Until recently, people bought powerful video cards solely to run brand new games at maximum settings. Today, providing a high fps rate is still the main task of GPUs, but users have begun to use them in another field of activity - mining. We have already talked about maps and . In the proposed review, we will consider GeForce GTX 1080 video cards from different manufacturers. Let's try to find out which board will bring the maximum profit at the minimum cost.

Overview of the characteristics of GeForce GTX 1080 cards suitable for mining

Consider 8 models of video cards that can be used in cryptocurrency mining. So let's get started:

1. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti- This is probably the most popular representative of this list. The flagship in question has already won recognition from gamers thanks to 11 gigabytes of GDDR5X video memory and a high clock frequency (1582 MHz in overclocking). But what can this board give in mining? Tests have shown that when mining the Zcash currency (Equihash algorithm), the hashrate can reach 614.5 Sol / s. If you decide to mine the Decred cryptocurrency (it works on the algorithm of the same name), then the performance will be 3,938 Gh/s. On the Ethash algorithm, on which Ethereum is mined, the fee gives out 27.7 Mh/s. Also note that when the model is overclocked, these values ​​increase. In particular, Ethereum will be mined with a hashrate of 31.8 Mh/s. As you can see, the main characteristics of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 Ti are pretty good, but there are a couple of nuances. The board has a very high power (250 W), and its price cannot be called affordable - 52,990 rubles when purchased on the official website.
2. Zotac GeForce GTX 1080- a good model with 8 GB of GDDR5X memory on board. The power of the card can be called moderate - 180 watts. For miners of the Zcash currency, this video card will provide 507 Sol / s. But in Ethereum mining, the card from Zotac is disappointing. The hash rate does not exceed 24 Mh/s. The price of the board in question is about 55,800 rubles. As you can see, it costs more than the 1080 Ti from NVIDIA, but there is nothing strange here. In the case of the previous card, we indicated the price of the official website, and here the average cost in online stores is suggested.
3. Palit GeForce GTX 1080- a card equipped with 8 gigabytes of GDDR5X memory. The power consumption of the model is 180 watts. The model shows good productivity when mining ZEC coins - 565 Sol/s. Unfortunately, it is not used in Ethereum mining. The price of this board in Russia starts from 57,100 rubles.
4. MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming- despite the name, this model can also be used in mining. When mining the Zcash cryptocurrency, it consistently produces 600 Sol/s. The power consumption of the card is 180 watts. There are no questions about the main characteristics. The board will please the owner with 8 gigs of memory of the same type GDDR5X. However, the gaming focus of the model had a negative impact on its price. In Russia, this card can be bought for about 59,000 rubles.
5. iChill GeForce GTX 1080 by Inno3D- a model with standard characteristics for this line of video cards (8 GB of GDDR5X memory). In terms of power consumption, the board in question can be called economical. This value is only 150 watts. In Zcash mining, the model performs well - 580 Sol / s without overclocking. If you overclock the device, its productivity will increase to 600-610 Sol / s, but in this case the card will heat up more. In Russia, this model can be bought for 56,100 rubles.
6. Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti- a very good, albeit ambiguous video card. Its main features are up to the mark: 11 GB of GDDR5X memory that runs at 2752.5 MHz. In Zcash mining, the model performs well - the hash rate is 710 Sol / s, and as a result of drawdowns, performance rarely drops below 700 Sol / s (and this is without overclocking). However, there are a couple of nuances that make it ambiguous. First, the power consumption of the card is 250W. Secondly, it costs around 90,000 rubles. From this we can conclude that the video card itself is quite productive, but buying it will be too expensive for many.
7. Evga GeForce GTX 1080- a good model that can meet the expectations of not too demanding miners. The main characteristics are standard for representatives of the GTX 1080 series: 8 gigs of GDDR5X memory at a processor frequency of 1607 MHz. In terms of power consumption, the board in question cannot be called too demanding. This indicator is equal to 180 watts. During the extraction of Zcash coins, the card consistently produces about 616 Sol / s without overclocking. Well, the most pleasant feature of the GeForce GTX 1080 from Evga is the price. In Russia, this model can be bought for only 37,900 rubles.
8. ASUS GeForce GTX 1080- the last representative of our list, which has on board the already familiar 8 GB of GDDR5X memory. The boundary power consumption of the board is 180 W (without increasing the Power Limit). When mining on the Equihash algorithm, the model shows a hashrate in the region of 550 Sol / s. The indicators, in principle, are not bad, but many may not like the price. In Russia, you will have to pay about 60,800 rubles for this model.

