The information confirming that Nvidia is preparing a line of graphic cards dedicated to cryptocurrency diggers is confirmed. We just got to know (unofficially) the specification of the first of them.
The popularity of cryptocurrencies is a huge problem for the entire graphics industry - the need to use GPUs to run this business means that their prices are rising up at an express pace, and the most efficient models are missing out in the stores. Nvidia is aware of this problem and tries to calm the situation by creating a special line of cards dedicated to the extraction of virtual currencies.
The new graphics systems are to use P102-100 processors based on GP102 chips (used for example in the NVIDIA Titan X), which confirms the specification of the first such card, produced by Inno3D, which just appeared on the web. P102-100 Crypto-Mining Accelerator - this is the name of this equipment - is a system that offers us 3200 CUDA cores, and core clocking is 3200 MHz. On board there will be 5 GB of GDDR5X graphics memory clocked at 11 Gbps and based on a 320-bit bus with a bandwidth of 400 GB / s.
As you probably expect, the card has quite a large demand for electricity. The TDP of this system is up to 250W - for comparison, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti can boast the same value. It is worth remembering, however, that we are dealing with a graphics card with no video connectors - there is no assembly herring in the picture presenting the system, but in the final version of the system it will be included in the set. The whole uses two 8-pin PCI-E plugs, so the potential buyer should not save on the power supply.
Inno3D P102-100 Crypto-Mining Accelerator is a card occupying two slots, which of course is dictated by the need to install an efficient cooling system. It was based on the Twin X2 cooler, which was supplemented with 5 copper heat pipes directly from the core of the card. If you're busy digging crypto currency, I'm giving you a handful of statistics on their performance in relation to particular currencies:
- Ethereum – 47 MH/s
- ZCash – 660 Sol/s
- Monero – 879 MH/s
Of course, we do not know yet how much the virtual miners will pay to be able to use the graphics card dedicated to cryptocurrencies. According to preliminary estimates, its price should not be lower than the aforementioned GeForce GTX 1080 Ti - this information is difficult to determine considering the current turmoil in the graphics card market. It seems, however, that this issue may turn out to be absolutely secondary - regardless of the amount that will have to be spent on its purchase, the entire circulation will probably fall off the trunk.