In this guide, we will look at the best cryptocurrencies to mine using a GPU. Small home mining operations can still mine these digital currencies profitably from home with the proper GPU setup and reasonable electricity costs.
Before discussing the cryptocurrency mining using a GPU (home computer), let's first discuss how most major cryptocurrencies are mined, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Many of the largest and most well-known crypto-tokens are mined using ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) mining equipment, which is designed to do one thing, mine a specific crypto asset. But they can be expensive. Without continually updating your ASIC miner to the latest version, it can be challenging to compete with other more sophisticated miners all vying to earn mining rewards for the same coin.
Here are some of the crypto assets that can be successfully mined using your GPU:
Vertcoin (VTC)
vertcoin is cryptocurrency point-to-point that uses an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) resistant proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism, Lyra2REv3, to incentivize miners. ASIC resistant means the founders of VertCoin want it to be distributed more fairly, allowing anyone to mine it and not have the mining controlled by centralized ASIC mining companies and pools.
The cryptocurrency was created in January 2014 and is based on the Bitcoin code. It has a similar lock time to Litecoin (2.5 minutes) and a coin supply limit of 84 million.
To mine Vertcoin using a GPU, download One-Click Miner by visiting the Vertcoin website. Also, download the Vertcoin wallet from the same website to store the VTC you will mine.
Monero (XMR)
moner is a privacy-focused coin based on the CryptoNote protocol and uses the RandomX hash function. Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today forked the Bytecoin codebase in 2014 to create BitMonero. Later, the community changed that name to Monero.
XMR is also ASIC resistant like Vertcoin, which makes it one of the cryptocurrencies you can mine profitably using a home GPU. Also, setting up the mining rig is easy. After purchasing the mining hardware and a wallet, download the mining software and configure it.
The Monero block time is two minutes and the maximum supply is not indicated.
Ravencoin (RVN)
ravencoin is one of the best cryptocurrencies to mine using GPUs. It focuses on making mining decentralized. As a result, anyone can mine RVN efficiently from home with the right mining setup. The cryptocurrency uses an algorithm known as KAWPOW.
The developers behind Ravencoin launched the cryptocurrency in November 2018. The Ravencoin protocol is based on a fork of Bitcoin code. However, Ravencoin is different from Bitcoin in that project owners can issue and transfer assets and sub-assets. Furthermore, it has a one-minute lock time and the total coin supply is 21 billion.
Download the mining software and configure it to mine RVN, then join one of the RVN supported mining pools found on here .
Haven Protocol (XHV)
Haven Protocol is a fork of Monero, meaning it has the same privacy features but offers price stability through its synthetic stablecoin, xUSD.
The XHV uses the CryptoNight Heavy algorithm, which is ASIC resistant and incompatible with Nicehash. Consequently, you can mine this cryptocurrency at home with a compatible graphics card and mining software. The developers behind this project released the Haven Protocol mainnet in July 2020.
XHV lock time is 120 seconds and around 14.2 million coins in circulation as of March 2021.
Ethereum Classic (ETC)
Ethereum Classic is a hard fork of Ethereum that aims to keep the original Ethereum blockchain. The Ethereum Classic blockchain also supports DApps and smart contracts. ETC released in July 2016.
Ethereum Classic uses a modified version of Ethereum's Ethash mining algorithm called EtcHash. The modification, also known as the Thanos update, provided more access to GPU miners. Therefore, miners with 3GB and 4GB GPUs can mine ETC. ETC developers ran Thanos in November 2020.
You can start mining ETC by purchasing a wallet that supports this cryptocurrency and one or more graphics cards. Then download mining software like GMiner and configure it. Once finished, your platform will start mining ETC for you.
The ETC supply limit is 210,700,000 and the blocking time is about 13 seconds.
Monacoin (MONA)
Monacoin is a fork of Litecoin that the anonymous developer, Mr. Watanabe, based on the ASCII cat character Mona. Mona is a popular internet meme in Japan created in 2000.
Monacoin uses the Lyra2RE (v2) proof-of-work algorithm and has a block time of 15 minutes. Also, the total supply of coins is 105,120,000. The Lyra2RE (v2) algorithm makes MONA one of the best cryptocurrencies to mine using GPUs.
The mining process is similar to other GPU-compatible cryptocurrencies. After purchasing a wallet and graphics card, download the mining software and configure it.
The coin was launched in 2013 and many merchants in Japan accept it as a payment method.
Aeternity (AE)
aeternity is another popular GPU-powered cryptocurrency that was founded by Yanislav Malahov in 2016. The Aeternity blockchain uses proof-of-work and proof-of-interest consensus mechanisms. The proof-of-work mechanism is called Cuckoo Cycle, an ASIC-resistant, low-power algorithm.
To mine AE with a GPU, get a card with a minimum memory of 4GB and download the mining software. Then set it up and you will start getting AE in your wallet.
The main block on the Aeternity blockchain is created every 180 seconds. Also, the team behind this project did not provide a maximum supply of coins.
(BEAM)
beam is another cryptocurrency that home miners can mine using a GPU with a minimum memory of 4GB. Beam uses an altered version of the Equihash (150.5) PoW mining algorithm, called Beam Hash III. Furthermore, it runs on the Mimblewimble and LelantusMW blockchain protocols. The team behind Beam launched the project in 2018.
The beam has a maximum coin supply of 262,800,000 and a lock time of about one minute.
On the Beam website, you can find mining software compatible with Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. Just download this software and configure it to start BEAM mining.
Komodo (KMD)
Komodo is another GPU compatible cryptocurrency that uses the Equihash PoW mining algorithm. The development of this blockchain started in 2014. Since 2019, Komodo has been offering secure and interoperable blockchain solutions for businesses.
Originally, Komodo was a fork of Zcash, but the developers have updated it with new features like smart contracts. Additionally, Komodo uses a PoW consensus mechanism called delayed PoW (dPoW). dPoW uses the Bitcoin blockchain to keep the Komodo blockchain secure.
You can acquire KMD by downloading the mining software and setting it up with a wallet and mining pool.
The total supply of KMD is 200 million and the lock time is 60 seconds.
Feathercoin (FTC)
feathercoin is an open source cryptocurrency that supports GPU miners. Miners at home can also use a CPU, however GPUs are more efficient. The mining algorithm is NeoScrypt, which favors GPU mining.
Feathercoin's origin dates back to April 2013, making it one of the oldest altcoins. In addition, it offers “light” payouts thanks to its fast one-minute block time. Feathercoin also offers low-cost payments. The total supply of coins is 336 million.
You will need software like Cudaminer to start mining FTC. Furthermore, the Feathercoin community recommends P2Pool as the best mining pool.
Check out : 5 Best Bitcoins and Altcoins Faucets |→ Free Cryptocurrencies
final thoughts
Just because you can mine specific cryptocurrency with a GPU does not necessarily mean that you should, or will be able to do so profitably. Do your homework to better understand what the prospect of cryptocurrency you can mine is. Does it have an actual use case? Is your user base growing? Should you keep or sell the crypto you mine right away?
Keep in mind that mining cryptocurrencies comes with risks as the value of the cypto you are mining can fluctuate widely. You should never invest in mining what you can afford to lose.