If you simply insert the video card into the slot on the motherboard and start the PC, it will output an image.Of course, you will not be able to fully use the graphics accelerator without installing the driver, the computer can not even be put into sleep mode, but the picture will be.
But if you have assembled a rig for cryptocurrency mining, then installing a driver is vital, otherwise the equipment will freeze.
To achieve high performance in the mining of cryptocurrencies, it is necessary to use the most productive drivers, as well as correctly configure the operating system.
The Reds have more trouble setting up the rig,than miners using Nvidia products. But, AMD graphics cards are cheaper than devices of the same level as their competitors.
Usually the greatest number of problems occurs when installing the AMD driver and then setting it up for mining.
AMD driver for mining
DriversAMDfor mining can be downloaded on the official website of this company. The latest installation packages are available at: https://support.amd.com/ru-ru/download
Before downloading, you must select the version that matches the installed operating system. In this case, it is also necessary to pay attention to its capacity (mining, available only on 64 bit versions of the system, so you need to select the appropriate driver)
A special version of the driver was released in 2017AMDMining dedicated crimsoncan be downloaded at: https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/Radeon-Software-Crimson-ReLive-Edition-Beta-for-Blockchain-Compute-Release-Notes.aspx
It does not require additional configuration andallows you to mine right after installation, which is quite convenient. This driver version is also relevant in 2020, but many miners prefer to install Win10-64Bit-Radeon-Software-Adrenalin-2019-Edition-19.8.2-Aug26, or other versions of the last year of release.
If you are using the latest versions of utilitiesClaymore’s Miner and Phoenix Miner, then by installing the August drivers of last year, you can get the maximum hashrate without flashing the BIOS of AMD video cards. But if you have Win10-64Bit-Crimson-ReLive-Beta-Blockchain, then modifying timings on the fly will not work (at least in Phoenix Miner). Therefore, it is better to install the recommended driver version. Download link: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/rn-rad-win-19-8-2.
Important!When using new AMD XT series video cards andNavi needs to take into account that the Adrenalin 2020 Edition drivers are still very “raw”. There are no separate drivers available for Windows 8; in general, you can use the 7 drivers, but there is no point in messing around with this OS.
When using AMD equipment, it is recommended to install Windows 7 or 10.
How to install the driver when building a farm?
If you put the driver on a clean operating roomsystem, then just download it and run the installation, then the program will do everything itself. If you have already installed older versions of AMD Radeon drivers for mining, you must completely remove the old drivers.
For this it is better to use the standard utilityAMDCleanupUtility.exeto clean the system.A simple uninstall through the operating system does not completely delete all the files, so subsequently during mining may fail.
This utility is located by default in the folder withAMD drivers along the path C:ProgramFilesAmdCIMBin64. It is also available for download on the AMD website at https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMD-Clean-Uninstall-Utility.aspx. You can also use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU), which can be downloaded from https://github.com/Wagnard/display-drivers-uninstaller.
- After uninstallation, you need to reboot and run the AMD driver installation file. In this case, you will need to select the location where the new drivers will be unzipped (by default this is the folderC: AMD), and then go through the standard installation procedure.
- If you did not uninstall before this driver, thenyou need to select a custom installation, and in the next window select "Clean Installation". The set of installed components can not be changed. The most important of all components is the AMD display driver, its installation is mandatory.
But if you're not sure you can handle thistask, it’s better to just uninstall the old driver and install the new version. Upon completion, be sure to patch the driver using the atikmdag-patcher utility. Otherwise, failures may occur when starting the rig.
Depending on the installed driver versionand operating system installation procedure has slight differences. As a rule, after installing the drivers, you must restart the computer, after which the correct installation of the drivers can be checked in the device manager.
To do this, it’s easiest to press the key combination “Win + r"On the keyboard and in the window that opens, enter the command"devmgmt.msc".
In the device manager window, double-click on "Video adapters". The drop-down list will show all the installed video cards in the system. They should not have exclamation points or error information.
