Reports on Nvidia aiming to repurpose its A100 compute accelerator as a Crypto Mining Processor accelerator surfaced as early as March of this year. The intermediate radio silence has now been broken, with purported photographs and screenshots of a repurposed A100 surfacing as a rebranded CMP 170HX. There's plenty to chew over, but as this isn't an officially announced product, take the details with a bit of salt.
While initial reports pointed towards a CMP 220HX branding with performance in the range of 215 MH/s for Ethereum mining, the final result delivered by the CMP 170HX is slightly less impressive, with the tested card delivering around 165 MH/s in a 250W envelope. It is still extremely impressive compared to the CMP 50HX accelerator that falls in the same 250 W envelope, though; that card can only output 45 MH/s less than a third of the CMP 170HX's performance. Thus, Nvidia seems to still have some headroom for an eventual 220HX release - at least judging from these specifications on offer in the 170HX.
The CMP 170HX is likely made via defective, harvested chips that didn't make it into the company's A100 - a beast of a card with 40 or 80 GB of HBM2e memory and packing a grand total of 6,980 enabled CUDA cores (84% of the in-silicon CUDA cores in the GA100 chip design).
Being a cryptocurrency mining-oriented card, Nvidia cut everything that wasn't strictly necessary for typical mining workloads. Besides the aforementioned headless design, the CMP170HX features only 4,480 CUDA cores (54% of GA100's design cores). Its HBM2e memory has been reduced to the bare minimum for Ethereum mining, with 8 GB HMB2e across two 4 GB stacks, delivering a maximum of 1,493 GB/s of bandwidth across its 4096-bit bus. Nvidia even slaughtered the PCIe bus on this card - the link is limited to PCIe 1.1 x4 (!), thus offering only 250 MB/s bandwidth across the PCIe bus (for reference, modern graphics cards with PCIe 4.0 x16 achieve 32 GB/s across the bus). However, mining workloads aren't dependant on the bus speed for performance - while most other applications users might want to use these cards for (like, say, actual ML and typical HPC workloads) will thus be rendered virtually impossible to process at a high enough throughput to make it worthwhile.
These alterations allow Nvidia to sell this card solely for cryptocurrency mining, at a premium, while keeping institutions, data centers and even tech-savy prosumers focused on the company's A-series offerings, also at a premium.
GPU-Z screenshots of the card, which has "170hx" added to cover whatever name has been assigned to the card in the identifier string, identify it with the 20C2 Device ID. The card was running on Nvidia's 471.41 driver version and core clocks are set at an 1140 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost. This is likely in the sweet spot for performance and power consumption for this particular accelerator since memory speeds, not core speeds, are the defining factor in cryptocurrency mining performance. This also enables a fully passive design since in-memory processing is less heat-intensive than in-core processing.
CMP is Nvidia's crypto-specific accelerator lineup, built to take some of the strain off the company's gaming-oriented GeForce lineup by streamlining the cards' design and extracting the bits and pieces that aren't required for crypto mining operations, such as the display outputs. All of Nvidia's CMP lineup, including the CMP 30HX, 40HX, 50HX and 90HX (with relative performance scaling with the product numerals), are headless.
Now there's one more tool to attract miners towards these graphics cards instead of our general GeForce graphics cards. Even with Nvidia's Lite Hash Rate performance limitation, these cards still present interesting venues for mining income. However, don't expect these CMP 170HX to be scooped up in droves by mainstream miners: While its pricing isn't currently known, the GA100 die inside is expensive for Nvidia to produce. However, it will definitely be an appealing solution to larger-scale mining operations it does qualify as one of the most efficient and higher-performing mining solutions in a single card currently available in the market.
