Cryptocurrency mining requires the best GPU to return good profits to the Bitcoin mining operation carried out by GPU miners.  However, selecting the best mining GPUs can be a fuzzy undertaking for those who are new to crypto mining. In this article, I will walk you through the best video cards for Bitcoin mining.

Let’s kick it.

GPUs vs Cards

A lot often, people confuse between the GPU and video cards. This confusion can lead to not making a good choice.

A video card (graphic card) is an assembly unit that contains a GPU as its primary processor. Thus, a card has a GPU as the main component plus other components such as a shield, heat sink, and fan.

The most significant confusion arises when people can’t differentiate between GPU manufacturers and graphics card manufacturers. This is understandable because some GPU manufacturers also double up as video card manufacturers. However, as we will discover, the best GPU manufacturer may not necessarily be the best graphics card manufacturer even when using the very same top-notch GPU that it manufactured. For example, while NVIDIA leads in the best mining GPUs, it is overtaken by ASUS in terms of the best graphics cards. Yet, these graphic cards from ASUS use NVIDIA GPUs.

Check out my article on Bitcoin mining CPU vs GPU for more.

The best GPUs for Bitcoin mining video cards

Knowing the best mining GPUs will make it far easier to choose the best card since nothing can substitute a poor-performing GPU in a video card. Thus, before we discuss the best graphics cards, let’s, first of all, explore the best mining GPUs.

1. The top brand GPUs

When it comes to top brands in the GPU mining market, two prominent brands stand out – Nvidia and AMD.

(a) NVIDIA GPUs

The revolutionary NVIDIA GPUs have toppled the video card mining industry ranks. Some of the best AMD GPU brands fall into the two major NVIDIA series:

• The Nvidia GeForce RTX series
• The Nvidia GeForce GTX series

The RTX series is the home of the super-brands from NVIDIA while the GTX series is home to the regular brands. Naturally, RTX-branded NVIDIA GPUs are much pricier compared to their counterparts in the GTX series. Those looking for the best performance from an Nvidia graphic card will find the RTX series a good option.

The super-performing Nvidia GPUs

If money is not your problem, then going for a high-performance GPU would be the best choice. The high hash rates of these top-end Nvidia GPUs make them capable of swiftly solving complex mathematical problems characteristic of Bitcoin mining.  

(i) Nvidia RTX 4090

Boasting exceptional performance, the Nvidia RTX 4090 is the most powerful GPU in the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 series. This monster of a graphics card has a 70% better performance compared to its topmost compatriot in the previous generation, the Nvidia RTX 3090.

Key specs:

• Base clock speed: 2.52 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 2.23 GHz
• CUDA cores: 16384
• Tensor Cores: 512
• RTX Cores: 128
• GB of GDDR Storage: 24 GB
• Power consumption: 450 W

(ii) Nvidia RTX 3090 Ti

Capping the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series is the RTX 3090 Ti. This Nvidia RTX video card is an advancement of the original RTX 3090 thus yielding a small edge in performance. However, this improved performance comes at a huge extra power cost of 100W which makes little economic sense.

Key specs:

• Base clock speed: 1.56 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 1.86 GHz
• CUDA cores: 10752
• Tensor Cores: 336
• RTX Cores: 84
• GB of GDDR Storage: 24 GB
• Power consumption: 450 W

(iii) Nvidia RTX 3090

Before the advent of the RTX 3090 Ti, the RTX 3090 had been hitherto the king of graphics cards in the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series. However, in terms of power efficiency vis-a-vis performance, it hasn’t been overtaken. This Nvidia RTX graphic card still stands out on its two prominent legs – price efficiency and power efficiency.

Key specs:

• Base clock speed: 1.40 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 1.70 GHz
• CUDA cores: 10496
• Tensor Cores: 328
• RTX Cores: 82
• GB of GDDR Storage: 24 GB
• Power consumption: 350 W

The budget-friendly Nvidia GPUs

If you are on a shoestring budget, then, you still have a great choice to make. The following are some of the Nvidia GPUs to choose from based on your budgetary needs:

(i) GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

Those on a tight budget will find GeForce GTX 1080 Ti a good deal. This Nvidia GTX graphics processor has both high power efficiency and price efficiency.  

