- Mining
You have probably heard of dual mining.
This is a practice in cryptomining that has become relatively common and allows you to mine two cryptocurrencies at the same time with only one GPU. Only a few small rules need to be followed!
But is dual mining worth it? How can you be sure that its mining works properly and becomes profitable enough?
In this article, we will see what dual mining is, how it works and how to practice dual mining using different mining platforms.
Presentation of dual mining
Mine two different coins
The term “dual mining” speaks for itself: it is a form of parallel mining of two different cryptocurrencies. A miner has to choose the first, the main crytocurrency, and the second in addition. The increased load makes the GPUs more exploited, but the earnings increase. There is a possibility to get two different cryptocurrencies at the same time using one piece of hardware, and this is the main advantage of dual mining.
It is also useful to know that a miner has to create two separate crypto wallets to collect them since dual mining generates two different cryptocurrencies!
To set up dual mining for Ethereum or any other cryptocurrency, you need to download, install and configure all drivers and programs. Then, you need to adjust your settings according to your mining pool and adjust the fan control to avoid overheating.
The right settings will achieve the highest possible efficiency with the lowest losses.
Commonly used mining software for dual mining are Gminer, NBminer, TeamRedMiner or T-Rex Miner.
These are the fastest mining software. They can increase the possibility of high reception with minimal loss of speed. The programs provide detailed information about the background settings for each GPU. They also include a wide range of options that help automate mining. All these programs have versions for Linux and Windows.
For example, it is possible to mine Ethereum and Ergo at the same time, by setting an intensity. The mining will alternate according to this intensity 10%-90% or 50%-50%.
Mine two cryptocurrencies of the same DAG
To dual mine, you need two things:
- Two mining algorithms that rely on the same DAG for sufficient space on the GPUs;
- The two mining algorithms we want to mine do not have the same complexity.
A DAG is an acronym for “Directed Acyclic Graph” and is a set of nodes representing something. These nodes are linked together directly so that there is no loop.
DAGs are therefore structures composed of two types of elements, which are the nodes and the links between them. This can be used to maintain a history of data such as software versions.
In particular, this avoids the conflicts associated with the use of a linear history in which the addition of a new item must be directly linked to the most recent item and only the latter. By using a DAG, software versions can be linked together.
To create a DAG, you must specify the parent nodes for adding new data and define the links. There are different algorithms for traversing a DAG, each with its own specificities. The use of a DAG facilitates the use of several algorithms, by shortening the paths.
In short, it is possible to see a DAG as a kind of compressed history that can be browsed very easily, without having to go through all the elements.
Dual mining with HiveOS
To dual mining with HiveOS, go to “Flight Sheets” to enter a new template for dual mining.
Here, we will perform dual mining with ETH + ALPH (Alephium). Other combinations are possible as long as the coins are based on the same DAG and do not have the same mining algorithms’ complexity.
Here are the settings you can enter to mine both coins at the same time:
Once the data is completed, click on “Create a flight sheet”.
Go to “Workers”, choose your worker, then go to “Flight Sheet”, and launch your new flight sheet dedicated to ETH + ALPH by clicking on the rocket.
After that, you will start dual mining with HiveOS.
Dual mining with T-Rex Miner
It is also possible to do dual mining with T-Rex Miner.
If you want to mine with this software, discover the basics of mining with T-Rex Miner.
You need to download T-Rex Miner for Windows (zip file) or Linux (tar/gz file). Install the mining software on your computer.
Next, you need to create your file with the command lines needed for cryptomining.
You can visit our Cruxpool Support Center to help you create your command line using the Cruxpool command generator or find out the data to connect to Cruxpool servers. Then you need to add these dedicated dual mining command lines:
“dual-algo”:the mining algorithm of the second coin you want to mine
“url2”:the dedicated server of the second coin you want to mine
“user2”:your worker
“pass2”:if you want to specify a password
If we takean example mining Ethereum and Ergo at the same time, your command line should look something like this:
t-rex -a ethash –dual-algo autolykos2 -o stratum+tcp://eth.cruxpool.com:5555 -u WalletAddress -p x -w rig0 –url2 stratum+tcp://ergo.cruxpool.com:4444 –user2 ChooseAName –pass2 x
Mining Ravencoinwith another cryptocurrency is also very profitable (Ziliqa…). It is up to you to choose the combination you want for dual mining!
If you want to learn more about the featured commands, check out theT-Rex Miner GitHub.
Is dual mining a good solution?
Just like any other function in the cryptomining activity, dual mining has its pros and cons.
Cons of dual mining
On the disadvantage side, there are several myths about wear and tear on the GPUs with which we mine two separate cryptocurrencies. In reality, the only risk you face is the wear and tear of the thermal paste with the high temperatures of the GPUs. The same goes for the cables which can expand with the heat. But when it comes to your GPUs themselves, there is less risk of wear and tear.
There is, however, one notable drawback: power consumption. Mining two cryptocurrencies at the same time means higher power consumption. So pay attention to your power bills to avoid surprises!
Pros of dual mining
On the other hand, if you do not pay for your electricity or have benefits, dual mining is a very good solution to mine two cryptocurrencies at the same time. This is one of its advantages, not to mention the fact that we can earn two coins with the same mining program.
As you can see,dual mining is a form of parallel mining that allows you to make the purchase of your mining equipment profitable as quickly as possible! The only con is the cost of electricity which will increase, unless you have discounts. Depending on your needs,choosing a good GPU for cryptominingis also a solution.
It is up to you to see what combinations you want to make,especially after The Merge and the end of Ethereum mining.
With Cruxpool,you can mine cryptocurrencies,likeEthereum Classic,Ravencoin,Ergoor evenFlux. It is up to you to choose what you want to mine on our mining pool while doing dual mining on HiveOS or T-Rex Miner.
Happy mining on Cruxpool!