So, we found out which video cards from the GTX 1080 series can be used in mining. Now let's find out how expedient it is to buy these boards for mining cryptocurrencies and how quickly they will pay for themselves.

Payback periods for video cards based on the GeForce GTX 1080

Calculations will be carried out according to the following conditions:

1. Let's assemble a virtual farm from 4 cards of each model (few people can afford to build from a larger number of cards, so we will consider the best option).
2. When calculating productivity, we will “mine” the Zcash cryptocurrency, since the models from the GTX 1080 series are most adapted to its production.
3. The Zcash rate is $464.26 as of 02/12/2018.
4. To calculate profitability, we use the nicehash.com online platform calculator (we are interested in the EQUIHASH algorithm).
5. To find out the net profit, taking into account the cost of electricity, we will enter the electricity tariff for Moscow residents living in houses and apartments with gas stoves in the online calculator. To date, the tariff is 5.38 rubles / kWh.
6. When calculating, the hashrate of video cards without overclocking will be taken.

• See also calculations.

You can get acquainted with the profitability of video cards in the following table:

Model	Total hashrate	general power	Total farm cost (video cards only)	Monthly profit excluding electricity	Annual profit excluding electricity	Payback periods
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti	2458 Sol/s	1000 W	211960 rub.	18240 rub.	218880 rub.	a little less than a year
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080	2028 Sol/s	720 W	223200 rub.	15545 rub.	186540 rub.	just over 14 months
Palit GeForce GTX 1080	2260 Sol/s	720 W	228400 rub.	17504 rub.	210048 rub.	approximately 13 months
MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming	2400 Sol/s	720 W	236000 rub.	18760 rub.	225120 rub.	a little over a year
iChill GeForce GTX 1080	2320 Sol/s	600 W	224400 rub.	18765 rub.	225180 rub.	about a year
Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti	2840 Sol/s	1000 W	360000 rub.	21770 rub.	261240 rub.	about 16.5 months
Evga GeForce GTX 1080	2464 Sol/s	720 W	151600 rub.	19455 rub.	233460 rub.	about 8 months
ASUS GeForce GTX 1080	2200 Sol/s	720 W	243200 rub.	16940 rub.	203280 rub.	approximately 14.5 months

As you can see, almost all video cards pay for themselves quickly enough, but here it is worth remembering three points:

1. The calculations do not take into account the cost of the rest of the hardware (motherboard, processor, RAM, power supply). If you save as much as possible on the rest of the equipment, the payback will take literally 2-3 months more.
2. These results can only be achieved if mining is done 24/7.
3. Our calculations are approximate, as they largely depend on the rate of the cryptocurrency. If it rises, payback periods will become shorter; if the digital asset depreciates or becomes much cheaper, mining may become completely unprofitable.

The relevance of using GeForce GTX 1080 video cards in mining

Based on our calculations, we can conclude that the most profitable option is to collect a farm from Evga GeForce GTX 1080 video cards. They cost the least, bring a good monthly income and quickly pay off. Also, you can start conquering the world of cryptocurrencies with cards from NVIDIA and MSI. However, boards from the GTX 1080 series have two significant drawbacks:

1. They are very expensive (with the exception of the model from Evga).
2. They are not suitable for mining Ethereum, which has more attractive prospects than Zcash.

The high cost is due to their gaming orientation. The poor performance in Ethereum mining is explained by the GDDR5X memory type, which does not allow the boards to open up to the full in the extraction of this electronic currency.

For this reason, using GeForce GTX 1080 series cards for full-fledged mining is not entirely profitable. It is better to deposit some more money and get an ASIC for mining another cryptocurrency, which will pay for itself faster and bring more monthly income. However, for those who purchase boards for games and sometimes mine cryptocurrency, the considered video cards will be a suitable option. In this case, the owner will receive a universal device that will provide maximum fps and allow you to accumulate electronic coins in the future.

The rapid rise in prices for some cryptocurrencies caused a stir in their production. There was a steady demand for the latest video cards, which led to their shortage and increased cost. However, even a twofold increase in prices does not stop miners from wanting to purchase suitable GPUs. Particular attention in mining is paid to Nvidia GTX 1060/1070/1080 models.

Manufacturers Nvidia GTX

The choice of a line of video cards for mining depends not only on the comparative characteristics of the GPUs themselves. Cryptocurrency algorithm is taken into account.

In addition to the Nvidia line, digital money mining uses video cards from manufacturers Gigabyte, Asus, MSI and Palit. The latest models can also be successfully used in the mining of new cryptocurrencies. If we are talking about the extraction of money already established in the price, then the choice varies mainly between AMD and Nvidia.

The former are more suitable for mining ether (Ethereum), the latter for ZCASH (ZEC). Appropriate software allows you to overclock GPUs to the maximum.

Comparative characteristics of GTX 1060/1070/1080

Interest in video cards of 10xx models is caused by their architecture developed on the basis of Pascal. Such devices are up to 3 times more productive than previous generations, and also consume an order of magnitude less electricity.

To understand the big picture, you should consider the general characteristics of the GTX 1060 vs GTX 1070 vs GTX 1080, as well as other models used in mining:

GPU	1050	1050ti	1060(6gb)	1070	1080	1080ti
Chip:	GP107	GP107	GP106	GP104	GP104	GP102
Process technology:	14 nm.	14 nm.	16 nm.	16 nm.	16 nm.	16 nm.
Transistors:	3.3 billion	3.3 billion	4.4 billion	7.2 billion	7.2 billion	12 billion
GPU Clock (Boost):	1354(1455)	1290(1392)	1506(1708)	1506(1683)	1607(1734)	1480(1582)
TMU:	40	48	80	120	160	224
CUDA Processors:	640	768	1280	1920	2560	3584
Video memory:	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5X	GDDR5X	GDDR5X
Memory:	2 GB.	4 GB.	6 GB.	8 GB	8 GB	11 GB
Memory bandwidth (GB/s):	112	112	192	256	320	484
Memory bus:	128-bit	128-bit	192-bit	256-bit	256-bit	352-bit
Eff. memory frequency:	7 GHz.	7 GHz.	8 GHz.	8 GHz.	10 GHz.	11 GHz.
Additional connectors supply:	—	—	6pin	8pin	6+8pin	6+8pin
Thermal package:	75 watts	75 watts.	120 watts	150 watts	180 watts	250 watts

The information does not include prices for these models, as they vary in certain dynamics and may differ in different stores.

In comparing video cards, an important aspect is the hashrate indicator - the performance of the GPU in the mining of the selected algorithm. The most popular cryptocurrencies for mining are Ethereum and ZCASH, and therefore all data will be given according to their algorithms.

To calculate the hashrate and comparative indicators, services with online calculators are used, for example, WhatToMine. Based on the comparison, the following performance of video cards used in mining can be distinguished:

GPU	1050	1050ti	1060	1070	1080	1080ti	RX 570 (4gb)	RX580 (8gb)
Ethash (MHS/s)	—	12.6	18	28.5	27.6	35	24	26.7
Equihash (Sol/s)	144	157	280	410	470	630	280	310

As you can see, in both cryptocurrencies, the best results in mining are shown by the GTX 1080 Ti. However, for optimal investment, a comprehensive comparison of other parameters should also be taken into account.

