Mining on a laptop in 2020 is significantly different from the one in 2009, but it is still possible. Users who want to make some profit from cryptocurrencies, but do not want to invest a large amount of funds have the opportunity to earn money using their everyday equipment.
To control the energy consumption, choose the right cryptocurrency for mining, do not neglect moderate overclocking, install the appropriate software, and much more. Let’s dive into the cryptocurrency mining on the laptop with Changelly.
Table of Contents
- Is It Possible to Mine Cryptocurrencies on a Laptop
- What Cryptocurrencies to Mine on a Laptop
- Laptops to Mine Crypto
- #1. Dell XPS 15
- #2. HP Pavilion 15
- #3. MSI GT75 Titan
- #4. Asus ROG G703GI
- Software for a Laptop Mining
- How to Start Mining on a Laptop
- Is It Profitable to Mine Cryptocurrencies on a Laptop
- Bottom Line
- About Changelly
Is It Possible to Mine Cryptocurrencies on a Laptop
Mining on a laptop depends on the components that will be involved. This can be a video card, processor (or a combination of both), as well as a hard drive.
The video card is the most powerful element that provides the processing of a considerable number of computational operations per second. Not full graphics cards are built into laptops, which affects performance and cooling.
An external video card can be connected either through a special docking station with a PCI-E connector or through an internal mPCI-E connector.
Find out more about best GPU miners.
The processor, although it has less power, is almost always used in mining in combination with the GPU, which gives a significant increase in performance. The newest processor is not still the best, sometimes devices of five years ago show a more impressive hashrate. Laptops are usually installed not too overpowering, but economical in terms of consumption processors.
A hard disk is a device also suitable for mining on specific algorithms. The profitability of this type of mining is in doubt at the moment – the choice of coins that support such algorithms is minimal, and their market value does not exceed $0.01. Thus, energy consumption will be even higher than profit.
What Cryptocurrencies to Mine on a Laptop
The following coins are united by the fact that their algorithms are relatively stable for use in ASIC miners, which means that they are even suitable for mining on a home gaming laptop:
- Zcash. A digital currency focused primarily on privacy. Uses the Equihash algorithm.
- Ethereum. The second-largest cryptocurrency in the world. Despite its popularity, it is still available for mining on video cards. Uses the Ethash algorithm.
- Dogecoin. A popular altcoin with a large and strong community of users. There is unlimited emission of DOGE. Uses the Scrypt algorithm.
- Monero. A network is ideal for mining from laptops and home PCs due to its high resistance to ASICs. Uses the RandomX algorithm.
- Grin and Beam. Coins using the highly confidential MimbleWimble algorithm. GRIN, also, produces a hard fork to maintain one hundred percent ASIC-resistance.
- Vertcoin. The currency supports the spirit of decentralization and financial sovereignty, provided even when creating Bitcoin. Uses the Lyra2RE algorithm, suitable for GPU and CPU mining.
Laptops to Mine Crypto
A laptop for cryptocurrency mining should be powerful enough but, at the same time, economical in energy consumption. The reliability of the components is essential, as they will be subjected to heavy loads during the process.
Mining on an old laptop is not the best idea, because it can fail. After all, the elements are already worn out, and continuous computing operations give maximum wear. If you are going to use the laptop at the same time for games/work, then consider your personal needs for power, screen, ergonomics, etc.
Four laptops are suitable for mining.
#1. Dell XPS 15
Powerful and portable laptop with a high-quality screen. Ideal for mining through the use of a discrete graphics processor. Due to the small size, you can take it with you to mine somewhere outside the house.
Features:
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Graphics Card
- Intel Core i5-7300HQ-i7-7700HQ Processor
- 512GB SSD Storage Device
- Screen: 15.6 inch
- RAM up to 16GB
#2. HP Pavilion 15
The laptop is thin but powerful. The laptop is suitable for those who want to save money without much compromising on performance. Lower upfront costs mean less risk.
Features:
- AMD Radeon R5 Graphics Card
- AMD dual-core processor A9 APU
- 512GB SSD Storage Device
- Screen: 15.6 inch
- RAM up to 16GB
#3. MSI GT75 Titan
The most expensive model on the list. The laptop is large, heavy, and high-power. It is one of the most productive in the market. You can get a certain income from mining, although due to the high cost, the payback will still take a lot of time. Traveling with such a device will be inconvenient.
