Nicehash, a cryptocurrency mining company, has revealed that Nvidia LHRv3 (Light Hash Rate version 3) GPUs now have a partial hash rate unlock. Instead of 100 percent, the QuickMiner programme may employ 90 percent of the Ethereum (ETH) mining power of the Ampere architecture LHRv3 graphics cards.
At the time of writing, Nvidia’s only LHRv3 graphics cards for desktops are the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and RTX 3080 12GB. These GPUs aren’t in our list of the Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2022. Miners were formerly only authorized to mine at around half of the cards’ potential capacity.
Nvidia was the first to use LHR technology with the launching of the GeForce RTX 3060 in February 2021. In the summer, additional LHRv2 versions were added to the RTX 3080, 3070, 3060 Ti, and 3060 cards, while the RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti have always had LHRv2. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and RTX 3080 12GB with a revamped LHRv3 were introduced in 2022. They were all just referred to as ‘LHR’ edition graphics cards, with no version numbers given, which was confusing. According to Nicehash, all Nvidia RTX30 series GPUs are now either completely or 90% unlocked.
About the current version of NiceHash QuickMiner v0.5.4.2 RC, there isn’t much to say. The ETH mining software unlocks 90% of LHRv3 cards while also providing “major stability improvements.”
The updated release requires Nvidia driver version 512.15 or above.
The 90% LHRv3 unlock comes after the 100% LHRv3 unlock that was previously revealed. Nicehash provided hash rate benchmarks to highlight the benefits of their latest software. The numbers above represent “tuned” performance, which means maxing out your RAM overclock before fine-tuning power and GPU speeds for optimal efficiency. The RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition runs hot and won’t likely achieve beyond 110 MH/s, but other 3080 Ti cards may be able to equal the 3090’s 120 MH/s.
Some people may be afraid that Nvidia’s LHR safeguards may be completely removed. However, as the value of cryptocurrencies has fallen, they are swiftly losing their appeal as a speculative investment. In addition, costs for graphics cards and supplies look to be at an all-time high. We may soon see prices below MSRP as older cards are sold off before the next-gen launches. When miners lose interest and try to sell their GPU-powered equipment, this might escalate.
