Did NVIDIA just give up on slowing the RTX 3060 down for crypto mining?
It looks like NVIDIA is backtracking on its plans to limit crypto mining on the RTX 3060.
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What you need to know
It appears that NVIDIA could be moving away from its stance on limiting the hash rate of the GeForce RTX 3060 for mining the Ethereum cryptocurrency. NVIDIA’s announcement that it would limit the hash rate of the RTX 3060 was met with mixed reactions. On the one hand, NVIDIA’s efforts were done to try to make the graphics card less alluring to crypto miners. On the other hand, NVIDIA appears to have done a poor job limiting the hash rate.
Last week,reports emergedof potential hacked workarounds of the limit. Those reports werethrown into question, but that might now matter at this point because the latest beta driver from NVIDIA removes the limit.
Computer Basereports that the GeForce 470.05 beta driver no longer limits the RTX 3060 when calculating the Ethereum algorithm. Notably, the switch does not include a BIOS update. NVIDIA is distributing the driver to developers through the Windows Insider Program.
At this point, it’s unclear if this is a purposeful move towards removing the limit entirely or just something NVIDIA is doing with a driver that’s in beta testing. It seems unlikely that NVIDIA would remove the limit with a beta driver only to bring it back again, but development paths aren’t always linear.
This saga is worth following for gamers, even if they don’t plan to use the card for mining. If the limit is removed, people might see if the RTX 3060 can be one of thebesting mining GPUs. As the RTX 3060 is likely one of thebest graphics cardson the market, stocks will be lower if miners want to use them.
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
