Best cards to mine ethereum 2018

1. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070

Low power draw, high hash rate

Core Clock: 1,506MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR5 | Memory Clock: 8Gbps | Power Connectors: 1 x 6-pin | Power Draw: 150W | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0, DL-DVI


+Good balance of power and hash rate
+High amount of memory
–Expensive

Nvidia’s GTX 1070 isn’t just a great graphics card for gaming, it’s also an excellent mining GPU. This is because it manages a high hash rate of around 30 mh/s without needed too much power. Remember, the more power a GPU requires, the more expensive it is to run, which will eat into your cryptocurrency profits. As with many recent Nvidia GPUs, the 1070 is on the pricey side, so you will have to take an initial hit when starting up, but if you’re into cryptocurrency mining for the long run, the 1070 is easily the best mining GPU currently available.

 

2. AMD Radeon RX 580

AMD’s GPU is a mining winner

Core Clock: 1,257MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR5 | Memory Clock: 8Gbps | Power Connectors: 1x 8-pin, 1 x 6-pin | Power Draw: 185W | Outputs: 1 DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0


+Very good cooling
–Often sold out due to its popularity for mining

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is one of the very best GPUs for mining, and in fact is a bit of a victim of its own success, as it can sometimes be difficult to find. However, its popularity is warranted, as it offers an excellent hash rate of 29 mh/s, while also keeping the electricity consumption low as well. It’s also cheaper than the GTX 1070, and if you don’t mind tweaking a few settings, you’ll be very pleased with this card’s mining performance.

 

3. AMD RX 480

An older GPU, but still great at mining

 

Core Clock: 1,120MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR5 | Memory Clock: 8Gbps | Power Connectors: 1x 8-pin, 1 x 6-pin | Power Draw: 150W | Outputs: 1 DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0

+Cheap
+Good mining performance
–Can be hard to find

If you want a low cost of entry into the world of mining, then the AMD RX 480 is an excellent choice. This is because it is a bit older than the AMD Radeon RX 580, so prices are lower – when you can find one in stock. Yep, this is another AMD card that can be difficult to track down thanks to its mining ability. However with 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, it achieves a decent hash rate of 28mh/s, and again doesn’t require too much power. There are also versions available with 4GB of GDDR5 RAM, if you’re looking for an even lower cost mining GPU.

 

4. AMD Radeon RX Vega 56

Punchy graphics performance above its weight

Core Clock: 1,156MHz | Memory: 8GB HBM2 | Memory Clock: 800MHz | Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin | Power Draw: 210W | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0


+Very good mining performance
–High energy consumption
–Runs a tad hot

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is one of the best value-packed graphics card on the market right now. Benchmarks prove it runs faster than the Nvidia GTX 1070 and, thanks to the Bitcoin mining craze, it’s also cheaper to boot. Again, it can be a tricky GPU to track down, and it’s power consumption means it can end up being a pricey GPU to run 24/7 in a mining rig, but it performs very well at mining, so if you can find one, it’s definitely worth considering.

 

5. Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti

A brilliant, yet expensive, GPU for mining

Core Clock: 1,480MHz | Memory: 11GB GDDR5X | Memory Clock: 11GHz | Power Connectors: 1 x 6-pin; 1 x 8-pin | Power Draw: 250W | Outputs: 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0


+Incredibly powerful
+Excellent hash rates
–Expensive to buy and to run

The Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti remains one of the most powerful graphics cards in the world, and is our recommendation as the best graphics card for 4K gaming. However, as a mining GPU, it is also an excellent choice, but there are a few considerations that prevent it being higher up this list. First of all, it’s still an expensive GPU, and the power consumption is high compared to other cards. This means the return on your investment is less, and will take longer to cover your costs. If you don’t mind splashing out on this GPU (or you’re going to also use it to play games with), then you’ll be very happy with the results, especially as with a bit of tweaking you can get a hash rate of 32 mh/s.

AMD RX VEGA 56

The biggest quest for Ethereum miners is undoubtedly the search for a great GPU for their mining rig. There are a lot of options to choose from, and the sad fact that the GPU that comes in most computers by default just won’t do.
MINING SPECS

ETH Hashpower:

Power: 306 Watt
Hash Rate: 32.4 MH/s

ETH Hashpower (Vega 64 Flash Mod)

Power: 130 Watt
Hash Rate: 43.50 MH/s

*Claymore tested, by us, with more than 3 cards

Power: 160 Watt
Hash Rate: 38 MH/s

The Vega 56 looks to be quite promising for gamers, and benchmark tests implied that it would be a viable alternative to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. The card is also being looked upon with hope from Ethereum miners, and AMD has released new drivers intended specifically for mining. These drivers will amp up the performance of Vega10 GPUs. The Vega 56 shows a consistent 36.48 MH/s when the memory was clocked to 1900MHz.

Pros and Cons

38.48 MH/s isn’t very high, but it is still the best for 130W of consumption. The memory clock speed is promising, especially when overclocked. However, this GPU isn’t perfect and using a fan or air conditioner will help to keep it cool. Remember that the fan isn’t a one stop solution to the health of your GPU. Regardless the cooling system it uses, operating in a cooled room will be healthier for your GPU than in a hot one.
Final Thoughts on The AMD RX VEGA 56

It may be hard to get your hands on the RX Vega 56, but if you do, would you really want it? There are better cards to get your hands on for around the same price tag, and it seems that AMD has been striking out a little bit with their cards and the use for mining. However, it is nice to see that AMD is looking out for miners with mining specific drivers. As an entry level mining GPU, the RX Vega 56 could work decently enough to get your feet wet in the mining industry.