Mining: So hot right now!
With Bitcoin nearing a new all-time high, it seems that everyone’s trying to get into mining nowadays. Even people who don’t know much about computer hardware or PC gaming are starting to take notice. Of course, mining profitability depends on how expensive electricity is in your area, and how cheaply you can get your hands on a decent graphics card. Speaking of graphics cards, it looks like one particular manufacturer has decided to place stickers on their products, warning users that they might lose their warranty should they decide to mine. We’re talking about Inno3D, which was apparently hit with a bit too many RMA requests lately.
Does mining really ruin graphics cards?
In short terms: it’s definitely worse than gaming. Modern games were designed to use as much GPU power as possible during intense scenes. However, graphics cards were designed to cope with this kind of strain. Running 24/7 at close to maximum speeds on a rack next to multiple other graphics cards can cause the cooling solution to give in early. Browsing through some mining forums quickly reveals that mining does result in more RMA’d graphics cards. Still, the sticker that Inno3D puts into place is probably not binding in a legal sense. Especially since it is hard to prove that a card was used for mining. The sticker says that Inno3D has “the right to void the warranty if there is any damage associated with this application.” They also mention that their graphics cards were not designed for crypto mining.
Either way, it’s probably safe to assume that miners will stay clear of this brand from now on. Just to be on the safe side.