Power Consumption Nvidia GTX 1060/1070/1080

Power consumption is calculated according to factory specifications without taking into account additional settings - overclocking GPUs, flashing BIOS and other aspects. The ratio of the hashrate to the consumed electricity is taken into account - the higher the indicator, the better the GPU works:

GPU	1050	1050ti	1060	1070	1080	1080ti	RX 570 (4gb)	RX580 (8gb)
Ethash (MHS/W)	—	0.168	0.15	0.19	0.153	0.14	0.16	0.144
Equihash (Sol/W)	1.92	2.09	2.33	2.73	2.61	2.52	1.86	1.67

The coefficients show that the GTX 1070 becomes the best option in terms of power consumption in Ethereum and ZCASH mining. The GTX 1080 and 1080 Ti models showed high results only in ZCASH mining, Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti and AMD RX 570 are more suitable for Ethereum.

Mining ether (Ethereum) on GTX 1060/1070/1080

For mining ether, it is preferable to use AMD video cards. If you can't buy them, the GTX 1070 is the most promising option among Nvidia models.

Many miners prefer to collect farms from 4-6 GPUs, immediately buying the most advanced equipment - GTX 1080 Ti. If the initial funds allow, this option becomes a very reliable contribution to the mining of the ether. However, taking into account the increased prices for video cards of the latest models, such an investment does not always justify itself.

GTX 1060 GPUs are significantly inferior to subsequent models in the efficiency of mining ether, but pay off in terms of costs in the ratio of cost and performance. However, given increased demand and shortages, this benefit may not be relevant due to inflated prices.

Mining ZCASH on GTX 1060/1070/1080

Nvidia GTX 1060/1070/1080 video cards are more profitable to use in ZCASH mining. This cryptocurrency does not have a high cost compared to ether, however, its production is relatively easier. The mined ZEC can later be exchanged even for bitcoins, the mining of which now does not even pay off the cost of electricity.

The best hashrate and its ratio to consumed electricity is shown by the GTX 1080 Ti. In terms of performance, it outperforms previous models by an order of magnitude, and in terms of power consumption it ranks third, not much behind the leading GTX 1070.

Models 1070 and 1080 occupy a stable middle position, becoming the optimal investment for mining ZCASH. GTX 1060 is inferior in performance, but can act as a budget option for mining ZEC, especially when connecting multiple devices.

Yield 1060/1070/1080 when mining Ethereum/ZCASH

The profitability of video cards in Ethereum mining is calculated taking into account the costs incurred and the payback period of investments. The data below is not accurate due to price differences - the current cost of video cards may differ from those presented.

The price-to-performance ratio looks like this:

GPU	1050	1050ti	1060	1070	1080	1080ti
Ethash (price/hashrate)	—	615 RUB/MH	788 RUB/MH	778 RUB/MH	1003 RUB/MH	1085 RUB/MH
Equihash (price/hashrate)	43 RUB/Sol	49.4 RUB/Sol	50.7 RUB/Sol	54.1 RUB/Sol	58.9 RUB/Sol	60.3 RUB/Sol

This ratio shows that the GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti graphics cards are more profitable. However, taking into account the power produced in cryptocurrency mining, video cards show the following payback:

• GTX 1050 - 127 days, $9 daily income;
• GTX 1050 Ti - 90 days, 14,5$;
• GTX 1060 - 95 , 21$;
• GTX 1070 - 88 , 34$;
• GTX 1080 - 100 , 36$;
• GTX 1080 Ti - 90 , 52$.

These figures are given taking into account the assembly of the farm in 6 video cards. The purchase and configuration of additional equipment was taken into account. The figures may differ from the current ones due to the difference in price and the efficiency of cryptocurrency mining, which tends to decrease. The reported value of income after the return of the initial investment becomes the net daily profit.

The overall ratio of video cards will be determined in the following order: the most promising for mining are models GTX 1070 and 1080 Ti. 1080 does not perform well, if funds are available, it is better to take a subsequent model or purchase an additional 1070. 1060 is a budget option used for mining with a shortage of other video cards or limited initial funds.

Overclocking GTX 1060/1070/1080

GPU overclocking is a forced increase in its basic characteristics for cryptocurrency mining. It is done to increase the efficiency of the video card and achieve maximum results.

It should be borne in mind that electricity consumption also increases, albeit slightly. Overclocking video cards for mining is relatively safe - when overloaded, the GPU does not burn out, but resets the settings to the original ones.