The version of the installed driver can be checked by double-clicking on a specific video adapter and selecting the “Driver” tab. Here you can view the development date of the installed driver and its version.
- After installing the latest AMD driversyou need to configure them for mining by turning on the calculation mode. To do this, you can use the AMD Radeon Settings utility built into the drivers, which is usually included in autorun. If for some reason it does not load automatically, you can launch it yourself by running the RadeonSettings.exe file in the folderC: Program FilesAMDCNextCNext.
In the window that opens, the main program interfaceAMD Radeon Settings go to the Games menu, where they activate the General Settings tab. In this tab, you can set various parameters for each AMD video card installed in the system. You must find the item "GP workload", In which select"Calculate" The program will prompt you to restart itself to save the changes.For each video card, this procedure must be done separately.
You can enable the calculation mode on AMD video cards and in other ways:
- By using the AMD Compute Switcher program, which can be downloaded from a trusted resource, for example, via the link to https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2815803.0;
- By registering in the BAT file for mining inin Claymore's GPU Dual Miner or Phoenix Miner programs, the value is -y 1. This can also be done in the running console of these miners by pressing the English letter y. Ingod, you need to re-enable the calculation mode after updating Windows, which can itself disable this mode and reduce the hashrate.
- If Compute Mode is not enabled, mining hashrate will decrease significantly, especially when mining cryptocurrencies with the Ethash algorithm, the most popular of which is Ethereum (ETH).
New blockchain driver for AMD
All new AMD drivers have the computer computing mode necessary for mining.
Special driver versionAMD Radeonfor mining was released in August 2017,it significantly increased the performance of AMD drivers in mining. It does not require a special procedure to enable computing mode, but may not support the latest AMD video cards released in 2018.
The installation procedure for this driver is no different from the usual one. It is necessary to clean the system of old drivers, run the installation file and carry out the installation, following the standard installation procedure.
The main installation errors and their solution
Most often, problems arise when drivers are installed incorrectly due to incomplete removal of the previous version of AMD drivers.In case of failures, freezes, instabilityin work, you need to increase the amount of available virtual memory (swap file), as well as re-clean the system from old drivers using the AMDCleanupUtility utility and reinstall the drivers, as well as enable the computer computing mode.
If errors occur related toDue to lack of resources to work with a large number of video cards (Windows Code 12), you need to install the latest version of AMD drivers. If this does not help, then the cause of the problem must be sought in incorrect settingsMotherboard BIOS, as well as the operating system used.
Windows 7to use 6-7 video cards requires the use of a special mod, available for download and study at https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=712228.0.
To use a large number of video cardsAMD (up to 12), you must use the latest versions of the Windows 10 operating system, otherwise the rig will either not work at all, or it will work unstably.
Recommendation!Mining farm of 12 AMD cards on WindowsIt is extremely difficult for a beginner to start. The optimal number of video accelerators in a rig is 6-8. If you need more, then build another one or install Linux or Hive.
Patch for AMD driver
For AMD video cards that have the BIOS flashed, you may need to use a driver patch - programatikmdag-patcher.
The need for this is manifested in the presence of an error with the code43in Windows Device Manager. And also in order for the –strap option to work in the claymore, and, in general, it is better to use the patcher after each reinstallation of the drivers.
The program can be downloaded from the official thread at https://www.monitortests.com/forum/Thread-AMD-ATI-Pixel-Clock-Patcher
You need to be careful not to download the virus from third-party resources that allegedly offer an updated version of the patcher. Latest version of this program1.4.6. Those who offer newer versions spread viruses.
This program must be run once afterdriver installation, it will show at startup whether there are any unpatched drivers in the system and will offer to do this. After that, you need to reboot and enable the calculation mode for video cards.
Nvidia mining driver
Installing Nvidia drivers for mining moresimpler than drivers for AMD. Usually it is enough to download the latest version of drivers from the official website at https://www.nvidia.ru/Download/index.aspx?lang=ru and install them, and then fine-tune the system for mining using utilities for overclocking video cards.
When downloading drivers from the Nvidia website, it is better to use the manual search for the required driver by filling out a form indicating the type of video card, series, operating system and language of the installer.
