We are living in a perfect storm for GPU price inflation – cryptocurrency mining is increasing, as is interest in games during the pandemic. There is also a global shortage of semiconductors at the moment. Result: even if you find a next-generation GPU, it will probably cost at least twice what it should. Nvidia hopes to combat this with the next RTX 3060, which will have its crypto mining capabilities nerfed. The company has now clarified its plans, saying it will not make encryption changes to any existing GPUs.
Nvidia raised its eyebrows when announcing restrictions for its next RTX video card. Using driver-level limits, the RTX 3060 will be limited to 50 percent of the usual Etherium hash rate. So why just Etherium? Nvidia says Etherium is the only popular cryptocurrency that benefits greatly from GPU-based mining. The hope is that, by intentionally limiting the cards for this very specific use case, the offer to players will increase.
In place of RTX cards, Nvidia wants miners to buy one of its next CMP (Crypto-Mining Processor) cards. These parts do not have video output capabilities, but most internal components must be identical to RTX video cards. Nvidia said that the RTX supply will not be affected by CMP production because these chips “could not meet GeForce specifications”. This vague formulation suggests that Nvidia is eliminating the chips, a common practice across the industry that involves selling chips with minor manufacturing errors as lower-layer models.
This GPU should only cost around $ 550.
Knowing that Nvidia could simply reduce the GPU hash rate at the driver level naturally led some to wonder if changes are coming on other RTX cards. After all, if Nvidia wants miners to buy CMP cards, nerfing RTX cards would certainly lead to adoption. However, Nvidia says this will not happen – no existing GPU will see changes in the forced hash rate.
The fate of future GPU models will likely depend on how the CMP will be launched. The first Nvidia mining-specific cards will be launched in the first quarter of the year, with more to follow. Still, the RTX 3060 is a mid-range model. People who buy top-of-the-line hardware may be hesitant about any mining limits. Still, it is possible that future high-end video cards will have limits in Etherium mining if the CMP takes off. This may not be so bad if it means that players can buy cards on (or at least a distance from) MSRP.
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