Are you going to get some new GPUs? Then take a look at this article first — here you will find a list of the top GPUs for mining in 2021 (all of the GPUs provided in this article are described on the basis of ETH mining).
Do note that your mileage may vary and the below stated hashrates and power consumptions are average based.
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT allows reaching ~50MH/s. With proper timings, the hashrate can be increased to 54–55MH/s. This applies to all GPUs, but especially AMD, you should take any and all software power readings with a grain of salt. The power consumption is pretty attractive: ~130W. This means that the efficiency is ~0.55 MH/s per Watt.
📍Disadvantages: loud fans and weak cooling system.
The launch price: $399.
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT can reach almost 41–42MH/s. The power consumption is ~130W. This gives us an efficiency of 0.32 MH/s per Watt. This may seem to be not very impressive, but this GPU is rather energy-efficient. Besides, its price is rather low.
In general, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is a great choice if you manage to find them at their MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price).
📍Unfortunately, this is virtually impossible, and this statement is relevant for any video card.
The launch price: $279.
AMD Radeon VII
This card seems to be the leader in terms of performance — it allows reaching ~100MH/s (after some tweaking). This is possible thanks to the improved memory bandwidth — 1TB/s, and 16GB of high bandwidth memory. At the same time, the power consumption is ~190W. This means that the efficiency of AMD Radeon VII can reach 0.53 MH/s per Watt.
However, fans can get very loud while mining and the average temperatures are rather high. Besides, AMD Radeon VII is very hard to find, especially at its launch price, which is rather high on its own.
By the way, if you managed to get this GPU and now are wondering how to c-mode Radeon VII for Hive OS, here is the guide.
The launch price: $699.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
With NVIDIA RTX 3080 you can reach almost 98–100MH/s with the correct OC, miner, and cooling solutions, while the power consumption is ~220W. Therefore, the efficiency is 0.45 MH/s per Watt.
That’s one of the best options, but just like any new gen GPU right now, it is scarcely available, and the pricing is extremely inflated. So you will have to think twice before buying such a card.
The launch price: $699.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti allows reaching ~60MH/s. The energy consumption is ~130W. This gives us the efficiency of 0.46 MH/s per Watt, while the price is rather attractive. Among all the NVIDIA GPUs mentioned in this article, 3060 Ti is one of the cheapest options (if you manage to find it at this price).
It’s a great alternative to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 that reaches the same hashrates and power levels but has higher MSRP.
The launch price: $399.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
With NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti you can reach the hashrate of ~25MH/s. It seems to be not that high, but the power consumption is a great benefit — only ~77W. This means that the efficiency is 0.32 MH/s per Watt.
The launch price: $279
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super
And here comes another affordable GPU — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super. Its hashrate is ~26MH/s, and the power consumption is ~70W. Therefore, the efficiency is 0.37 MH/s per Watt.
The launch price: $229
🗣 What miners think
We provided you with the list of top GPUs for mining in 2021 — it was created on the basis of our users’ preferences. Here are some of the results we got from our Twitter survey:
However, some of these cards are very hard to find, especially at their suggested retail price. That’s the main disadvantage and a potential challenge for you.
As for other disadvantages, like high average temperatures, you can deal with them with the help of Hive OS and its autofan feature.
To choose a card, consider your needs and budget, show due diligence, and remember about ETH 2.0. Try to estimate the ROI of your potential cards to understand how much time they will need to pay off. ETH won’t switch to PoS right now, but it will still happen at some point, and after this, even the most efficient GPUs will become useless for staking ETH

When you look at the 1.42 handle, it is an area that has been like a brick wall for several years, and I think breaking above there would make this market a longer-term “buy-and-hold” type of situation. I do not necessarily see that happening easily, and I do not necessarily see that happening in the next week or two. I think this is more or less going to be a bit of a grind higher, especially as we head into what is traditionally one of the quietest times of the year.