CPU vs. GPU Mining: Which Is More Profitable?

As cryptocurrency gains more notoriety and more people enter the space looking to invest, the ways in which we mine for our coins change to accommodate the larger market. Two major methods of mining crypto have come to the forefront, one using a computer’s CPU and another using its GPU. We’ll explore the differences in CPU and GPU crypto mining and try to discover which can be more profitable.

The Biggest Differences Between CPU and GPU Mining

The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of a computer that delivers instructions to the rest of the machine. The graphics processing unit (GPU), on the other hand, normally handles the rendering of what we see on the screen. Using one option over the other offers some benefits and downsides to consider.

Mining Speed

In general, a GPU will be able to mine crypto coins much faster than any CPU could on its own. Mining crypto involves processing as many complex math problems as possible, which a CPU can’t do as efficiently because it has other tasks to take care of at the same time. A GPU can fully dedicate itself to mining and offers a much faster hashing rate.

Required Maintenance

If you try to rely on only your CPU for mining, you’ll wear out your CPU very quickly. This means you’ll need replacements that you’ll have to swap in and out yourself. Upgrading a GPU is usually much easier than swapping out a CPU because the CPU is already integrated into so many other systems.

Use of Energy

Energy usage is an important factor to consider for crypto mining, especially if you want to set up a larger operation. For most large mining pools, GPUs are the go-to for mining hardware because they don’t use up as much energy as CPUs, and they’re more efficient miners, even while using less energy overall.

Initial Investment

One thing to consider when you’re getting started is how much you can initially invest . If you don’t have a lot of money to get started, GPUs can sometimes be much more cost prohibitive. CPUs are the more affordable option, but the returns won’t be as high compared to the more expensive GPUs.

What Will Generate More Profit?

If we’re trying to understand whether CPU or GPU mining will be more profitable, we have to weigh the options against how much you’re willing to put into one or the other. GPUs are much more efficient at mining, thus generating more coins in a shorter amount of time. It’s safe to say that if you really want to make money in cryptocurrency, a GPU is the way to go.

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