Those who want to mine virtual assets buy expensive equipment or invest in cloud mining. But modern mobile gadgets are also capable of generating income.
And, although at first glance it seems that mining cryptocurrency on a laptop is absolutely impossible, in fact this is not entirely true. Much depends on the model of the device and the mined coin. Cheap portable computers really won’t be able to mine at all, but more solid gaming gadgets are quite suitable for mining digital coins.
Of course, the performance of a smartphone or laptop is lower than that of mining rigs on GPU or ASIC devices, but the energy consumption is also significantly lower. Therefore, mining on a laptop is a comfortable option for learning the basics of crypto mining and a bonus in the form of additional income for the laptop owner.
Setting methods and model selection
The software of a portable device is practically no different from that installed on a stationary PC suitable for working in Riga. When starting mining on a laptop, the main attention should be paid to choosing software for crypto mining and adjusting hardware parameters.
Mining on a laptop step by step:
- It is advisable to install the Windows 10 operating system (you can use Linux) and install the latest version of the video driver.
- Download and install a miner compatible with the device components. A number of mining programs have separate versions for GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, or can only work with one of these manufacturers.
- We determine the coin to be mined. When mining on a weak laptop, it is better to choose inexpensive forks of Ethereum and Monero with reduced computational complexity. Cryptocurrencies Biticoin or Litecoin will be an absolutely unacceptable option when mining on a regular laptop.
- We create a wallet for our virtual savings. You can choose a hardware wallet, online storage, or the Trust Wallet smartphone app.
You should select a pool and configure the mining utility. But before proceeding to the next stage, it is necessary to set the temperature threshold to values that do not reach the critical level. This measure, when mining on a regular laptop, will help avoid premature contact with a service center.
Which laptop is suitable for cryptocurrency mining?
Mining on a weak laptop is possible for informational purposes only. The hash rate directly depends on the performance of the video adapter. Therefore, budget models are seriously inferior in performance to gaming laptops.
Discrete graphics cards and central processors in inexpensive laptop computers have moderate computing power. For profitable mining on a simple laptop, it is recommended to connect an external graphics accelerator to it via an adapter.
Additional power will be required and the price of a powerful video card for mining often exceeds the cost of a mobile gadget, but this is the only way to increase the profitability of mining on a weak laptop.
Rating of laptops for mining 2021
Cryptocurrency mining on a laptop will be successful if the device is equipped with high-performance components. First of all, the speed of the cryptocurrency mining process on a laptop depends on the installed video card.
The rating of powerful laptops for mining is calculated according to the following criteria: efficiency, reliability, cost.
| Model | Video card | CPU | RAM | Price |
| MSI GT75VR 7RE Titan SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, 8 GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 230,000 /270,000 rubles |
| ASUS ROG G701VI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, 8 GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 255,000 rubles |
| MSI GT83VR 7RF Titan SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, 8 GB | Intel Core i7-7290HQ | 64 GB DDR4 | 375,000 rubles |
| ASUS ROG GX800VH | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080, 8 GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 500,000 rubles |
| Acer Predator 21X | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080, 8 GB | Intel Core i7-7820HK | 64 GB DDR4 | 700,000 rubles |
Powerful and expensive laptop models are equipped not only with high-performance components, but also with an effective cooling system that allows them to cope with high loads. Of course, it is unlikely that anyone will actually use a device for 500-700 thousand rubles to earn digital coins. For this money you can build a small mining farm, which will bring more income and last longer.
But for purely informational purposes, it is quite possible to run crypto mining on a powerful laptop. This way you will master the basics of mining and then it will be easier for you to set up a real rig. Well, or you will understand that cryptocurrency mining is not your profile and you will forget about this matter forever.
Although, most often, people who do not understand or are interested in the blockchain industry will not even visit our site, but if you are reading this article with enthusiasm, then it is worth trying to move from theory to practice. And then decide who you are: a miner, a trader or a holder.
