Guide to Solo GPU Mining Ethereum (ETH) on Windows

The ethash software algorithm used to mine the Ethereum cryptocurrency ensures a high mining speed for this coin. Taking this factor into account, any program for mining Ether must support working with this software algorithm, which is responsible for hashing the metadata of the cryptoblock within the cryptosystem, while using nonsense code. The nonce code is a random number that defines the hash function. New blocks within the blockchain set a target size for hashes. All Ether mining users use the computing power of the mining equipment to find the exact nonce value.

The cryptographic principles used for mining Ethereum and underlying such hashing reduce the likelihood of accidentally discovering a nonce value to zero. At the same time, programs for mining Ethereum must comply with the principle of using the computing power of video cards installed on a home PC or in a crypto farm to subsequently launch software hashing.

What is Ethereum solo mining?

Solo mining ethereum is the process of mining cryptocurrency using the power of the equipment that is only at your disposal. Many people classify mining using rented facilities as solo mining, but we believe that this type of earnings is counterfeit and beneficial only for cloud platform holders.

In solo mining, everything is simple: if you find a solution for a specific block, you will receive a reward in the form of coins; if you don’t find it, you will be left without a reward.

The advantages of self-production include:

• The ability to independently control the process.
• Complete independence from pools and other resources.
• The entire reward comes to you - without sharing or fees.

Disadvantages of solo mining:

• High requirements for equipment power.
• Lack of ability to mine TOP coins.

Despite all its shortcomings, solo Ethereum mining still has a chance of survival even in the conditions dictated by the modern cryptocurrency industry.

TL;DR

Using solo pools for mining is more profitable than using your own nodes. There is no need to be greedy and save 1-2 percent of the commission. This small fee will pay off in a big way, since solo pool will ultimately allow you to earn much more.

Owners of small mining capacities should not waste time on a node; it is better to outsource it. If you have a large amount of your own or rented capacity, it is even more worthwhile to transfer the work of maintaining the node into the hands of professionals.

For example, 2Miners solo pool servers are hosted on powerful equipment with a high-speed Internet channel. 2Miners solo pool nodes have a maximum number of peers, daily backups and other amenities. As a bonus, pool statistics allow you to use different mining strategies.

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Ethereum mining solo

As the name suggests, this is a type of mining where 1 miner solves the blocks independently. With eth solo mining, users mine cryptocurrency without relying on third-party systems such as mining pools. That is, solo miners, instead of connecting to the pool, point their eth mining equipment to their local wallet client and begin searching for blocks.

Solo mining of top currencies requires significant power and is practically inaccessible for regular GPU mining (only possible for new altcoins, for example Myriad Scrypt, Digibyte SHA-256, Bitcoin Gold). Powerful data centers stuffed with ASIC devices create great competition. When searching for the required hash on the network, an ordinary GPU chip will simply not have time to complete the Ethereum block. To check this, you need to register your wallet in the blockchain and configure the application in solo mode.

Generating a new Ethereum address:

1. Open geth-console.bat (geth folder), download the blockchain.
2. Enter the command personal.newAccount(psw), where psw is the wallet password.
3. Enter the command eth.accounts, which generates the address and displays it on the screen.

Request for balance information:

Transferring funds to Ethereum: Parameters a and b are the sender and recipient addresses. To configure the application, you need to change the .bat file of the miner (the program must support solo mode, for example EthMiner), writing personal data (wallet, login) in the script line.

Nuances of BCH mining

Mining Bitcoin Cash is a process of solving complex mathematical problems. Thanks to this, miners can open new blocks, process transactions and record them on the blockchain. In the case of this cryptocurrency, mining takes place through the SHA-256 algorithm.

This is a special hash function whose job is to collect fixed-length values ​​from random data. That is, the volume of thousands of numbers after calculations is reduced to a general form that has a specific size. It turns out that the essence of mining is to direct hardware resources to search for a small code. But this is done by searching through many numbers and letters in a huge array of data.

Directly converting this array is hashing, and the result is a hash code. When the hash code reaches the correct value (it is different for each block), the block is considered solved, and miners move on to solving the next hash function.

How to download the Ethereum Classic mining program

We'll take the popular Claymore Miner program. You can download it on the official website. You will need to download the archive, unpack it and replace some data in text documents. In the bat file (start.bat) you will need to find the line starting with EthDcrMiner64.exe and insert in place UserName you will need to insert your wallet number for ETC, and in place WorkerName - any name you can think of. Registered users can substitute their username on the site instead of the wallet number under UserName.

