It's no secret that Nvidia wants to curb crypto mining on its RTX 3000 gaming GPUs, with team green introducing hash rate limiters into the cards earlier this year. However, the company hopes to capitalise on this demand through its own CMP HX range of RTX 3090.
Spotted by Komachi_Ensaka on Twitter, the unannounced mining GPU is currently listed on Yahoo Auctions for ¥600,000 JPY, which is around $5,279 USD. The specialist card is also available through Vipera, a Dubai-based retailer that's selling the crypto component for $4,560 USD.
Given its specialist nature, the CMP 170HX is on a different level compared to a gaming GPU when it comes to crypto mining. As it's specifically designed to solve cryptocurrency algorithms, it features an unlocked hash rate, but lacks gaming monitor display outputs and uses ive cooling. This leaves miners with two component ranges to choose from, while PC gamers remain limited to using traditional graphics cards.
The fact that the CMP 170HX is selling for double that of Nvidia's flagship GPU means crypto miners could opt for Nvidia's graphics card shortages, exuberant pricing probably won't help the situation, especially if RTX stock levels recuperate before crypto mining GPU prices depreciate.
https://twitter.com/KOMACHI_ENSAKA/status/1451549568546471943?s=20
Of course, miners have already circumvented the RTX 3000 series hash rate limiters, restoring performance to near 100%. So, until Nvidia comes up with a plan B, its gaming graphics cards could continue to be a popular component choice for crypto mining rigs.