The question of how to overclock the GTX 1060/1070/1080 is solved according to a similar algorithm of actions. For example, consider the overclocking procedure for 1060. To work, you will need the following programs:

• GPU-Z - a utility for identifying the characteristics of a video card;
• MSI Afterburner - a program for overclocking a GPU for mining;
• Furmark is a benchmark for testing a video card in stress mode.

The main work will be done with MSI Afterburner. Many recommend changing its design to the old version for improved visibility, but this is a matter of taste.

For overclocking, two parameters are used - the clock frequencies of the graphics chip (Core Clock) and video memory (Memory Clock). To use them in mining at the maximum level, increase the power of the video card (Power Limit) to the maximum.

Increasing the parameters for overclocking should be carried out in stages and gradually. Such an approach is necessary for the timely detection of problems and setting the optimal range. To begin with, increase the frequency of the video core by 40-50 Mhz.

Next, run the benchmark. It is recommended to check the operation of the GPU for 10-15 minutes. If the device works stably, repeat the procedure and increase the core frequency by another 40-50 Mhz, after which Furmark is restarted.

The main goal in this situation is to cause the video card to fail. As soon as problems begin, they return to the parameters under which the device worked optimally. A further increase is carried out by 10-20 Mhz - to gradually find the exact value at which the device will work most efficiently in cryptocurrency mining.

A similar procedure is performed for the video memory frequency. Gradual increase and step-by-step verification will help determine the optimal values ​​at which cryptocurrency mining is possible.

If the graphics processor overheats during operation, increase the cooler speed in the same program.

To do this, in the "Cooler" tab, select the inclusion of a custom auto mode and manually set the values ​​\u200b\u200bfor its further operation.

Dual mining on Nvidia GTX 1060/1070/1080

The question of the simultaneous mining of two cryptocurrencies was visited by many. On GTX 1060/1070/1080 graphics cards, dual mining is allowed with appropriate settings.
To initiate dual mining, download the Claymore Dual Miner program. The principle of operation is simple - the functionality of the program allows you to adjust the required amount of performance for each and selected cryptocurrencies.

Mining of digital money is carried out in parallel and does not affect each other even with different pools. The same capacity is sent to only one production, that is, the distribution is carried out in percentage terms. This method is relevant when working with the Ethash algorithm - in addition to ether, new cryptocurrencies can also be mined, focusing on the growth of their popularity in the future. Equihash (ZCASH) does not support dual mining.

GeForce GTX 1080 Ti made by Nvidia. Let's see how all supported algorithms run on the new GPU. Please note that not all supported crypto algorithms are fast. Here is the hashing power on most algorithms.

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU card started at a default 100% TDP, in other words capped at 250W, although the Founders Edition allows 20% more, i.e. 300W (though with cooling involved). Tests performed at graphics card default settings, fan speed at 100% of nominal.

Get an Ethereum Wallet

If you want a service with an accessible interface and a clear control panel, check out these multi-wallet services.

Exchanges to open an Ethereum wallet

Here you can not only store ethereum, bitcoin and other altcoins, but also trade them. Basically, cryptocurrencies are stored here.

• Coinbase
• KuCoin
• Exmo

Ethereum exchanges

Exchangers are needed in order to be able to buy and transfer cryptocurrencies to a wallet and withdraw them to a bank account from a cryptocurrency wallet. There are a lot of exchange options, you can find the right one.

• Bitzlato P2P
• 24paybank
• 100 coins
• Xchange

cloud mining

One of the ways to make money on cryptocurrency. Operates on the principle of capacity lease. Quite profitable and very common among users.

	Cex.io
	nicehash.com
	hashflare

As you can see in the performance table above, the hash power and power consumption for each of the algorithms has been verified.

GTX 1080 Ti best graphics card for mining

The video card is the most expensive in the manufacturer's lineup, but it is also the most productive, and therefore the most profitable. It can mine twice as fast as the 1070 GTX. If you are wondering which card to take 1080 or 1080 TI - the answer is obvious! 1080 Ti gives about 700 sols, 1070 - 420, and 1080 gives 510-520: the profit is minimal, and the price is much higher.

