Dual mining: How it works| Does it Benefits You| Setup Instructions (Easy)

Dual mining: How it works (Setup instructions made easy) | Does it Benefits You (Baby Steps To More Profit) – Cryptocurrency mining is one of the most relevant topics that are actively discussed on the Internet after the popularization of Blockchain technology. Active users and enthusiasts follow the market and use various services that allow them to determine the most profitable cryptocurrency for mining at the moment. But there is an opportunity to mine two coins at once! This technology is called Dual Mining and is actively used with some algorithms. For details, see the review from ProstoCoin.

What is dual mining and how does it work

In short, dual mining involves the simultaneous use of various computer components to mine multiple currencies. This is possible because different algorithms use certain resources differently. So, for example, Ethash in Ethereum uses almost no GPU memory, while the algorithms of Siacoin and Decred coins do the opposite. So you can apply a dual mode when mining these coins and thus increase profits.

There are also some ASIC miners that support dual. For example, Gridseed gc3355 allows simultaneous mining of Bitcoin and Ethereum. It should be noted that new ASIC miners appear regularly and are a serious competitor to classic ASIC farms on video cards. Most likely, the mining industry will soon completely pass into the hands of large industrial players, and home mining will remain the occupation of crypto enthusiasts.

Dual mode often means the simultaneous mining of Ethereum, Ethereum Classic or Expansion and a second compatible currency. Their list is regularly updated with new projects, but new compatible algorithms do not appear so often.

Unfortunately, there are no such alternatives for the Equihash algorithm, which makes it impossible to extract the ZCash (Zec), ZenCash (Zen) currencies in a pair with the second, additional one. And after the advent of ASIC miners for Equihash, home mining of these currencies becomes much more complicated. The ZCash developers have already stated that countering ASIC miners is not a priority for them.

How to set up dual mining

Let’s look at the dual mining setup using the ETH + DCR pair as an example. The first thing to do is register wallets for the selected cryptocurrencies. You can use official PC programs, mobile apps, or dedicated websites. Some cryptocurrency exchanges also support transfers of funds from mining pools. It is important not to confuse Ethereum and Decred wallet addresses when configuring the program.

If you do not know which mining pool to choose, then you can use, for example, the service Suprnova.cc… This pool network supports many cryptocurrencies, including Decred and Ether among them. After a one-time registration on the site, you will be able to mine any currency there. You also do not need an additional wallet, since the coins are stored directly on your account and you can withdraw them to another address yourself at any time.

You can also recommend Dwarfpool pools with Ethereum support or Nanopool with Ethereum and Siacoin support, which is an alternative to Decred in dual mode. In general, any pool can be used, but these services have proven themselves well and have been on the market for more than a year.

Next comes the most important part: setting up the miner. We will use Claymore’s Dual Ethereum Miner… This software can be considered the main one when working with a dual mining mode. First you need to create a * .. bat file in the program folder. Later you can make a shortcut for it and place it in any place convenient for you, for example, on your desktop. So, open the file with a regular notepad and specify the setting line in it. The first part will be responsible for the production of Ether, and the second – for the production of Decred.

The final line should look something like this:

EthDcrMiner64.exe -epool Ethereum pool address -ewal Ethereum wallet address -eworker the name of the worker on the Ethereum pool -epsw the password of the worker on the pool of Ethereum -dpool address Pula Dekreda -light Dekred wallet address -dworker the name of the worker on the pool of Decred -dpsw worker password on the Decred pool -dcri 30

All values ​​are indicated without asterisks. Some pools do not require specifying a worker or wallet, and the configuration line setting depends on the pool you have chosen. The last value “-dcri” means the mining intensity of Decred. It is recommended to set this value from 30 to 45. When you try to increase the intensity, your Ethereum hash will begin to sink, and the temperature of the video card will exceed the permissible limits.

On the Internet, you can find ready-made examples of bat files or even services that allow you to generate them based on the data you entered. The most important thing is to make sure that your wallet or worker address is specified.

To start mining, you just need to run the resulting Claymore batch file. The program will display all data on the hash rate and temperature of the devices in the console. In dual mode, the video card heats up more, so it would be wise to also specify the maximum allowable temperature in the settings, after which the process will be interrupted. This will extend the life of the GPU.

You can also create several different .bat files with a different set of configurations or even for mining different currencies – and switch between them if necessary.