Continue reading here:
Nvidia's CMP170HX in the Wild With 164 MHps of Ethereum Mining Performance - Tom's Hardware
- How does Ethereum work - Medium - February 3rd, 2018 [February 3rd, 2018]
- Ethereum - BTCMANAGER - February 19th, 2018 [February 19th, 2018]
- This Giant Infographic Compares Bitcoin, Ethereum, and ... - February 19th, 2018 [February 19th, 2018]
- What is Ethereum? | CryptoCompare.com - February 23rd, 2018 [February 23rd, 2018]
- The Top 10 Best Ethereum Wallets (2018 Edition) - February 23rd, 2018 [February 23rd, 2018]
- Ethereum fixes serious eclipse flaw that could be exploited ... - March 7th, 2018 [March 7th, 2018]
- How does Ethereum work, anyway? - Medium - April 25th, 2018 [April 25th, 2018]
- Free-Ethereum.com - Free Ether! - May 31st, 2018 [May 31st, 2018]
- What is Ethereum? | The Ultimate Beginners' Guide - June 20th, 2018 [June 20th, 2018]
- Ethereum Mining Guide for AMD and NVidia GPUs - Windows ... - June 20th, 2018 [June 20th, 2018]
- Ethereum: Blockchains, Digital Assets, Smart Contracts ... - July 16th, 2018 [July 16th, 2018]
- Ethereum Price - Mobile Friendly Price of Ether - July 16th, 2018 [July 16th, 2018]
- Ethereum Soars with over a 2,800% Rally - Coin News Asia - July 28th, 2018 [July 28th, 2018]
- Ethereum Co-Founder Joseph Lubin Says Speculators Driving ... - August 20th, 2018 [August 20th, 2018]
- Bitcoin and Ethereum: A Look At The Week Ahead - September 2nd, 2018 [September 2nd, 2018]
- EthereumPrice - Official Site - October 3rd, 2018 [October 3rd, 2018]
- Ethereum Classic Price Analysis: ETC/USD Could Revisit $12 - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- Ethplorer Ethereum tokens explorer and data viewer. Top ... - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- Buy and Sell Ether With The Peer-to-Peer Ethereum ... - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- Ethereum Price - CoinDesk - October 18th, 2018 [October 18th, 2018]
- EthereumPrice.org - USD Price, Charts & History - October 18th, 2018 [October 18th, 2018]
- Report: Whales Accumulate Ethereum (ETH) En-Masse Amid Bear ... - December 7th, 2018 [December 7th, 2018]
- GitHub - ethereum/go-ethereum: Official Go implementation of ... - December 7th, 2018 [December 7th, 2018]
- Ethererum Crypto-Economics Index Real-time Price Charts and ... - December 7th, 2018 [December 7th, 2018]
- Ethereum Definition | Investopedia - December 7th, 2018 [December 7th, 2018]
- What is Ethereum Gas: Step-By-Step Guide - Blockgeeks - December 19th, 2018 [December 19th, 2018]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Could Extend Losses Below $80 ... - December 19th, 2018 [December 19th, 2018]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Could Turn Bullish Above $90 ... - December 19th, 2018 [December 19th, 2018]
- Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple Prices Surge Higher; FOMO Santa Rally? - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Ethereum Co-Founder Calls the Cryptobottom of 2018 ... - December 26th, 2018 [December 26th, 2018]
- Part 1: Ethereum vs NEO Which blockchain will provide ... - December 31st, 2018 [December 31st, 2018]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Corrects Sharply, Can It Hold ... - December 31st, 2018 [December 31st, 2018]
- Ethereum: JPMorgan, Microsoft, Banks Form ... - fortune.com - January 3rd, 2019 [January 3rd, 2019]
- Ethereum News | Ethereum News today | Latest Ethereum News - January 3rd, 2019 [January 3rd, 2019]
- Ethereum (ETH) - Price, Chart, Info | CryptoSlate - January 3rd, 2019 [January 3rd, 2019]
- Ethereum Cash Pro - January 3rd, 2019 [January 3rd, 2019]
- What Is Ethereum? Here's What You Need To Know - January 3rd, 2019 [January 3rd, 2019]
- What is Ethereum? | The Ultimate Beginners Guide - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- Ethereum Classic - A smarter blockchain that takes digital ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Relatively Muted, Next Move ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- Buy and Sell Ether With The Peer-to-Peer Ethereum Marketplace ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- What is Ethereum? | The Ultimate Beginners' Guide - CoinCentral - January 30th, 2019 [January 30th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Breaks Down, Turned Sell on ... - January 30th, 2019 [January 30th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Remains Sell Near $128 ... - March 6th, 2019 [March 6th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Remains Sell Near $128, Target ... - March 11th, 2019 [March 11th, 2019]