This is the most profitable card for mining. Sol is solution per second, that is, the number of attempts to guess the hash of transactions in the blockchain per second. The more powerful the video card, the more salt it gives out - the faster it turns out to earn on mining.

Specifications GTX 1080 Ti

Number of GP clusters: 6

Streaming multiprocessors: 28

CUDA cores: 3584 Texture blocks: 224

ROP: 88 GPU base frequency: 1480 MHz

GPU boost frequency: 1582 MHz

Video memory frequency: 5505 Mhz

Video Memory Bandwidth: 484 GB/sec

Ports: 3 DP, 1 HDMI

TDP: 250 W.

Maximum operating temperature: 91 degrees Celsius.

GTX 1080 ti in cryptocurrency mining.

1. Lyra2REv2 (ccMiner) = 48.57 Mh/s.
2. DaggerHashimoto (ethminer) = 27.72 Mh/s.
3. Decred (ccminer) = 3.938 Gh/s.
4. LBRY (ccminer) = 437 Mh/s.
5. Equihash (eqm miner) = 614.5 H/s.
6. Pascal (excavator) = 1524 Mh/s.
7. X11Gost (ccminer) = 9.38 Gh/s.
8. X11Gost (ccminer-alexis) = 18.3 Gh/s.

No one mines on the basic settings of video cards, even beginners. Any miner very quickly comes to the question - how to overclock graphics cards?

Unfortunately, there are very few sensible overclocking guides on the Internet, especially overclocking the latest green cards (Nvidia) with the ability to edit the frequency-voltage curve.

Proper mining is, first of all, rationality, rationality in everything - in the choice of equipment, premises, tariffs. Mining on an industrial scale does not happen on a free outlet, even where the payment is for the premises, and not for electricity - there are still power restrictions.

It is rational to get maximum return at minimum cost.

In this review, we will try to show what Nvidia GTX 1080 TI series video cards can give us with proper overclocking using the MSI ARMOR 1080 TI 11G video card as an example.

For overclocking in the Windows operating system, we need MSI AfterBurner version 4.3.0 and higher. To control the power consumption modes of the cards, we use the standard NVSMI utility from their developer.

The main algorithm for NVIDIA GTX 1080 TI cards is , but this technique works for all algorithms!

We will overclock the Equihash mining card using the EWBF miner version 0.3.4b

1. Determine the maximum overclocking capabilities of the card.
2. Find the maximum and optimal energy efficiency ratio for this card.
3. Learn how to set automatic mode change over time (for a multi-tariff meter).

Overclocking technique for Nvidia graphics cards

In the AfterBurner program, we enable core voltage monitoring.

At 100% loading of cards (and equihash mining gives exactly constant 100%), the power consumption of the card depends on the voltage on the core.

It would be ideal to set the minimum voltage, but along with the voltage, the maximum overclocking frequency also drops sharply.

The dependence of the limiting frequency on the core voltage for this series is a typical exponential dependence.

Up to a certain voltage limit, frequencies can be increased seriously with each step, but after a certain maximum frequency, a further increase is almost useless.

We need to find a middle ground - when an increase in the output speed will be cost-effective in relation to the consumption of the card.

Of course, in conditions of super profitability (May-June 2017 and December-January 2017-2018), it is generally unprofitable to limit the voltage greatly, but we are considering and developing systems that are planned to be used for months without switching. At the same time, a small lack of speed during the period of super profitability is more than compensated by serious savings during the period of medium and low profitability, lower energy bills, lower ventilation and cooling costs, noticeably higher density of installation of farms and long service life of video cards.

Frequency and voltage curve

When choosing any video card, Afterburner allows you to set the overall overclocking for the core and memory. This is a rough path, but efficient enough for overclocking without taking energy efficiency into account. Also, this option is great for overclocking under the Dagger Hashimoto algorithm.