Example of filling for unregistered users:

0x09ab1303d3CcAF5f018CD511146b07A240c70294.whiteminer -epsw x -esm 3 -allpools 1 -allcoins -1

Next, you need to install HiveOS, register and insert data about your computer and pool there.

Fill in:

• Coin - ETC
• Wallet - the wallet that you added in step 2.
• Pool - select “Set up in miner”.
• Miner - Claymore Dual with configuration: POOL: mining.hashalot.io :3404, WALLET: Your Wallet, PSW: x

No special settings are required because Hashalot is already in the HiveOS pool list.

What to do if you don't have HiveOS installed? There is an alternative option for registering a miner - through the NiceHash website. There, after logging into your account, you will need to fill out a form. We insert into it:

Algorithm: DAGGER-HASHIMOTO(S)

Stratum Server: mining.hashalot.io

Stratum port: 3404

User: your ETC wallet or Pool Hashalot username

Password: x

If you did everything correctly, you can already start mining. Your statistics will be automatically uploaded to pool.hashalot.io - and you can see a more detailed report.

What is the principle of mining through a pool?

When configured correctly, you connect to the pool and start searching for blocks along with everyone else. How it works: all miners search for a block at the same time, and if it is mined, the reward is divided among all participants. Your share depends on the share that you sent (a small part of the task). That is, if the solution was not found by your computer, and even if you disconnected before the reward was received, you are still credited with cryptocurrency in a fair proportion.

Pools for BCH

Selecting a pool for mining such a well-known cryptocurrency is not very difficult. The most popular sites actively work with it, so you don’t have to wander the Internet in search of a reliable site.

Many users advise using AntPool or ViaBTC. The former has one of the highest hashrates on many cryptocurrencies. The second is good because its CEO is on the Bitcoin Cash team and strongly supports this cryptocurrency. Thanks to this, one can judge the reliability of the service and the relative ease of its mining through ViaBTC.

In general, choosing a pool consists of several parts: getting to know the statistics (number of users, total hashrate, volume of shares and solved blocks), thanks to which you can evaluate the effectiveness of a particular site; exploring pool capabilities and reviews.

But as mentioned above, with Bitcoin Cash you don’t have to go too far. Just go to BTC.com and select one of the top services, including the two previously mentioned in the article.

Programs

When choosing a program (client application) for Ethereum mining, you need to study the product specification:

• for which cards it is intended (AMD or NVIDIA);
• for which OS (Windows, Linux and others);
• What are the royalties for using the software?

Claymore's Dual program for joint mining of Ethereum and Decred

Software for multi-currency mining. It is popular among miners, since the passive algorithm (Ethash is considered active) slightly (within 5%) reduces the hashrate of the main currency (Ethereum). An opportunity for additional income is created. The best option among additional currencies (ETC, SC, EXP, DCR, LBRY, Blake2s) is Decred.

The software is intended only for working in a pool; eth solo mining is not supported. There are versions for 64-bit Windows and Linux. The commission is charged in dual mode (ETH+DCR - 2%) and along when mining Ethereum (1%). There are no commissions for other altcoins, including Decred. Different versions have been developed for AMD and NVIDIA cards.

EthMiner miner program and its configuration

The miner is highly productive and is designed taking into account the specifics of Ethereum mining on NVIDIA chips and is compatible with AMD cards. The software has open GitHub code, is available for all popular operating systems, and updates are released periodically.

The setup consists of creating a bat file. Necessary:

• Create a file with the extension .bat.

• Write memory release commands:

• Write the main line of the script:

Explanation of parameters:

• G — GPU usage (for CPU, respectively, C);
• U - for NVIDIA cards, access to CUDA cores at startup;
• F — pool identifier (hereinafter referred to as address);
• login — login to EthMiner.

After the colon, the address specifies the port that should be open.

Then you need to do a test run, then fine tuning.

For fine tuning, change the line:

The cl-local-work parameter is 256 for profile devices, 128 for PCs.

Test command for AMD cards:

Test command for NVIDIA cards:

OpenCL commands need to be placed in a new bat file.

Launching etherminer

To run etherminer on a machine running geth, just run the application with the -G switch. To do this, type “ethminer –G” .

In order for the application to be accessible on a local network or via the Internet, you will also have to add the -F key and an address with a port, for example “ethminer -G -F https://192.168.0.110:8585”.

Be sure to disable the firewall or create rules that allow ethminer connections to this address and port. Otherwise, the program will not be able to mine Ethereum.

Profitability for 2022 and prospects

The profitability of Ethereum mining is low, profitability is 3-5% versus 10-20% in 2022. The fall especially affected users who purchased equipment before 2022. Then the price of video cards grew along with crypto-assets.

