It’s no secret that Nvidia wants to curb crypto mining on its RTX 3000 gaming GPUs, with team green introducing hash rate limiters into the cards earlier this year. However, the company hopes to capitalise on this demand through its own CMP HX range of graphics cards dedicated to mining, and it looks like the flagship CMP 170HX could cost double the price of an RTX 3090.
Spotted by Komachi_Ensaka on Twitter, the unannounced mining GPU is currently listed on Yahoo Auctions for ¥600,000 JPY, which is around $5,279 USD. The specialist card is also available through Vipera, a Dubai-based retailer that’s selling the crypto component for $4,560 USD.
Given its specialist nature, the CMP 170HX is on a different level compared to a gaming GPU when it comes to crypto mining. As it’s specifically designed to solve cryptocurrency algorithms, it features an unlocked hash rate, but lacks gaming monitor display outputs and uses passive cooling. This leaves miners with two component ranges to choose from, while PC gamers remain limited to using traditional graphics cards.
The fact that the CMP 170HX is selling for double that of Nvidia’s flagship GPU means crypto miners could opt for Nvidia’s gaming PC graphics cards, rather than the CMP HX flagship, given the value proposition. While an increase in cryptocurrency mining isn’t solely to blame for the ongoing graphics card shortages, exuberant pricing probably won’t help the situation, especially if RTX stock levels recuperate before crypto mining GPU prices depreciate.
CMP170HX マイニング専用 ビデオボード https://t.co/Umna6BXpkP
— 遠坂小町@Komachi (@KOMACHI_ENSAKA) October 22, 2021
Of course, miners have already circumvented the RTX 3000 series hash rate limiters, restoring performance to near 100%. So, until Nvidia comes up with a plan B, its gaming graphics cards could continue to be a popular component choice for crypto mining rigs.