NVIDIA Doing it Right This Time? The RTX 3080 Ti's Hash Limiter Apparently Isn't Limited to Ethereum

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 05 June 2021, 11:06 am

NVIDIA has been trying its absolute best (hopefully) to try and limit the mining performance of their latest RTX 3000 series cards. And with the RTX 3080 Ti, maybe they've succeeded in some way.

A certain cryptocurrency miner who goes by the online handle @I_Leak_VN claimed that the hash rate limiter for the new NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti is working like a charm after putting the card through its paces, as reported by NotebookCheck.net.

Some 3080Ti cryptocurrencies mining benchmark... pic.twitter.com/8BTkM48L2Z
— I_Leak_VN (@I_Leak_VN) June 4, 2021

Given that the RTX 3080 Ti performs more or less on par with the previous NVIDIA flagship RTX 3090 in games, it performs half as fast in mining. Its Ethereum hash rate is around 57 MH/s, which is half the performance of the 3090.

This falls right in place with rumors preceding the card's official release back on June 2, with NiceHash.com reporting an alleged 58 MH/s mining performance. But of course, we're only talking about Ethereum performance here.

As for other alt coins, the newly released NVIDIA card's hash rate is as follows, again according to @I_Leak_VN:

Ethereum classic (ETC): 57 MH/s
Ergo (ERG): 124 MH/s
Ravencoin (RVN): 23 MH/s
Conflux Network (CFX): 97 MH/s

These are still pretty good mining numbers for the NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti. Also, the aforementioned miner also claimed something quite interesting: these numbers were taken on stock clock speeds. So overclocking the card did help increase the hash rate, though not by much.

It looks like NVIDIA is finally doing something right, after that funny fiasco with the RTX 3060 where Team Green themselves "accidentally" unlocked a desirable cryptocurrency mining hash rate for the card with a general release driver.

NVIDIA LHR Graphics Cards Working as Intended?

Despite the 3080 Ti being classified as a low hash rate (LHR) card, however, it still didn't last long on shelves. It went out of stock extremely fast (again), keeping it out of the hands of GPU-starved gamers who would otherwise be forced to make do with what they have.

But the LHR GPUs were, actually, doing a pretty good job at halving their cryptocurrency mining performance. A few of these graphics cards were put to the test (specifically a handful of RTX 3060s), and they did show an effective halving of their Ethereum hash rates. It doesn't look like they're doing what NVIDIA intended them for, though.

(Photo : Wu Jun/VCG via Getty Images)
SHANGHAI, CHINA - AUGUST 03: A logo is seen at the Nvidia stand during the 2018 China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference (ChinaJoy) on August 3, 2018 in Shanghai, China.

And this is where putting the blame on cryptocurrency mining alone doesn't make sense during this "GPU-pocalypse." Miners are only a part of the problem because the main issue is the Taiwan drought that's severely hampering semiconductor production.

Still a Long Way To Go

Gamers still have to wait just a little bit longer for them to get those sweet, sweet graphics cards. That's when the semiconductor shortage ends and when the cryptocurrency mining bubble bursts. And when that day comes, it will be a good one.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce