In this guide, we will look at the best cryptocurrencies to mine using a GPU in 2021. Small at-home mining operations can still mine these digital currencies profitably from home with the proper GPU setup and reasonable electricity costs.
Before discussing mining crypto using a GPU (home computer), lets first discuss how most major cryptocurrencies are mined, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Many of the largest and best-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 upgrading your ASIC miner to the latest version as they come out, it can be challenging to compete with other more sophisticated miners, all vying to win the mining rewards for the same coin.
Here are some of the crypto assets that can be mined successfully using your GPU instead:
Vertcoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency 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 more fairly distributed by allowing anyone to mine it and not have the mining controlled by centralized ASIC mining firms and pools.
The cryptocurrency was created in January 2014 and is based on the Bitcoin code. It has a similar block 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 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. The community later changed this name to Monero.
XMR is also ASIC-resistant like Vertcoin, making it one of the cryptocurrencies you can profitably mine using a GPU from home. Moreover, setting up the mining rig is easy. Once you acquire mining hardware and a wallet, download the mining software and configure it.
The Monero block time is two minutes, and the maximum supply is unindicated.
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 at 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’s code. However, Ravencoin is different from Bitcoin because project owners can issue and transfer assets and sub-assets. Additionally, it has a block time of one minute, and the total coin supply is 21 billion.
Download mining software and configure it to mine RVN, then join one of the RVN supported mining pools found here.
Haven Protocol is a fork of Monero, which means it has the same privacy features but offers price-stability through its synthetic stablecoin, xUSD.
XHV uses the CryptoNight Heavy algorithm, which is ASIC-resistant and incompatible with Nicehash. Consequently, you can mine this cryptocurrency at home with a graphics card and with compatible mining software. The developers behind this project released the mainnet of Haven Protocol in July 2020.
The block time of XHV is 120 seconds, and about 14.2 million coins in circulation as of March 2021.
Ethereum Classic is a hard fork of Ethereum that aims to maintain the original Ethereum blockchain. The Ethereum Classic blockchain also supports DApps and smart contracts. ETC launched in July 2016.
Ethereum Classic uses a modified version of Ethereum’s Ethash mining algorithm called EtcHash. The modification, also known as the Thanos upgrade, provided more access to GPU miners. Therefore, miners with 3GB and 4GB GPUs can mine ETC. ETC developers executed Thanos in November 2020.
You can begin mining ETC by acquiring a wallet that supports this cryptocurrency and one or more graphics cards. Next, download mining software like GMiner and configure it. Once you are done, your rig will start mining ETC for you.
The supply limit of ETC is 210,700,000 and the block time is about 13 seconds.
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 that was created in 2000.
Monacoin uses the Lyra2RE(v2) proof of work algorithm and has a 15-minute block time. Furthermore, the total coin supply 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-friendly cryptocurrencies. After acquiring a wallet and a graphics card, download the mining software and configure it.
The coin was launched in 2013, and several merchants in Japan accept it as a payment method.
Aeternity is another popular GPU-minable cryptocurrency that was founded by Yanislav Malahov in 2016. The Aeternity blockchain uses both proof of work and proof of stake consensus mechanisms. The proof of work mechanism is called Cuckoo Cycle, an ASIC-resistant and power-efficient algorithm.
To mine AE with a GPU, get a card with a minimum memory of 4GB and download mining software. Next, configure it, and you will start receiving AE in your wallet.
The main block on the Aeternity blockchain is created every 180 seconds. Also, the team behind this project has not provided a maximum coin supply.
Beam is another cryptocurrency that at-home miners can mine using a GPU with a minimum memory of 4GB. Beam uses an altered version of Equihash (150,5) PoW mining algorithm called Beam Hash III. Additionally, it runs on the Mimblewimble and LelantusMW blockchain protocols. The team behind Beam launched the project in 2018.
Beam has a maximum coin supply of 262,800,000 and a block time of about one minute.
On the Beam website, you can find the mining software compatible with Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. Simply download this software and configure it to start mining BEAM.
Komodo is another GPU-friendly cryptocurrency that uses the Equihash PoW mining algorithm. The development of this blockchain began back in 2014. Since 2019, Komodo has been offering secure and interoperable blockchain solutions to businesses.
Originally, Komodo was a fork of Zcash, but developers have since updated it with new features like smart contracts. Moreover, Komodo utilizes 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 mining software and configuring it with a wallet and mining pool.
The total KMD supply is 200 million and the block time is 60 seconds.
Feathercoin is an open-source cryptocurrency that supports GPU miners. At-home miners can also use a CPU, however, GPUs are more efficient. The mining algorithm is NeoScrypt, which favors GPU mining.
The origin of Feathercoin dates back to April 2013, making it one of the oldest altcoins. Also, it offers ‘featherlight’ payments thanks to its fast one-minute block time. Feathercoin provides low-cost payments as well. The total coin supply is 336 million.
You will need software like Cudaminer to start mining FTC. Furthermore, the Feathercoin community recommends P2Pool as the best mining pool.
Just because you can mine specific crypto with a GPU does not necessarily mean you should, or whether you will be able to do it profitably. Do your homework to better understand what the prospect is for the cryptocurrency you could mine. Does it have an actual use case? Is its user base growing? Should you hold or sell the crypto you mine immediately?
Keep in mind mining cryptocurrency is not without risks as the value of the cypto you are mining can fluctuate widely. You should never invest more in mining than you can afford to lose.