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Ethereum: Can I use one graphics card for games and one for Bitcoin mining, without losing performance?

Published by Terlumun Aondover on February 9th, 2025.

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Optimizing performance with double graphics boards: Can you use one for mining and the other for games?

As a PC player, you are probably not strange to the concept of double graphics boards. In recent years, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX series has allowed users to wear various graphics boards on their systems without sacrificing performance. However, when it comes to cryptocurrency mining like bitcoin or ethhereum, things can get more complex. Can you really use a graphic card for games and another for cryptocurrency mining? The answer is yes, but with some warnings.

Understanding the basics

First, let’s understand how double graphics plates work. When both cards are connected, they share the workload and can perform multiple tasks simultaneously. This technique is known as Multi-GPU (Multi-GPU) or Quad-GPU configuration. Each card processes a part of the workload, allowing you to use more processing power than a single GPU would do.

Mining cryptocurrencies

To extract cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum using double graphics cards, you will need two plates with different architectures and memory settings. Here is what you should know:

* Architecture:

Ethereum: Can I use one graphics card for games and one for Bitcoin mining, without losing performance?

Both cards must be of different generations (eg, Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 and R9 290x). For example, the GTX 660 uses Maxwell architecture, while the R9 290X uses Paschal architecture.

* Memory configuration: Each card needs to have separate memory settings for your mining software. The GPU will use its dedicated memory (Vram), while the host CPU will use the system RAM.

Configuring your system

To configure double graphics cards for cryptocurrency mining, follow these steps:

Choose Cards with Compatible Architecture: Select two Nvidia Geforce cards from different generations to ensure compatibility.

Set separate memory settings: Set the memory settings of each card separately using their favorite mining software (eg CGMiner or Ethminer).

Set the system: Set the BIOS and drivers of your system to support the multi-GPU configuration.

Example of configuration for GTX 660 + R9 290x

To give you an idea of how this configuration can work, let’s consider a simple example:

GTX 660 (Maxwell Architecture) – 2 GB GDDR5 Vram

R9 290x (Pascal Architecture) – 4 GB GDDR6 Vram

In this configuration:

GTX 660 will use its 2 GB of dedicated memory.

R9 290X will use its own 4 GB of memory.

Performance Considerations

Remember that using multiple graphics plates will not always result in better performance for cryptocurrency mining due to factors such as:

* Resource competition: Each card must compete for resources, which can lead to performance if the two cards are strongly used.

* Energy Consumption: Performing two powerful GPUS requires more energy than a single high performance GPU. This can lead to increased heat generation, reduced battery life in laptops and higher electricity accounts.

To maximize your mining performance with double graphics boards, make sure:

You have enough RAM (at least 4 GB) for each card.

The power supply of your system is able to deal with increased energy consumption.

You have a proper cooling solution to avoid overheating.

Conclusion

Although double graphics cards can be used for cryptocurrency mining, it cannot always result in better performance due to resource competition and energy consumption problems. However, with careful configuration and a proper system configuration, you can still get significant performance gains using multiple GPUS.