This rough method has a very big disadvantage when using cards in downclock - the card can keep overclock +200 at PL=70%. But do not keep it at 100%: in case of a pool freeze, the card stops counting hashes and slows down. After the resumption of receiving tasks, it counts the first seconds at higher core voltages of 100% - the driver may crash (especially true for mining via 3G / 4G or Wi-Fi).

For more precise tuning of green cards of the 10xx series and higher, the manufacturer gave access to a separate frequency editing for each core voltage point (and there are dozens of them).

Press Crtl + F, a curve opens, each point of which corresponds to a certain core voltage (in X) and the operating frequency specified for this voltage (in Y).

With a given PL (Power Limit - consumption limit), the card starts at 100% and immediately tries to meet the specified consumption, running up or down this curve.

An important feature of Pascal architecture cards is that having two neighboring points with the same frequency, the card will always choose a lower voltage and will not use other voltages (for all cards, the upper horizontal frequency plateau determines the card's reluctance to go higher in voltage and frequencies).

In this way, you can create a horizontal plateau of the same frequencies (in the screenshot above, all points from 925 millivolts are set to a frequency of 1911 MHz).

Remember this important fact, you will need it later for selecting modes. Let's move on to overclocking from scratch.

Overclocking video cards

Unlike the frequencies and voltages of the core, the memory frequency is unchanged and is set immediately. Therefore, before overclocking the core, we go through different memory frequencies, raising them by 25 MHz and finding the point of maximum stability of memory operation (before the driver crashes).

In our case, we (to save time) set the approximate maximum for most 1080Ti. This frequency is 5800 MHz, almost all cards take it, some copies work at 6000, which by itself will slightly increase the hashing speed).

If we just limit the PL (power level), we get something like this:

IMPORTANT! When testing in each miner, we launch one card at a time, in this case, when the driver crashes, the rest of the cards will remain working (the load monitoring in watts will just crash).

We will be interested in what maximum frequency the card will give out at each voltage.

This occupation is dreary, it requires several hours of reinforced sitting and selection.

Often the card can behave illogically, taking one frequency at 900mV, and a slightly higher one at only 943mV, be patient.

IMPORTANT! When the driver crashes, all points and PL return to their original state, we will lose progress, therefore, if it fails, we change 1 point and save without switching the map to AB (we will save the setting if we switch the map - all over again).

After an overclocking failure, the miner gives an error with different codes Thread existed with code: 46, 17, 53, etc.

We quickly walked through the different voltages (limiting PL) and got the following pictures:

Maximum -290W:

Downclock

230 watts:

190 watts:

180 watts:

165 watts:

Unfortunately, AfterBurner does not allow editing points below 800 mV (although you can go there by reducing the PL even lower). This does not interfere much, because, as we see, the optimal ratio is higher.

In our opinion, it is optimal to have a speed of 690-700 sols at 190 watts.

Yes, an increase of 60 watts will add 70 sols (60W for 70 sols - 2 times worse than mining on old AMD 7th generation cards), is this a logical ratio?

IMPORTANT! All other points from the found ones are set equal in frequencies to the found ones.

We get STAGES:

We can already walk these steps manually, decreasing or increasing the power limit (PL) parameter.

It is interesting to do this in automatic mode, more on that below.

IMPORTANT! Often, Tishka (as the very expensive and powerful 1080ti is affectionately called) does not immediately save the points (especially under load) or changes them according to its internal algorithm. Because of this, you have to expose them several times.

To check the correctness of saving the points, we switch to another map, and then we return and check the points of the curve.

Automatic switching PL

To manage and monitor the power limit at your own discretion, use the NVSMI utility from the map developer.

We put this folder, for example, in "c:\Programs\" and when using executable batch files we get information about the cards and manage them.

Changing power is very easy. For example, to set a limit of 250W for card #0, we need a file with the content:

C:\Programs\NVSMI\nvidia-smi.exe -i 0 -pl 250

Result:

But first we need a list.bat file

Its content:

nvidia-smi.exe -L
pause

It lists the cards in the system. Now we can match the names of the cards to their numbers.

But we have the same cards! What to do?

