Searching out the best mining CPU for your next rig? It's worth knowing that over the past two years, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have peaked and dipped. With the recent resurgence of Bitcoin, competition for mining cryptocurrencies has continued to intensify to the point where at present it's an ongoing challenge for everyday computer users to mine for coins in a manner that is cost-effective.
The result is that mining rigs remain in short supply and only slowly replenished, and serious miners are expected to have extended farms of hardware in order to keep going. However, there are cycles to economics including cryptocurrency mining, and while conditions can make it tough for profitable mining, it is a dynamic situation currently enjoying a renaissance.
New miners should keep in mind that most cryptocurrency mining is dependent on the GPU for the bulk of the processing power. However, there are some protocols that can take advantage of the modern processing power of a CPU. Additionally, some coins, such as Bytecoin and Zcash are better suited to CPU mining than the more standard coins, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum.
With that in mind, for hardcore miners and dedicated enthusiasts, it may yet be worth still investing in hardware for cryptocurrency mining. Combine the best mining CPU, the best mining GPU and best mining motherboard, and choose the best cryptocurrency for your needs, and you could quickly have a mining powerhouse that can potentially start earning enough to pay off your hardware and energy use while still turning some profit.
Here then are the best mining CPUs on the market for 2021.
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The best mining processors
Having a 32 core, 64 thread processor for mining provides you a huge advantage, but most of all, the Threadripper 3970X's dump truck sized 144MB of cache makes it an incredible mining CPU for many cryptocurrencies. It's uber expensive, sure, but put it to work with its 19.9 kh/s according to Hashrates, and you could soon pay off the initial outlay for this fantastic processor. Plus, if ever you tire of mining, you'll still end up with one heck of a processor!
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
AMD's Ryzen line of processors has been a huge hit since its release, and these fantastic chips are also some of the best mining CPUs money can buy. The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is a case in point: for a very compelling price you get a 16 core, 32 thread processor with 64MB of L3 cache. According to Hashrates, all of this multicore goodness translates to a more than respectable hashrate of 13.4 kh/s.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
While the processors we've mentioned above are great CPUs for mining in their own right, the Intel Pentium Gold G-6400 Desktop Processor is an excellent CPU for running a low-cost mining PC. This is because the initial outlay is low, and it's not a power-hungry CPU to run, so you won't rack up huge energy bills. By keeping to a low-cost mining CPU like the Intel Pentium Gold G-6400, you'll soon pay off the expenses and turn a profit quickly with its 1268.88 H/s hashrate according to BetterHash.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that with its mid-range chip, AMD offers more cores for less money when compared to Intel. While in year’s past this has equated to making compromises in other areas to keep the costs low, the Ryzen 5 3600X remains economical while offering solid performance. It makes it a strong choice for a mining CPU with a hashrate of 5.58 kh/s according to Hashrates.com.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
While the Threadripper 3970X is our pick of the best mining CPU, its little brother, the Threadripper 3960X is a worthy processor for mining as well, as it has the same amount of L3 cache. Despite being quite a bit cheaper, and having less cores and threads, the 3960X produces most of the hash rate as the more expensive 1970X. In some ways, the 3960X is a wiser investment for those looking for the best bang for the buck.
The Intel Core i9-10900X is an unlocked, overclockable deca-core processor from Intel, which makes it a great all-round CPU, and it's nice for mining as well. It won't bring the kind of impressive hash rates the Threadrippers of this world will, but it is a powerful processor for driving mining rigs that can do 5.48 kh/s according to Hashrates, and has good compatibility with some of the best mining motherboards on the market as well.
This is another great mining CPU for miners who are budget conscious and want a quick return on any hardware investments they make. You'll need to temper your expectations with what you want to get out of mining with a machine powered by an Intel Celeron G5905, but you'll find a solid performer that lets the GPUs do their jobs well.
If you're looking for a budget mining CPU from AMD, then the Ryzen 3 3100 is a brilliant choice, offering four cores compared to Intel's dual core budget CPUs of this price range, and a decent amount of L3 cache as well that gives it a Hashrate of 3063.00 H/s according to Betterhash. One of the best things about Ryzen 3 chips is that in the future you could swap it out for a more powerful Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 chip, so this could be the ideal CPU for people taking a tentative first step into the world of cryptocurrency mining.
Read the full review: AMD Ryzen 3 3100
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