits falls down even further. Of course, unless the computer has been running 24 hours a day anyway, which we assume.
Good luck in configuring and mining cryptocurrencies on your computer! Share your opinions and experiences by linking to this guide. If you’re lucky, you can count on long periods without the need to solve any problems with the mining setup. What do you say about almost 600 hours of continuous mining on GPU without interruption?
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