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Other => Beginners & Help => Topic started by: freakfantom on July 15, 2011, 10:26:46 AM



Title: Do I need to install CUDA?
Post by: freakfantom on July 15, 2011, 10:26:46 AM
Do I need to install CUDA if I'm mining using nvidia GTX 580 card? Do they include CUDA package in nvidia drivers or do I need to install it separately?


Title: Re: Do I need to install CUDA?
Post by: Maxim Gladkov on July 15, 2011, 10:29:27 AM
Just don't mine on NVIDIA cards :) That's the solution!


Title: Re: Do I need to install CUDA?
Post by: xcooling on July 15, 2011, 02:20:47 PM
^ ???

No you do not need to have cuda installed. however make sure you have the latest version of forceware.

cgminer appears to work on my sli 9800gtx+ generating around 80mhash/s


Title: Re: Do I need to install CUDA?
Post by: LordTreasurer on July 15, 2011, 04:56:48 PM
Just asking: Why are nvidia cards that slow?

I dont quite understand it because a lot of programs which use cuda (to crack md5 for example) are much faster than the comparable ones for ati cards...

Is this just because the algorithm isnt suitable for cuda or is there just lacking effort of writing an awesome cuda miner?


Title: Re: Do I need to install CUDA?
Post by: Desolator on July 16, 2011, 04:12:09 AM
Nvidia cards are more suited to drawing games, that's why.  CUDA of course is their little alernate processing method technology that's basically to accelerate things that no other card can.  Like if you have Nero 9 I think it is and you're burning a DVD, it will render the frames with CUDA instead of your CPU and you'll be done in 20 minutes instead of 60 minutes.  Or in photoshop, you can run a noise reduction filter based on CUDA using the graphics card to calculate the pixel changes basically instantly when your CPU and RAM would have taken maybe 10 seconds to do it on a super high res photo.

CUDA happens to be slightly better at mining too, like 25-50% better in most cases so if you want to try it out, just get a miner and run it in CUDA mode and if it fails, you're missing something.  Technically you don't have to install CUDA itself but it is included as an optional component in the Nvidia drive (but installed by default unless you choose custom and tell it not to).  So just go grab the newest Nvidia drivers, choose custom when it asks what installation type, make sure everything on the list is checked, and hit go and you'll have CUDA capabilities.


Title: Re: Do I need to install CUDA?
Post by: Supercrit on July 16, 2011, 04:50:12 AM
But just don't mine with Nvidia cards, wasting too much electricity for too little coins.
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining_hardware_comparison
this list tells you that a puny 5750(~ 100$ or even less if 2nd hand) beats your card handily for mining, and takes heaps less energy.