- Create a cryptocurrency contract in Ethereum - March 11th, 2019 [March 11th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Buyers Wont Give Up Easily ... - March 11th, 2019 [March 11th, 2019]
- Buy and Sell ETH With The Peer-to-Peer Ethereum Marketplace ... - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum Technical Analysis - FXStreet - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum - Investopedia - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum - reddit - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum vs Bitcoin: The Battle for the Crypto Throne - Coindoo - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Could Make a Sustained Move ... - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum Project - March 18th, 2019 [March 18th, 2019]
- Ethereum - Official Site - April 20th, 2019 [April 20th, 2019]
- Ethereum (ETH) Price Starts Much Awaited Rebound To $170 - May 9th, 2019 [May 9th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Corrects But More Upsides Likely ... - May 9th, 2019 [May 9th, 2019]
- Ethereum Price Analysis: ETH Primed For Additional Losses ... - May 9th, 2019 [May 9th, 2019]
- Ethereum Won't Fail: Joseph Lubin - ccn.com - May 9th, 2019 [May 9th, 2019]
- Ethereum (ETH) Price Starts Fresh Increase: Bitcoin Leading ... - May 9th, 2019 [May 9th, 2019]
- Bitcoin Booming As Ethereum, Ripple's XRP, EOS And Litecoin ... - May 9th, 2019 [May 9th, 2019]
- Ethereum Bounty Program - May 30th, 2019 [May 30th, 2019]
- Dark Horses of dApps: 6 Blockchains With Ethereum In Their Sights - Crypto Briefing - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- Latin Americans get two new ways to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more - Decrypt - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- Ethereums Bearish Wave Count Outlined by Cryptocurrency Analyst - BeInCrypto - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- XRPs Third Quarter Inflation Rate Was Lower Than Ethereum (ETH) and Litecoin (LTC) - SludgeFeed - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- Ethereum (ETH) Dives To $170, Is $160 Next Bear Target? - newsBTC - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- Thomson Reuters: Bringing Smart Contracts to the Mainstream With Ethereum & Chainlink - Blockonomi - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- Crypto Analyst: Ethereum Has Bottomed, Expected To See Extended Rally - newsBTC - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- WATCH: MyCrypto CEO Taylor Monahan on Crypto Adoption and Ethereum - Coindesk - October 21st, 2019 [October 21st, 2019]
- Cryptocurrency market update: Kicks of a dying horse as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple remain suppressed - FXStreet - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Cryptocurrencies price prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum & Litecoin - American Wrap - 22 October - FXStreet - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Ethereums gas prices show an unusual surge when the Asian market sleeps - AMBCrypto - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Whale Consolidates $88M Worth of Ethereum in Two Transactions - BeInCrypto - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Ethereum Falls 10% In Selloff - Yahoo Finance - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- TRON Joins Bitcoin And Ethereum On Opera Browser - Crypto Briefing - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Ethereum (ETH) Rebound Faces Major Hurdle Near $180 - newsBTC - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Ethereum Breakout Above $360 Means Skys the Limit, Believes Cryptocurrency Analyst - BeInCrypto - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Ethereum Futures: The Next Big Derivative to Hit the Market? - Cointelegraph - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- Ethereum and Stellars Lumen Daily Tech Analysis 23/10/19 - Yahoo Finance - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]