How to install the driver for the GTX version?
To install NVIDIA drivers correctly, you needcompletely remove existing previous versions. To do this, you can uninstall them through the control panel in the section for adding and removing programs where you need to uninstallNVIDIA Windows Display Drivers.
Then you need to run the installation file, select the path to unpack the drivers (by defaultC: NVIDIADisplayDriver), and then install them according to the standard procedure.
In this case, it is best to choose a custom installation (Custom or Advanced in English) and activate the option “Performing a clean installation” in the window that appears. This will guarantee the correct installation of NVIDIA software.
Possible errors when installing the driver
Errors can occur during the installation and operation of Nvidia and AMD drivers, for example, video drivers fly in the dual in mining, the system freezes, mining programs generate errors.
If there is no overclocking in the system, then such errors,typically resolved by reinstalling the drivers. Driver failure can occur during power failures, which lead to a violation of the integrity of the files on the media, exposure to viruses and other reasons.
Sometimes it’s worth re-downloading the installation files from the manufacturer’s website, restarting the computer and repeating the installation procedure again as administrator.
In order to avoid problems while installing Nvidia and AMD video cards on the same computer, it is better to install AMD drivers first.
The table of drivers for mining video cards
Different driver versions have separatefeatures related to the presence of errors, the use of graphics adapter memory, performance, tuning features, compatibility with various graphics cards and other parameters. The best driver for mining is usually the one that provides the most stable operation.
Detailed information about a specific driver version can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website.
Overview of the various drivers used for mining are presented in the following tables:
| Information about the features of mining drivers for AMD company graphics cards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver version | Date of issue | Video Card Compatibility (Series) | The need to enable the computer computing mode GPU Workload | Compatibility for games | Compatible Operating Systems (64 bit) |
| Win10-64Bit-Radeon-Software-Adrenalin-2019-Edition-19.8.2-Aug26 | August 6, 2018 | Navi, XT, Vega, RX 400-500, R9, R7, R5, HD 8500 — HD 8900, HD 7700 — HD 7900 | Is required | there is | Windows 7, Windows 10 |
| Win10-64Bit-Crimson-ReLive-Beta-Blockchain-Workloads-Aug23 | August 2017 | Vega, RX 400-500, R9, R7, R5, HD 8500 — HD 8900, HD 7700 — HD 7900 | Not required | Not | Windows 7, Windows 10 |
All drivers presented in the table without problemssupport the most popular graphics cards from AMD used for mining: RX 480, RX 570 and RX 580. All AMD drivers from version 17.10.2 support work with 12 video cards.
For drivers from Nvidia, the information is presented in the following table:
| Information on the features of the drivers for mining for Nvidia graphics cards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver version | Date of issue | Video card compatibility | CUDA version support | Compatible operating systems | Features |
| 430.86 | August 2019 | NVIDIA TITAN Series</p>
GeForce RTX 20 Series: GeForce 16 Series: GeForce 10 Series: |
10 10.1 |
Windows 10 | For Nvidia drivers, overclocking is done by separate utilities. |
| 445.87 | April 2020 | NVIDIA TITAN Series</p>
GeForce RTX 20 Series: GeForce 16 Series: GeForce 10 Series: GeForce 900 Series |
10 10.1 10.2 |
||
All the drivers presented in the table support the most popular Nvidia video cards used for mining: GTX1050 Ti, GTX1080 Ti, GTX1070 and GTX 1060 6gb, RTX 2060-2080.
Availability of support for newer versionsCUDA PhysX Softwarein driversNvidiaimproves the algorithm for working with video memory, which increases the overall stability and performance of the system. It is necessary that the program used for mining supports this technology.
Proper selection and installation of drivers forvideo cards during mining will allow you to quickly configure the equipment, get the maximum hashrate during mining, and subsequently do not waste your nerves and time, eliminating constantly occurring malfunctions and freezes.Therefore, it is worth periodically studying specialized forums and websites for the availability of newer, optimal drivers.
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