Despite already recognizing the wide-spanning effect of the GPU shortage to gamers worldwide, NVIDIA still seems to find a way to not prioritize what's supposed to be their main customer base.
TIANJIN, CHINA - FEBRUARY 07: A Nvidia logo is seen on the company's building at an industry park on February 7, 2019 in Tianjin, China.
According to a report on WCCFTech, NVIDIA has been supplying a lot of their new RTX 3060 GPUs with crypto mining limiters to internet cafes in China, instead of gamers. Sources say that the company has been receiving a lot of orders for the low hash rate (LHR) RTX 3060s from gaming cafes in Asia Pacific. As such, they've instructed their add-in board partners to prioritize these orders.
As a result, GPU supplies will likely run out again soon, and NVIDIA seems completely oblivious to what e-cafes are doing right now to turn profits despite the pandemic. Looks like Team Green is very confident about the limited crypto mining performance of these new RTX 3060s, despite "accidentally" unlocking desirable hash rates during the first release of the card.
Various reports claim that NVIDIA is actually supposed to ship out these LHR RTX 3060s by next week, though forecasts for launch day stocks are quite grim-as they always have been since last year.
Are LHR Cards Even Effective at Deterring Miners?
The short answer is no. The long answer involves NVIDIA being deaf and blind to the current GPU market situation. They already tried releasing mining-specific CMP GPUs, but to no avail.
As such, NVIDIA made LHR versions of several RTX 3000 cards with the apparent assurance that they won't be as hackable. VideoCardz reports that these GPUs have different PCI Device IDs and will require new drivers, which is likely part of the anti-mining measure. But it is still unknown whether or not these cards feature a software-based or hardware-based limiter.
Here's another thing that Team Green is either just too blind to see or deliberately ignoring: internet café owners are actually converting their establishments into mining farms, as a way of turning a profit during COVID. This is already evident with many former gaming cafes showing off their mining rigs, as reported on PCGamer. Well, nobody can blame them, right? These e-cafes have been stripped of their customer base because people aren't allowed to go visit.
Miners Find Ways, so Maybe Gamers Will Have to as Well
If these LHR cards are actually only protected software-wise, then it's only a matter of time before miners crack the limiter and everything will be all in vain. It also doesn't help that NVIDIA is still trying to release drivers with crypto limiters, like the 466.27 Game-Ready driver that came with the launch of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition. Obviously, they will still find a way around that.
It's now no secret that these crypto mining folks are extremely resourceful when it comes to nabbing GPUs. As a result, gamers have no choice to be that way too. Many have been looking at the secondhand market, trying to win raffles, and even renting bots, just like what PCMag did. It's just that bad, and frankly, it's putting graphics cards manufacturers in a bad light.
Related: NVIDIA GeForce Now Announces Increase In Subscription Fee, Gaming Service Costs $10 A Month
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Written by RJ Pierce
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