How to Mine Ethereum with a GPU: A Complete Guide

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Mining Ethereum using a graphics processing unit (GPU) was once one of the most accessible ways for individuals to participate in blockchain networks and earn cryptocurrency rewards. While Ethereum has transitioned to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, making GPU mining no longer viable on the mainnet, understanding the historical process remains valuable for enthusiasts, researchers, and those exploring alternative Ethereum-based chains or other mineable cryptocurrencies.

This guide walks you through the technical steps of setting up GPU-based Ethereum mining using older but well-documented tools, focusing on Ubuntu 16.04 and the NVIDIA GTX 1080 as a reference setup. The principles covered here can be adapted to similar systems and provide insight into decentralized network participation.

Installing GPU Drivers and CUDA

To begin mining, your system must support GPU computation. For NVIDIA GPUs like the GTX 1080, this means installing the appropriate drivers and the CUDA toolkit, which enables parallel computing.

Start by adding NVIDIA’s official repository key and configuring the package source:

apt-key adv --fetch-keys http://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu1604/x86_64/7fa2af80.pub
echo "deb http://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu1604/x86_64 /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cuda.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install cuda-drivers cuda

These commands ensure that your system recognizes and can install CUDA-compatible components. After installation, reboot your machine to load the new drivers.

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Compiling and Installing Genoil’s cpp-ethereum

Once your GPU environment is ready, the next step is to compile a mining client. One popular choice in the past was Genoil’s fork of cpp-ethereum, optimized for CUDA-based mining.

Install required dependencies:

sudo apt -y install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:ethereum/ethereum
sudo apt -y update
sudo apt -y install git cmake libcryptopp-dev libleveldb-dev libjsoncpp-dev \
libjsonrpccpp-dev libboost-all-dev libgmp-dev libreadline-dev \
libcurl4-gnutls-dev ocl-icd-libopencl1 opencl-headers mesa-common-dev \
libmicrohttpd-dev build-essential

Clone the repository and build the miner:

git clone https://github.com/Genoil/cpp-ethereum
cd cpp-ethereum
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DBUNDLE=cudaminer ..
make -j8

After successful compilation, an executable named ethminer will be located in the build/ethminer directory. This tool allows direct interaction with Ethereum mining pools via GPU power.

Connecting to a Mining Pool

Since solo mining is impractical for individual users, joining a mining pool increases the likelihood of consistent rewards by combining computational resources.

Popular pools such as Ethermine and Ethpool allow miners to contribute hash rate and receive proportional payouts. To connect:

Set optional environment variables if you have limited VRAM (e.g., 2GB):

export GPU_FORCE_64BIT_PTR=0
export GPU_MAX_HEAP_SIZE=100
export GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS=1
export GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT=100
export GPU_SINGLE_ALLOC_PERCENT=100

Then start mining with Ethermine:

./ethminer --farm-recheck 2000 -U -S us2.ethermine.org:4444 \
-FS us1.ethermine.org:4444 -O 0xba90FF2fA9016B3883799D150fB15DB5b4894f8b.eth01

Here’s what each parameter means:

For Ethpool, use port 3333 instead:

./ethminer --farm-recheck 2000 -U -S us2.ethpool.org:3333 \
-FS us1.ethpool.org:3333 -O 0xba90FF2fA9016B3883799D150fB15DB5b4894f8b.eth01

Genoil vs. Claymore: Choosing the Right Miner

While ethminer from Genoil offers solid performance, many miners preferred Claymore’s Dual Miner due to its efficiency and dual-mining capability.

On a GTX 1080, both miners achieve around 20 MH/s in Ethereum-only mode. However, Claymore allows simultaneous mining of a secondary coin—such as Decred, Siacoin, Lbry, or Pascal—while only slightly impacting Ethereum performance.

Example: Mining ETH + Decred:

./ethdcrminer64 -epool us2.ethermine.org:4444 \
-ewal 0xba90FF2fA9016B3883799D150fB15DB5b4894f8b.eth01 -epsw x \
-dpool pasc-us-west1.nanopool.org:15555 \
-dwal Dsab2dnwdTTpibkUr9VREdhLNytdnCv9nGv -dpsw x

Mining ETH + Siacoin:

./ethdcrminer64 -epool us2.ethermine.org:4444 \
-ewal 0xba90FF2fA9016B3883799D150fB15DB5b4894f8b.eth01 -epsw x \
-dpool stratum+tcp://siamining.com:7777 \
-dwal a808cdb0061d81418f6f146775dad4e3590eba207f285ad67b061a2ec01f6402960e02e36e7a.sia01 \
-dcoin sia

Claymore charges a 1% fee in single-mode and 2% in dual-mode, collected by mining for the developer approximately 36–72 seconds per hour.

⚠️ Important: Do not run multiple miners simultaneously (e.g., ethminer and ethdcrminer64). This causes resource conflicts and halves overall performance.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I still mine Ethereum with a GPU in 2025?
A: No. Ethereum completed The Merge in 2022, transitioning from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. GPU mining is no longer possible on the Ethereum mainnet.

Q: Are there any cryptocurrencies similar to Ethereum that can still be mined with GPUs?
A: Yes. Some Ethereum forks like Ethereum Fair (ETF) or EthereumPoW (ETHW) continue to support GPU mining. Always verify network legitimacy before investing time or hardware.

Q: Why was the GTX 1080 popular for Ethereum mining?
A: It offered an excellent balance of price, power efficiency, and memory bandwidth, achieving around 20–25 MH/s while consuming relatively low power compared to larger cards.

Q: What happened to mining pools like Ethermine and Ethpool after The Merge?
A: Many pools have shifted focus to alternative PoW chains or closed operations. Some now support ETHW or other mineable tokens.

Q: Is dual mining profitable?
A: It depends on electricity costs, hardware efficiency, and secondary coin value. While Claymore boosted returns historically, profitability varies significantly today.

Q: How do I check my mining performance and payouts?
A: Most pools provide dashboards linked to your wallet address. For example, Ethermine displays real-time stats when you enter your address.

Core Keywords

While Ethereum GPU mining is now obsolete on the main chain, the knowledge gained from setting up these systems contributes to a deeper understanding of blockchain infrastructure and decentralized consensus mechanisms.

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