AMD Radeon RX 6800 may be 50% faster than GeForce RTX 3090 for cryptomining

If the rumors are true, then the new AMD Radeon RX 6800 (not the RX 6800XT) is 50% better at mining for cryptocurrency than the current crypto champ, the Nvidia RTX 3090.

When factoring in the associated costs of cryptocurrency mining, as explained by Videocards, the RTX 3090 can generate about $3.37/£2.63/AU$4.72 of cryptocurrency a day, or about $103/£80/AU$144 a month. The RX 6800, meanwhile, can potentially mine about $5.00/£3.90/AU$7.00 a day, or roughly $152/£118/AU$213 a month.

The rumored mining performance was initially posted – appropriately – on Chinese messaging service QQ and later reprinted on Chiphell. As of right now, this is simply a rumor so it shouldn't be taken as gospel, but it's, nonetheless, an understandably upsetting one for many.

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• The best GPUs of 2020

How cryptomining could inflict stock shortages on the new Radeon RX 6800

Like a spectre of unfettered capitalism haunting the PC gaming scene, cryptominers have been swooping in for years now and paying exorbitant prices for GPUs, which they then use 24/7 to crunch complicated math problems that then generate bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

While the crush of miners buying up GPU stock across the board has slowed since the dizzying heights of the Bitcoin boom a few years back, the demand has steadily returned. Now, with the launch of more powerful graphics cards from both Nvidia and AMD at a lower price than the previous generation cards they are replacing, it looks like the cryptominers may once again aggressively buy up stock. 

Already, one of the biggest issues with the Nvidia Ampere graphics cards launch was that the GeForce RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 sold out at every retailer within seconds of going on sale. 

This may have been a function of bots and eBay profiteers who snatched up the cards before the PC enthusiast and gaming public could get through the checkout process.

If it turns out that the RX 6800 – which is the least expensive of the three AMD RX 6000 series cards to be announced so far – is beating out the current GPU-profitability champ when it comes to mining, it is all but guaranteed to be a prime candidate for crypto-mining-related shortages.

Fortunately, AMD seems to be anticipating this and looks to have a new GPU in the works specifically designed with cryptominers in mind. Hopefully that will give the rest of us a chance to get one of these new cards ourselves.

• These are the best mining GPUs of 2020