Features:
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Graphics Card
- Intel Core i7 processor
- Storage is up to 1 TB SSD
- Screen: 17.3 inch
- RAM up to 32GB
#4. Asus ROG G703GI
A heavy and massive laptop with excellent power. If you do not plan to carry it with you, then this is a good option. Thanks to a modern processor, video card, and an impressive RAM, you can achieve a high hashrate. At the high price of the model, you need to make sure of its payback in advance.
Features:
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Card
- Intel Core i7-8750H-i9-8950HK Processor
- 256GB SSD Storage Device
- Screen: 17.3 inch
- RAM up to 64GB
Software for a Laptop Mining
Programs can be for mining on the processor, video card, and different algorithms. Here is a table with the most popular software.
Software | Hardware | Algorithms |
CPUMINER-opt | CPU | X19R; Lyra2REv3; Lyra2Z; X19Rv2 |
XMRig | CPU | CryptoNightR; RandonXMonero |
XmrStark | CPU; GPU (NVIDIA, AMD) | CryptoNightR |
XmrStarkRx | CPU; GPU (NVIDIA, AMD) | RandonXMonero |
ClaymoreDual | GPU (NVIDIA, AMD) | DaggerNashimoto (Ethash) |
GMinerCuda | GPU (NVIDIA, AMD) | AMD: CuckooCycle; BeamV2; Eaglesons. NVIDIA: Zhash, GrinCuckatoo31, CuckooCycle, GrinCuckarood29, BeamV2; Eaglesons; DaggerNashimoto (Ethash); GrinCuckatoo32 |
We’ve got a few articles about the best software for Bitcoin, Monero, Ethereum cryptocurrencies.
How to Start Mining on a Laptop
An operating system already installed on the laptop is suitable for mining, and no special preliminary settings are required. You can try to overclock the equipment using MSI Afterburner or analogs slightly. This can reduce wear on the cooling system.
Choose the miner program that is optimal for hardware (AMD and Nvidia video cards work better with different applications). There are also programs tailored for certain cryptocurrencies, but this is not always the most profitable option.
You should pay attention to the functionality of the programs so that you can use only a certain part of the mining capacities. When you do not use the laptop for work or games, it is better to turn on the maximum load to increase earnings.
Is It Profitable to Mine Cryptocurrencies on a Laptop
Profitability always depends on a hash rate, the possible number of operations per second. Therefore, you need to know the total hashrate of your laptop to calculate whether mining will be profitable.
We’ve already explained the basics of Bitcoin hashrate.
For example, a laptop has the following characteristics:
- Video card GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.
- Intel CPU i7-9700.
- The cost is $1200.
Power and hash of the Intel CPU i7-9700 for different algorithms:
- on the CryptoNightR algorithm: hashrate of 0.35 kH/s, power 65W,
- on the RandomXmonero algorithm: hashrate of 4.08 kH/s, power 65W.
The relative profitability is $0.24/day, the profit at the cost of electricity of $0.1 will be $0.08. ROI: 15,000 days or 41 years.
If you simultaneously use a processor and a video card for mining on a laptop, the profit will be $0.42, and the payback period is 2857 days or about eight years.
These calculations are approximate, but they show that if mining on a laptop will be profitable, then the investment will pay off only after many years. It is better to make a rig from video cards or a farm from ASICs.
The main costs are electricity charges. At the cost of electricity of $0.01, the total profit is already $0.75 and an ROI of 1600 days or four years, with the cryptocurrency exchange rate unchanged.
Bottom Line
Laptops, especially inexpensive ones, generally tend to overheat even during regular operation. And when mining, loads are tens of times higher, so providing proper cooling is a paramount task. Here is a small summary in the table below.
Pros | Cons |
Easy and quick setup | Quick wear of equipment |
A suitable option for a beginner who wants to get acquainted with the world of cryptocurrencies | Minimum profitability; dependence on the current position of the cryptocurrency market |
Low power consumption | |
Relatively small investments |
If you don’t want to figure out all the issues with mining cryptocurrency, check out the cross-rates on Changelly widget.