Software
What is important? Operating system and miner program. When choosing an OS, start with Windows 7 or you can choose Linux. Both are well suited for mining, it is important to configure them correctly, more on that below. Operating systems like Ubuntu are not suitable because it itself takes up a lot of space. But you will need to store blockchain data, which is also quite voluminous.
As for the miner, everything is quite simple here. On each pool you can download a reliable official version of the program. For ATI video cards you need to download Cgminer, Nvidia - Cudaminer. If you mine on a processor, then there will be only one version on the pool, which is most often signed simply by CPU Miner.
Also, if you are looking for a CPU miner on the Internet, then read its descriptions. CPU Miner in this case will not be universal, since it is designed for Litecoin mining. Reliable miners include Claymore's Cryptonote CPU Miner, Nicehash and Ufasoftminer.
Advantages and disadvantages
Mining virtual assets on a laptop has its positive and negative sides. The advantages of mining on a laptop include:
- No costs for special equipment. A gaming laptop can be used for cryptocurrency mining in parallel with the main tasks.
- Low power consumption.
- Easy to set up . Even a beginner can easily set up mining via a laptop on one video card.
Disadvantages of mining on a mobile computer:
- Low income compared to mining farms.
- Quite quickly the laptop fails due to overheating and increased wear of parts.
The most productive option is mining through a laptop using an external graphics accelerator. How to connect a video card to a laptop for mining? There are two ways:
- We connect the EXP GDC device via mini PCI Expres of the laptop. To access the port, you need to remove the battery and unscrew the service cover. Then connect the device using the appropriate cable, insert the video card and connect an additional power supply. In order for the image from the external card to be displayed on the laptop screen, you need to enter the BIOS and enable UMA Graphic mode. After installing the drivers and setting up the equipment, you can start mining on a laptop with an external video card. Important! If there is only one mini PCI Expres connector, when connecting a GPU, you will have to disconnect the WI-FI adapter.
- The second option for connecting a video card to a laptop for mining is purchasing a “docking station”. This is a special device for working with an external graphics processor, outwardly similar to a small system unit. The device connects to the laptop via the Thunderbolt port, has a built-in power supply and good throughput. But the cost is much higher than that of EXP GDC. How quickly the costs will be recouped when using this mining option on a laptop with an external video card depends on the volatility of cryptocurrencies.
Video card or processor
As I already said, it is the graphics processor that is most often used. Mining is a repetitive, sequential process. Video cards cope with these better because they provide more hashrate. That’s why it’s easier to set them up for production.
The central processing unit is forced to perform other tasks to keep the entire computer running. It does this very well, but when it comes to repetitive tasks, it's insane for the CPU.
I wouldn't even choose a CPU to get started with mining because it wouldn't be of much use. It is notable for the fact that it does not heat up very much and consumes less energy resources, but few people will like the efficiency of such production.
What coins can you mine?
The choice of altcoins for mining depends on the manufacturer of the video card and the state of affairs on the cryptocurrency market. The Ethereum cryptocurrency is now in an upward trend and is profitable for mining on any video card.
As for the other coins, here you need to focus not only on the amount of profit, but also on the energy intensity of the process. Profitable, but very hot Ravencoin on a laptop is better not to mine at all. Owners of red cards should pay attention to the Haven coin, and if you have an Nvidia card, try mining one of the MimbleWimble forks, for example, BitTube.
Of course, mining on a laptop is launched partially for informational purposes, but still you should not use the equipment in vain, let your practical experiments bring at least some income. This way you will learn how to conduct financial transactions with cryptocurrency.
Current mining programs
After selecting the coin, we proceed to installing the mining program on the laptop. The same software that is used on video card mining farms will do. The main selection criteria: mining algorithm, video adapter model and user level of training.
How to mine Bitcoin on a laptop? Due to the high complexity of mining, the generation of new BTC blocks is only possible on special ASIC devices.
- Phoenix miner has proven itself well for mining Ethereum and its forks. This program is easy to install and allows you to regulate the load on video cards.
- Those wishing to receive a reward in bitcoins need to download the mining program on a laptop and computer Nicehash miner.
What to get so that the device does not work at a loss?