(ii) GeForce GTX 1080

Compared to its successor, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, the GeForce GTX 1080 has a lower hash rate. However, its reasonable price makes it a viable option for those miners with a high budget sensitivity.

(iii) GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

The oldest of the Nvidia GTX series on the list, the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti is the best option for those who want a blend of low price and low power consumption.

(b) AMD GPUs

The battle-hardened AMD GPUs rank well in terms of processing power. Before the entry of NVIDIA into the video card mining industry, AMD used to be the dominant brand.   However, AMD has ceded this position to NVIDIA.

Some of the best AMD GPU brands fall into the two major AMD series:

• The AMD XT series
• The AMD RX series

The XT series contains the AMD super-brands while the RX series contains the regular brands. Thus, if you are looking for fairly priced AMD Cards, go for the RX series. However, if you are looking for super performance, go for the XT series.

The super-performing AMD GPUs

While the high-performance AMD cards are not at par with their Nvidia competitors, they still present valuable arguments worth considering. They are relatively fairly priced.

The following are the major high-performance AMD GPUs:

(i) AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

The most powerful of the AMD Cards within the AMD Radeon RX 7000 XT series is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX.

This excellent GPU has impressive specs that effectively compete with some of the top-range Nvidia GPUs. It is a great option for those who demand high performance from their AMD video card.

Key specs include:

• Base clock speed: 2.3 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 2.5 GHz
• Stream Processors: 6144
• Compute Units: 96
• RT Cores: 96
• GB of GDDR Storage: 24 GB
• Power consumption: 355 W

(ii) AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT

The topmost video card within the AMD Radeon RX 6000 XT series is the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT. This graphic card presents impressive features.

Key specs include:

• Base clock speed: 1.8 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 2.3 GHz
• Stream Processors: 5120
• Compute Units: 80
• RT Cores: 80
• GB of GDDR Storage: 16 GB
• Power consumption: 335 W

The budget-friendly AMD GPUs

At a low budget, you can easily get AMD cards at a very reasonable price. The following AMD GPUs present good performance at a low price:

(i) AMD Radeon RX 7600

Compared to its superior counterpart, the RX 7600 XT, the RX 7600 has lower specs. However, it rewards heavily in terms of reasonable price and low power draw.   

Key specs include:

• Base clock speed: 1.7 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 2.65 GHz
• Stream Processors: 2048
• Compute Units: 32
• RT Cores: 32
• GB of GDDR Storage: 8 GB
• Power consumption: 165 W

(ii) AMD Radeon RX 6600

Low power draw plus low price makes AMD Radeon RX 6600 a compelling case for those whose entire mining operation relies on a low budget. It has the lowest running electricity costs of any graphic card mentioned in this article with similar specs.

Key specs include:

• Base clock speed: 1.6 GHz
• Boosted clock speed: 2.4 GHz
• Stream Processors: 1792
• Compute Units: 28
• RT Cores: 28
• GB of GDDR Storage: 8 GB
• Power consumption: 132 W

The best video cards for Bitcoin mining

Now that we know the best GPUs for Bitcoin mining, we can easily find the best video cards manufactured using those GPUs.

The following are the top 10 video card brands:

1. Asus

Asus tops the list of the best graphics cards for Bitcoin GPU mining. This is an excellent choice for those who place a high demand on computing power. It produces high-performance graphics cards based on both Nvidia GPUs and AMD GPUs. It has a video card for each of the mentioned super-performing Nvidia GPUs under its brand, including the most powerful graphics video card – the Asus RTX TUF Gaming GeForce 4090. Others include the Asus RTX TUF Gaming GeForce 3090Ti, and Asus RTX TUF Gaming GeForce 3090.

For AMD GPUs, it produces super-performing AMD cards under its brand, including Asus Radeon RX 7900 XTX, and Asus TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6950XT.

2. MSI

Micro-Star International (MSI) is another top brand in the video card mining industry. Like Asus, it produces high-performance graphics cards based on both Nvidia GPUs and AMD GPUs.

You can find both super-performing GPUs and budget-friendly GPUs for your needs. MSI distinguishes itself by producing sleek and beautiful video card forms.

