Nvidia’s CMP HX series of mining processors are coming – Here are the specs
Nvidia’s CMP HX series of mining processors are coming – Here are the specs
Yesterday, Nvidia confirmed that they had created a software solution that will hobble their RTX 3060 graphics card’s mining performance, making the GPU less attractive to cryptocurrency miners and that they will be creating new CMP (Crypto Mining Processors) devices to cater to the cryptocurrency mining market.Â
Based on the specifications that Nvidia has provided, their new HX series of CMP products will be mostly based on Turing-series GPUs, allowing Nvidia to create the silicon behind many of these units without impacting the supply of their Ampere-based RTX GPUs. That said, their flagship 90HX mining card appears to be Ampere-based, delivering hash rates that are similar to their RTX 3080, though this product may be using otherwise defective RTX 3080 chips.Â
Nvidia has not provided much in the way of specifications for these new GPUs, which makes sense given their target market. Miners do not care about hardware specifications; they care about power consumption and hash rates. Nothing else matters.Â
Based on the hash rates and power requirements listed below, we believe that the 30HX is based on Nvidia’s RTX 2060, that their 40 HX is based on their RTX 2070, their 50HX is based on a 10GB RTX 2080 Ti and that their 90HX is based on their RTX 3080.Â
While Nvidia claims that these products will not impact RTX 30 series supply, this will not be entirely true, as these graphics cards will utilise many of the same components as their RTX 30 series products. The only thing that these products will do is release more mining silicon onto the market and put less strain on RTX 30 series supply. While Nvidia’s CMP products will lower component usage, they won’t do much to lower strain on GDDR6 memory supplies and many other components, limiting the CMP series’s overall market impact.Â
Nvidia’s CMP series cuts away everything that cryptocurrency miners don’t require to operate their systems. They have no GPU outputs, consume less power through their PCIe connectors, and cut every corner they can to create a product that’s exclusively for cryptocurrency mining. This will allow Nvidia to create low-cost cryptocurrency mining products with larger margins and make use of some of their otherwise defective GPU silicon. That said, cryptocurrency miners will know that these CMP products won’t have any resale value should the cryptocurrency market crash, making them a lot less attractive than GPUs like the RTX 3080. Â
 Â
  To address the specific needs of Ethereum mining, we’re announcing the NVIDIA CMP, or, Cryptocurrency Mining Processor, product line for professional mining.
CMP products — which don’t do graphics — are sold through authorized partners and optimized for the best mining performance and efficiency. They don’t meet the specifications required of a GeForce GPU and, thus, don’t impact the availability of GeForce GPUs to gamers.
For instance, CMP lacks display outputs, enabling improved airflow while mining so they can be more densely packed. CMPs also have a lower peak core voltage and frequency, which improves mining power efficiency.
Creating tailored products for customers with specific needs delivers the best value for customers. With CMP, we can help miners build the most efficient data centers while preserving GeForce RTX GPUs for gamers.
 Â
Nvidia’s CMP products are expected to be available from ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, Palit and other Nvidia hardware partners in the near future.Â
You can join the discussion on Nvidia’s CMP HX series of mining processors on the OC3D Forums.Â