New projects are regularly created on the blockchain platform and forks of popular coins appear. At the start, the difficulty of mining is low, which allows you to make a profit even with low-power equipment.
What to get
Do you like hardcore and the coolest things? Then start mining Bitcoin. True, getting it on a home PC is already a little difficult. Even if you join the pool, some mining farm in Iceland can crush you with its hashrate.
If we talk about top cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, Zcash are quite accessible for home mining. Their network is not yet overloaded, and the complexity is not so great. Ethereum is generally friendly with miners. According to bitinfocharts, the time to create a new block is only 15 seconds.
In general, when asked what cryptocurrency can be mined on a computer, I answer “any”. Mine whatever you want, the entire crypto market is open to you. You can choose a little-known altcoin and enjoy the speed of its mining. It sags in price, but this will not greatly affect your income, because you mine faster and there is less competition.
Tips for choosing a pool
Long gone are the days of solo mining. Now even owners of large crypto farms prefer mining in a pool. The main criteria for choosing a “virtual pool” are stability and decency. When mining on a laptop, you should pay attention to the payout threshold. If it is too high, then the required amount will take weeks and months.
On most Ether pools, the minimum threshold for paying out rewards is 0.05 ETH; in order to accumulate such an amount on a laptop, you need to work 24/7 for more than a month. It is unlikely that your laptop will withstand such a load, but there is a way out.
The world's largest crypto exchange, Binance, has its own mining pool, Binance Mining Pool. There you will be able to receive payments daily, no matter how much you have earned. Of course, it is not profitable to withdraw small amounts of ETH from the trading platform, but they can be used for trading or converted into BNB. The internal token Binance is also showing solid growth.
Official website of the Binance Mining Pool - https://binance.com
Mining profitability
A gaming laptop with a connected external Radeon RX Vega or Navi card will show pretty decent results, but the payback period leaves much to be desired.
Is it possible to mine on a laptop? Yes you can, for informational purposes. It’s still not worth buying a laptop computer specifically for mining. But for those who want to understand the principles of the crypto mining system, the ability to mine on a laptop will be a good practice.
In February 2022, a video appeared online in which Chinese craftsmen launched mining on a gaming console. It is quite possible that this is just another fake, but it clearly demonstrates that during the crypto fever, enthusiasts are trying to mine digital coins on any available computing device. ASIC miners or video cards for this purpose , and use other gadgets for their intended purpose.
Issues
Just 5 years ago, this issue did not worry mining enthusiasts so much. But the world of cryptocurrencies is changing very quickly. As you can see now, the exchange rate can fall sharply, and after an hour suddenly return to its previous level. Mining has become quite problematic, since in almost 10 years of the existence of cryptocurrencies, the difficulty of mining almost every one has increased noticeably.
If at the very beginning blocks were resolved within a minute, and a transaction took a couple of seconds, today this process can take several days. Mining a digital currency code has become incredibly difficult, regardless of the algorithm and the power of your equipment. But with each block the complexity only increases.
This suggests that conventional crypto mining on a home PC is seeing its day. Just a little more, and even the most powerful hardware will not be able to solve the hash function of any cryptocurrency.
Cloud mining: TOP 5 services
Cloud mining is the optimal format for cryptocurrency mining in 2022. This is a model for earning cryptocurrency by renting equipment (hashrate); mining is carried out through the management of equipment by a contractor who resolves all issues regarding technical and software components.
Setting up cloud mining does not require a powerful computer or knowledge in the field of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in general. The setup in this case consists of going through the standard registration procedure on the service website, choosing a tariff plan and paying for the contract. Then the user specifies the address (personal wallet) where the mined cryptocurrency will be withdrawn.
Rating of the TOP 5 cloud mining services (with current estimates for 2022):
| Service | Grade | Detailed review |
| IQ Mining (editor's choice!) | 9.5 | Read review |
| ECOS | 7.2 | Read review |
| YoBit VMining | 6.5 | Read review |
| BitDeer | 6.4 | Read review |
| HashFlare | 6.3 | Read review |