Ethereum mining can be attractive from the point of view of:

• investments - the crypto market is at the bottom;
• equipment costs - prices have decreased by 30-40%, used options are especially interesting.

Analysts expect growth in crypto assets with the start of the long-awaited correction in the global stock market. The longest growth phase is currently underway; a correction is expected in the next 1-2 years. During a crisis, investors are looking for additional sources of investment.

Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Fast start

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Then cryptocurrencies rose rapidly, and accordingly, mining became more complicated faster. Users realized that video cards and FPGAs were losing relevance. Manufacturers, in turn, realized that the new type of equipment would bring them good profits.

The advantage of ASICs is that they have hundreds of times more hashrate than video cards. At the same time, they consume less electricity and also take up less space. Although they make a lot more noise.

The most successful Antminer line from Bitmain is still in best demand. They are designed for the SHA-256 algorithm, however, manufacturers release versions that are more tailored to different cryptocurrencies based on it.

So, there is Antminer S9 specifically for Bitcoin Cash. The miner efficiency is approximately 0.1 W/gHash/s. Productivity is up to 14 gigahash per second. For a second, the average hashrate of one video card is 30–40 megahash, and mining a farm of 10 cards is no more than 500. The difference is felt even before you start working.

The average profit per day when mining Bitcoin Cash is from $30 to $50. At a cost of $2,000 and including electricity costs, the shortest payback period is about 250 days.

Is eth solo mining profitable?

The answer to the question: “Is eth solo mining possible and is it profitable” depends on two factors:

1. Network complexity
2. Equipment power

It is also very similar to winning the lottery. You will either find a solution to the block in a short period of time, or it will take years. The probability of finding blocks is lower when you are solo mining eth. However, in the long term, ethereum (eth) solo mining brings the greatest profit compared to pool mining.

But as we said, it depends on several factors and you must have patience. It is very demoralizing when you don't find a block for a long time. This is one of the reasons why users who are new to eth solo mining will be advised to join a mining pool. While complexity is one factor, inconsistency in payments is another factor.

Don't consider solo mining eth until you have a lot of hashing power.

Note that CPUs have been replaced by GPUs, but now GPUs are gradually being replaced by FPGAs and ASICs (but not in all algorithms!). Therefore, carefully research the coin and decide for yourself whether it is profitable to mine ethereum solo.

Who is more profitable?

Statistics show that BCH is slightly more profitable than BTC. According to bitinfocharts, one Thash/s can earn you 10 cents more every day. This also affects the final reward. The average return is about 5% higher than Bitcoin. One of the reasons, again, was the likelihood of a reduction in difficulty, due to which blocks are solved faster.

At the same time, we must not forget that the Bitcoin blockchain is too overloaded. This is bad for both miners (they do not have time to cope with the volume) and for users (transactions are delayed). But at the same time, this is a plus for miners, since high fees are set for transaction processing. This in some way compensates for the above shortcomings.

In general, it is difficult to judge when Bitcoin Cash will be able to provide real competition to its “big brother”, since Bitcoin has a higher exchange rate, commissions, and therefore the overall profitability from mining as a whole.

Farm setup

The profitability of mining depends on the uninterrupted operation of the equipment. The first thing you need to do is enable your computer and Windows to autostart. This will allow the farm to resume operations after a power outage without relying on the UPS battery.

To avoid having to turn on your computer manually every time, you should do the following:

• press the F2 or Del key when booting the computer to open the BIOS;
• select the Setting section;
• activate the Restore after crash option;
• Exit the BIOS and save the changes in the settings.

Next, you should disable the login screen in Windows 10. To do this, in the “User Accounts” , you need to uncheck the checkbox from the “Require user and password” . After this, the system will boot automatically. All that remains is to enable miner autostart. You can do this by adding its shortcut to the Startup .

Setting up the video card

When using Nvidia video cards, you can increase the hashrate of the farm without flashing the GPU BIOS. To do this, three programs are needed:

• GPU-Z for monitoring temperature and other key parameters of the chip;
• MSI Afterburner for changing the frequency of memory and video processor buses;
• ethminer to control hashrate and provide test load.

Ether hashing speed depends on the performance of the video card RAM. Therefore, the main thing you need to focus on is increasing the memory bus frequency. This is not difficult to do. In MSI Afterburner, gradually move the video memory frequency slider to the right by 100-200 MHz, and then launch the miner. If the video card works stably and does not overheat, the frequency can be increased further. In the event of a failure, you should “roll back” to the last frequency at which the GPU was stable. Then increase the speed to a lower value, for example 50 MHz, and run the miner again. In this way it will be possible to achieve the maximum level of overclocking of the video card.