Best Crypto to Mine with a GPU
in 2026

Why GPU Mining Is Still Relevant in 2026

After Ethereum's transition to proof-of-stake in 2022, many declared GPU mining dead. They were wrong. A new generation of ASIC-resistant mining algorithms has emerged, specifically designed to keep mining accessible to anyone with a graphics card. These algorithms exploit the unique architecture of GPUs — thousands of parallel cores, high memory bandwidth, and flexible instruction sets — making specialized ASIC hardware impractical or uneconomical to develop.

Advantages of GPU Mining

• Flexibility: A single GPU can mine dozens of different algorithms and coins. Switch anytime based on profitability.
• Resale value: Unlike ASICs, GPUs retain value for gaming, AI workloads, and rendering. Your hardware investment is not stranded if you stop mining.
• Accessibility: No special hardware needed. Your existing gaming PC or workstation can mine.
• Decentralization: ASIC-resistant coins have more distributed mining power, which is healthier for network security. Learn more about mining pool security and how pools protect your earnings.
• Lower risk: Smaller upfront investment compared to ASIC rigs that can only mine one algorithm.

Ravencoin (RVN) — The GPU Miner's Favorite

Ravencoin emerged as one of the top GPU-mineable coins after Ethereum moved to PoS. See our Ravencoin mining guide for detailed setup instructions. The KAWPOW algorithm (a modified ProgPoW) is specifically engineered to match the capabilities of consumer GPUs. It uses random math sequences, memory-hard operations, and the full computational pipeline of modern graphics cards, making ASIC development extremely challenging.

RVN's asset tokenization platform gives it real-world utility beyond speculation. Users can create and transfer digital assets, tokens, and NFTs directly on the Ravencoin blockchain. This built-in functionality drives organic demand for the coin.

GPU Hashrate Benchmarks (KAWPOW)

# T-Rex miner for NVIDIA GPUs - Suprnova Ravencoin
t-rex -a kawpow \
  -o stratum+tcp://rvn.suprnova.cc:6667 \
  -u YourUsername.WorkerName \
  -p x

# NBMiner for NVIDIA or AMD GPUs
nbminer -a kawpow \
  -o stratum+tcp://rvn.suprnova.cc:6667 \
  -u YourUsername.WorkerName \
  -p x

Zcash (ZEC) — Established Privacy Coin

Zcash has been a reliable GPU mining target since its launch in 2016. Our Zcash mining guide covers everything from miner setup to optimization. The Equihash (200,9) algorithm is memory-hard, requiring significant RAM bandwidth, which plays to the strengths of modern GPUs with their high-bandwidth GDDR6/GDDR6X memory subsystems.

While Equihash ASICs exist, the GPU mining community remains active on Zcash. The coin's strong privacy features (optional shielded transactions using zk-SNARKs), presence on all major exchanges, and established market capitalization make it a lower-risk mining choice compared to newer coins.

Why GPU Miners Choose Zcash

• Liquidity: ZEC is listed on virtually every exchange, making it easy to sell or trade
• Stability: Established since 2016 with consistent development and funding
• Privacy: Optional shielded transactions provide real utility
• Predictable: Well-understood algorithm with stable difficulty adjustments

# lolMiner for Zcash on Suprnova (works on NVIDIA and AMD)
./lolMiner --algo EQUI \
  --pool stratum+tcp://zec.suprnova.cc:2142 \
  --user YourUsername.WorkerName \
  --pass x

# EWBF miner for NVIDIA GPUs
./miner --server zec.suprnova.cc \
  --port 2142 \
  --user YourUsername.WorkerName \
  --pass x

Vertcoin (VTC) — ASIC Resistance by Design

Vertcoin's entire philosophy revolves around keeping mining accessible to regular people with regular hardware. The project has hard-forked multiple times in the past to break ASIC compatibility, and the current Verthash algorithm represents their strongest effort yet at permanent ASIC resistance. See our Vertcoin mining guide for setup details.

Verthash works by requiring miners to perform random lookups against a 1.2 GB data file (verthash.dat). This file must be stored in GPU memory, and the random access pattern makes it extremely difficult for ASICs to optimize. The algorithm effectively turns mining into a memory-bound operation where GPU memory bandwidth is the bottleneck.

Verthash Setup

The verthash.dat file is generated once and reused for all subsequent mining sessions. Generation takes approximately 2-5 minutes depending on your hardware. The file is universal — the same file works for all GPUs.

# First run: VerthashMiner generates verthash.dat automatically
# This takes ~3 minutes and is only needed once

./VerthashMiner --algo verthash \
  --url stratum+tcp://vtc.suprnova.cc:5778 \
  --user YourUsername.WorkerName \
  --pass x \
  --verthash-data ./verthash.dat

# Subsequent runs use the existing verthash.dat file
# Mining starts immediately without regeneration

Groestlcoin (GRS) — Power-Efficient Mining

Groestlcoin uses the Groestl algorithm, one of the five finalist candidates for the SHA-3 standard by NIST. This means the algorithm has undergone rigorous cryptographic analysis and is proven to be secure. For miners, the key advantage is efficiency: the Groestl algorithm produces significantly less heat and power consumption per hash compared to many other GPU-mineable algorithms.

Lower power consumption means three things: lower electricity bills, less cooling needed, and longer GPU lifespan. If you mine in a warm climate or are concerned about electricity costs, Groestlcoin is an excellent choice.

Mining GRS with suprminer

The suprminer software was developed by Suprnova specifically for optimal Groestl mining on NVIDIA GPUs. It leverages CUDA for maximum performance and includes automatic intensity tuning.

# suprminer for NVIDIA GPUs - optimized for Groestl
suprminer -a groestl \
  -o stratum+tcp://grs.suprnova.cc:5544 \
  -u YourUsername.WorkerName \
  -p x

# For AMD GPUs, use sgminer-gm
sgminer --algorithm groestlcoin \
  -o stratum+tcp://grs.suprnova.cc:5544 \
  -u YourUsername.WorkerName \
  -p x

GRS Feature Highlights

• SegWit: Among the first coins to activate Segregated Witness
• Lightning Network: Fast off-chain microtransactions supported
• Taproot/Schnorr: Advanced privacy and smart contract capabilities
• Active development: Consistently adopts Bitcoin Improvement Proposals

Karlsen (KLS) — BlockDAG GPU Mining

Karlsen uses a BlockDAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) architecture instead of a traditional linear blockchain. This allows for parallel block creation, enabling significantly higher transaction throughput. The kHeavyHash proof-of-work algorithm is GPU-optimized and provides a fair mining experience for consumer graphics card owners.

As a newer project, Karlsen represents an interesting opportunity for GPU miners. Network difficulty tends to be lower than established coins, meaning your GPU earns more coins per day. The trade-off is higher risk, as newer projects have less proven track records.

Why GPU Miners Like Karlsen

• Lower competition: Smaller network hashrate means more coins per GPU
• Innovation: BlockDAG technology offers technical advantages over traditional blockchains
• GPU-friendly: kHeavyHash runs efficiently on consumer graphics cards
• Growth potential: Early-stage projects can appreciate significantly

Xelis (XEL) — CPU/GPU Hybrid Mining

Xelis is unique among the coins on this list because its XelisHash algorithm is designed to be efficient on both CPUs and GPUs. For GPU miners, this means you can mine XEL with your existing setup while CPU miners can also participate without being at a catastrophic disadvantage.

The dual-hardware approach creates a broader mining community and more decentralized hash distribution. GPU miners will generally outperform CPU miners in raw hashrate, but the gap is smaller than on algorithms like Equihash or KAWPOW, where CPUs are essentially useless.

GPU Mining Xelis

GPU miners can contribute significantly to the Xelis network. The XelisHash algorithm balances compute and memory operations, taking advantage of GPU parallel processing while also utilizing memory bandwidth effectively. Both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs are supported.

Decred (DCR) — Hybrid PoW/PoS Mining

Decred uses the BLAKE3 hashing algorithm, which is extremely fast and parallelizable. While dedicated ASIC miners exist for Decred, GPU mining can still be worthwhile during periods of favorable difficulty or when DCR price is elevated. The BLAKE3 algorithm is simple to implement and runs efficiently on GPUs, with low overhead per hash operation.