We use the consumption display executable file (example s_power_0.bat) with the following content:

nvidia-smi -i 0 --loop-ms=1000 --format=csv,noheader --query-gpu=power.draw

It displays the current consumption of the card with the specified number, and so on for any card. By starting mining on only one card, we can easily understand what it is by number.

Having decided on the numbering of the card, we create common files for switching power on all cards at once.

In our case, we have created 3 files (hard, normal, soft) that can be activated for the night rate, for the semi-peak rate and for the peak rate, respectively.

IMPORTANT! Changing the PL is possible only when the file is executed as an administrator, so each file contains full paths to the NVSMI utility.

Go to Start->Accessories->System Tools->Task Scheduler

In the scheduler, we set the launch of the HARD mode after 23h, the SOFT mode at 7h and 17h, the NOrmal mode at 10h and 21h. This corresponds to the three-tariff switching time in Moscow, which will allow you not to waste electricity during rush hour and get the maximum in a cheap nightly tariff.

Conclusion

Mode switching is rarely used, but increasing the frequencies at the most stable point (usually 900 mV or 950 MV) along with lowering the Power Limit will allow you to get the maximum energy efficiency and minimum temperature of your cards.

Do not burn your cards in vain and they will thank you for many years of stable service.

1. Memory: 11 GB GDDR5X;
2. Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16;
3. Cooling: cooler;
4. Frequencies: GPU, 1480 (Boost - 1582) MHz;
5. Bus: 352 bits;
6. Connectors: 3xDisplayPort 1.4, 1xHDMI 2.0b;
7. Dimensions: 267x112x40 mm;
8. Additional power supply: 1x8pin, 1x6pin;
9. Power: 250W;
10. Power supply required: 600W.

Description

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the latest addition to Nvidia's high-end line of graphics cards, but we're more interested in using this card for cryptocurrency mining. The card itself is based on 11GHz GDDR5X memory, so memory timings may not be the best for cryptographic algorithms based on the amount of VRAM, but the hefty core count makes up for the performance. Please note that the consumption is about 250 watts, although it can be reduced a little by digging into Afterburner, on the other hand it will reduce the output hashes.

Is it worth buying an NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti at all? Of course, on the one hand, the card is strong, but for this money you can assemble a farm of four 470 cards, which in any case will give out more hashrate than it alone. The card itself mines Zcash quite well (about 625 hashes), that is, it is either two 480 cards or two 470 cards that are a little short, but both options are cheaper than buying one such card. On currencies using the Ethereum algorithm, the card gives out 31.8 MHs, which is also not striking considering its cost.

Conclusion: All the same, this card is more suitable for games on a widescreen monitor than for use as a mining workhorse.

Hashrate

bastion	17.4	MHs
Blake	4320	MHs
blackcoin	7521	MHs
Blake2s	6178	MHs
cryptolight	1210	hs
cryptonight	755	hs
c11/flax	20.91	MHs
Decred	4595	MHs
deep	61.83	MHs
dmg-gr	61.3	MHs
fresh	22.35	MHs
fugue256	746.52	MHs
groesti	61.23	MHs
heavy	50.81	MHs
keccak	941.55	MHs
lbry	473.4	MHs
luffa	459.85	MHs
lyra2	9435	KHs
lyra2v2	60.45	MHs
lyra2z	2728	KHs
mjollnir	49.51	MHs
myr gr	112.63	MHs
neoscrypt	1423	KHs
nist5	73.4	MHs
penta	128.49	MHs
qubit	30.27	MHs
scrypt	895	KHs
scrypt:N(10)	458	KHs
scrypt-jane	578	KHs
s3	53.79	MHs
sha256t	980.60	MHs
sia	2852	MHs
sib	14.60	MHs
skin	598.5	MHs
skin2	399.4	MHs
time travel	40.44	MHs
x11evo	19.75	MHs
x11	20.91	MHs
x13	16.76	MHs
x14	16.30	MHs
x15	15.19	MHs
x17	14.99	MHs
vanilla	5845	MHs
Veltor	38.7	MHs
whirpool	74.95	MHs
zr5	7845	KHs