As for overclocking a video card, the situation is the same as in conventional mining. The increase in power leads to a proportional increase in the hash rate of both currencies.

Is dual mining profitable?

The question of how profitable it is to mine two coins at the same time in dual-mining mode is actively discussed on thematic forums. Users note that, despite the increased power consumption of the dual, the income still increases significantly. Some even write that the hash rate of each individual currency in this mode is higher than when mining separately. This is due to the architecture of GPU chips, which was also written about by the developer of the miner Claymore.

It should be noted that dual mining is better on video cards that are under warranty. This is due to the fact that the wear of the equipment in this mode is much stronger and, in the event of a breakdown of the video card, the owner will incur large losses instead of gaining benefits.

A special calculator will help to assess the profitability of dual mining. There are several similar services, consider one of the most popular – WhatToMine. To use it, you need to go to the site WhatToMine, find the drop-down menu at the top of the page called “ETH +” and select the required pair.

The following are available there:

• ETH + DCR (Decred)
• ETH+SC (SiaCoin)
• ETH+LBC (LBRY Credits)
• ETH + PASC (Pascal Coin)
• ETH + PASL (Pascal Lite)
• ETH+MAX (MaxCoin)
• ETH+SMART (SmartCash)
• ETH + XVG (Virgin)

Ethereum can be replaced by Ethereum Classic or Expans. You just need to open the corresponding drop-down menus: “ETC +” and “ETH +”.

Unfortunately, in the dual calculator there is no way to simply indicate the series of the video card, for example, ASUS Radeon RX 580. You must enter values ​​for both currencies. However, these values ​​can be taken from another section called “GPU”. There is a calculator for classic mining with the ability to select a GPU series and display its indicators in various currencies. You just need to choose your graphics card series.

It is recommended to compare the actual data from time to time: perhaps some of the coins will become more profitable in the dual. However, at the time of this writing, all pairs were bringing in approximately the same amount of money, and the difference was no more than one cent per hour.

Which dual coin will be more promising?

The cryptocurrency market is known to be very unpredictable. The value of a particular currency can fall and rise several times over the course of one day. The same applies to those currencies that are mined in tandem with ether. You can choose the currency for the dual using the aforementioned calculator, but it should be noted that the income from all variants of the dual mode is always approximately the same.

Knowledge of the technical analysis of the course from professionals will help to determine the choice of currency in dual. Some predictions are coming true. Moreover, you can make your own assumptions based on the data from the graphs.

It is recommended to create several bat files with settings for different pairs and switch between them, depending on the market situation. Alternatively, you can just mine each pair for a day and then move on to the next. This will help you diversify your portfolio, protect yourself from possible collapse of the rate.

One of the most interesting options is the Verge (XVG) cryptocurrency, which has been actively growing in value. Its main feature is anonymity, like Monero, but using anonymization of clients’ IP addresses.

The advantages and disadvantages of dual mining

Advantages

disadvantages

1. Full utilization of farm capacity. Choosing the right cryptocurrency for dual mode will help you fully utilize your farm and not waste any useful power. This is perhaps the only way to squeeze so much out of the equipment for mining cryptocurrency. 2. Good software. Fortunately, if you want to try dual, you won’t have to search for software for a long time. Claymore, a successful miner developer, offers a full-fledged tool for working in this direction. 3. Absence of negative impact on the production of Ether. No matter how paradoxical it may seem, the Ether hash rate does not sag when the dual is properly configured. This is also true for the second coin, for example, Siakoin or Decred. This is possible due to the fact that Ethereum mining almost does not use GPU memory, and the second currency compensates for this.

1. The need to make adjustments. Despite the fact that there are good software solutions for this direction, you still need some knowledge to correctly configure the miner. Some elements, such as intensity, have a significant impact on the entire process and must be specified accurately. 2. Increased wear and tear of equipment. Due to the full load on all components, the video card heats up and the cooling system operates at maximum speed. This negatively affects the service life of the device. 3. Increased power consumption. Electricity consumption also rises along with the load on the video card, so slightly higher values ​​should be taken into account when assessing the profitability of mining.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be said that dual mining is an interesting opportunity to make the most of the farm’s resources. Despite all the shortcomings, dual mining can be recommended for those who want to improve the efficiency of cryptocurrency mining. Setting up the process is not difficult, almost no different from setting up a regular miner.