What makes Decred unique is its hybrid PoW/PoS governance model. Block rewards are split between miners (PoW) and stakeholders (PoS), with a portion going to the project treasury. This creates a sustainable development funding model and gives the community direct control over protocol decisions through on-chain voting.

Decred Mining Considerations

• ASIC competition: Be aware that ASIC miners are present on the network
• Staking option: Mined DCR can also be staked for additional PoS rewards
• Governance: DCR holders vote on protocol changes through Politeia
• Treasury-funded: Development is funded by the protocol itself

GPU Recommendations for Mining

Choosing the right GPU for mining is about balancing hashrate, power consumption, and price. Here are our recommendations for different budgets and priorities:

Best Overall: NVIDIA RTX 4070

Best Performance: NVIDIA RTX 4090

Best AMD: RX 7900 XTX

Best Budget: Used RTX 3070 / RTX 3080

Complete GPU Comparison

Power Consumption and Profitability

Power consumption is the most controllable factor in mining profitability. Two miners with the same GPU can have drastically different electricity bills based on how they configure their hardware. Understanding and optimizing power usage is what separates profitable miners from those who struggle to break even.

Calculating Your Daily Cost

// Power cost formula
Daily cost = GPU watts / 1000 × 24 hours × electricity rate ($/kWh)

// Example: RTX 4070 at 150W (undervolted) with $0.10/kWh
Daily cost = 150 / 1000 × 24 × $0.10 = $0.36/day = $10.80/month

// Example: RTX 4090 at 300W with $0.10/kWh
Daily cost = 300 / 1000 × 24 × $0.10 = $0.72/day = $21.60/month

// Profit = Mining revenue - Electricity cost
// If RTX 4070 mines $1.50/day in RVN:
Daily profit = $1.50 - $0.36 = $1.14/day net

Electricity Rate Impact

Overclocking Basics for Mining

Mining overclocking is fundamentally different from gaming overclocking. In gaming, you push core clocks for maximum FPS. In mining, the priority is efficiency: maximizing hashrate per watt while keeping the GPU stable and cool for 24/7 operation.

The Key Principles

1. Undervolt first: Reduce core voltage to the minimum stable level. This has the biggest impact on efficiency. Most GPUs can run at 800-850mV instead of the stock 1000-1100mV.
2. Lower core clock: Mining is rarely core-limited. Reducing core clock by 100-200 MHz saves power with minimal hashrate impact (often under 2% loss).
3. Increase memory clock: For memory-intensive algorithms (Equihash, Verthash), boosting memory clock by +500 to +1000 MHz can increase hashrate by 5-15%.
4. Set power limit: Use power limit as a safety net. Set it 10-20% below stock TDP as an upper bound.
5. Monitor temperatures: Keep GPU core under 70C and memory junction (for GDDR6X) under 95C. Use nvidia-smi or HWiNFO64.

Example Settings: RTX 4070 for KAWPOW

# MSI Afterburner / nvidia-smi settings
Core Clock:    -200 MHz (from stock ~2475 to ~2275)
Core Voltage:  850 mV  (via voltage/frequency curve)
Memory Clock:  +750 MHz (from stock GDDR6X)
Power Limit:   150W    (down from 200W TDP)
Fan Speed:     70%     (keep temps under 65C)

# Result: ~29 MH/s at 150W instead of ~30 MH/s at 200W
# Efficiency: 193 KH/W vs 150 KH/W (29% improvement!)

Linux vs Windows for Mining

Linux typically offers 2-5% better mining performance compared to Windows due to lower OS overhead, no Windows Update interruptions, and more efficient driver implementations. However, Windows is easier to set up and has better GUI tools for overclocking. For a single GPU, Windows is perfectly fine. For multi-GPU rigs, Linux (especially HiveOS or Ubuntu) is strongly recommended.

# nvidia-smi commands for Linux mining optimization
nvidia-smi -pl 150                         # Set power limit to 150W
nvidia-smi -lgc 1800                       # Lock core clock to 1800 MHz
nvidia-smi -lmc 5001                       # Lock memory clock (if supported)
nvidia-smi --query-gpu=temperature.gpu,power.draw,clocks.gr,clocks.mem --format=csv -l 5