3. Gigabyte

If you are looking for competitively priced Nvidia GPUs and AMD GPUs, Gigabyte overcuts both Asus and MSI. It has both super-performing and budget-friendly graphic cards for both brands of GPUs. However, its video card designs aren’t as optimized as those of its top two competitors.

4. EVGA

When it comes to great customer support, EVGA beats its top-3 competitors. Long extended warrants and responsive communication make it a video card brand with the best customer experience.

Nonetheless, on the technical side, EVGA graphic cards boast excellent performance when it comes to cooling technology. The cards can be easily overclocked without overheating issues being incurred.

5. Inno3D

Durability is what makes Inno3D beat its top-4 competitors. Its graphic cards have the lowest failure rate of the top-5 brands on this list.

In addition, Inno3D has a wide range of budget models which makes it the best choice for those on a shoestring budget.

6. ASRock

If you are an exclusive AMD fan, ASRock tops the list of those video card brands that are specifically focused on AMD GPUs. ASRock provides a wide range of AMD cards for mining Bitcoin.

7. Zotac

For those Nvidia fans who consider budget as the No.1 factor, Zotac is the best option. Zotac exclusively focuses on producing Nvidia graphic cards. However, cheaper prices are obtained by compromising the quality of accessory materials. This means that the durability of its cards is much lower compared to its top-6 competitors.

8. Sapphire

Exclusive AMD fans who are not satisfied with ASRock will find Sapphire a great alternative. Sapphire graphic cards are cheaply priced compared to ASRock. However, this makes them less durable because the materials used tend to be of lower quality. Nonetheless, an average lifespan of two years is almost certainly guaranteed. In addition, Sapphire provides great customer service to its clientele making it easy to replace the warranted products when needed.

9. PowerColor

Unlike most brands, PowerColor focuses exclusively on graphic cards. It has cut its niche in the water-cooled graphic cards. Other than a small hiccup with its RX 5000 series, it has had a long history of reputation and reliability.

10. XFX

Closing the list of the top 10 high-performance brands in the video card mining industry is XFX. This is the third option for AMD fans who are looking out for an exclusive AMD alternative to both ASRock and Sapphire. XFX focuses on performance and durability. However, when it comes to looks, it is the least beautiful of the top 10 brands.

How to choose the best video card for Bitcoin mining

The following are considerations to make when choosing the best Bitcoin mining video card:

1. Go for a Bitcoin mining video card that optimizes profitability

The two main elements that determine mining profitability are:

• Computing power- computing power refers to how many hashes a given video card can provide per second. This is measured in terms of hashes per second (H/s). Bigger units such as Kilo (K), Mega (M), and Giga (G) can be prefixed. The higher the hash rate, the greater the computing power. Other factors being constant, high hash rates mean bigger profits. The more powerful a GPU processor is, the higher will be the hash rate.
• Power efficiency – electricity costs are extreme when it comes to Bitcoin mining. Thus, power consumption greatly affects profitability. Power efficiency is a measure of how much hashes are produced per unit of electricity consumed. A good GPU has high power efficiency as it provides excellent value to the miners.  

To optimize Bitcoin mining profitability, you need to strike a balance between computing power and power efficiency. Power efficiency is about the best performance at less power. By keenly observing key specs of graphic cards on our list, you will discover that some of the most powerful GPUs are not necessarily power efficient. Yet, some of the most power-efficient GPUs are not necessarily powerful.

Many other factors determine profitability. For example, different cryptocurrencies have different hash rates and thus profitability yield. To have a better measure of profitability, using a profitability calculator is the best choice. Some of the best Bitcoin mining calculators include Whattomine and Coinwarz. You can get calculator instructions from 99Bitcoins.

2. Go for a Bitcoin mining video card that fits your budget

The price of the GPU is the key determinant as to whether you can afford a given video card or not. Generally, other factors being constant, a high price is associated with high hash rates, and a low price is associated with low hash rates. However, the GPU brand and the video card brand also play a significant influence in determining the price.

3. Go for a Bitcoin mining video card that is durable

The initial investment in a Bitcoin mining rig is quite high and takes a long term to recoup. Thus, to make sure that you not only get adequately rewarded but also compensated, your monthly income should stretch for several years, at least two years.

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