[SOLVED] A question regarding graphics card and mining ?

[BlazeZ__]

Hey, I am very new to the pc world, this my first gaming pc so I was trying some crypto mining, I wanted to ask if using my card at 60 degree Celsius at 100 percent usage for around 10 hours will hurt it in the long run, like wear down the cores or fans ?

 

[tennis2]

60C is relatively cool. No issues there.
10hrs/day isn't awful. Most cypto miners run 24/7.

As far as "wearing down the cores or fans" you're working against a MTBF. Most of the time, you underclock the GPU core for ETH mining (VRAM speeds are more important) so that's even less stress on the GPU itself. The fans are more of a RPM-...BF situation, so slower fan speeds = longer life.

 

[USAFRet]

Also, what is the specific GPU, and what is your expected rate of return vs electricity cost?

 

[tennis2]

I've dabbled in ETH mining a few times over the years on my gaming rig. First time I started, the ROI was like...3 months only!! I never had the gumption to keep it up for more than a few weeks at a time though. Between the low ROI from my RX480, the heat output, and the risk of your personal-use GPU potentially dying just didn't make sense for me.

You also have to consider the up time. If you're only planning on mining for half the day, that doubles your ROI period.

Keep in mind also that ETH is supposed to (finally) convert to proof-of-stake sometime in the middle of this year. After that, mining ETH with GPUs will effectively cease to exist. There are/will be other GPU mining options, but right now, not many of them are anywhere near as profitable.

You're also subject to crypto price fluctuations (good or bad) and how long you intend to hold on to your earnings. You're a trader now. The first time I started mining ETH, it was at $300.....then it went to $1,000 (!!!)....then it went to $100.....then it went to $4,000.....then it went to $1,800... etc etc. Knowing when to sell or hold your earnings is important. It's not uncommon to see a 50% swing over the course of a week or two.

Not trying to dissuade you from mining, just trying to outline the reality of it all. It's not JUST free money.

 

[sizzling]

I briefly tried it but after seeing the VRAM temps (not gpu) I stopped. I had to drop the hash rate so much to get VRAM temps sensible it was pointless. My gpu’s priority is gaming, I’m not going to kill it in the gpu market for some secondary activity. I instead gambled on buying a little ETH & BTC and am up more than I could have mined at no risk to my hardware.

 

[tennis2]

I instead gambled on buying a little ETH & BTC and am up more than I could have mined at no risk to my hardware.

That's what I ended up doing also.