Does using CPU help?

[BitshireHashaway]

GUIMiner has the option for you to be able to choose how many cores of CPU you want to use while mining. I was wondering (I have 8 cores to choose from for my laptop), assuming my laptop would be running the GPU anyway, is it worth it to have the CPU running, or is that just a waste of money in electricity?

[minerobit]

but it is assumed that the gpu is much faster for mining, not?

[hakonf]

Assuming you are talking about using cpu for mining. For me - it is not worth it. You will not get alot of extra mhashes by doing so (compared with a gpu-miner)

[that_bitcoin_kid]

GUIMiner has the option for you to be able to choose how many cores of CPU you want to use while mining. I was wondering (I have 8 cores to choose from for my laptop), assuming my laptop would be running the GPU anyway, is it worth it to have the CPU running, or is that just a waste of money in electricity?

CPU mining is far too inefficient to justify using it. The only CPU mining I do is with Bitcoin Plus and that is only because I utilize computers that are not mine and therefore, at the least, there is no cost to me (whether or not there is a profit is an entirely different story).

If you are using OpenCL, I do not believe that checking the affinity boxes will have much, if any, effect on the GPU performance.

but it is assumed that the gpu is much faster for mining, not?

Yes, it is infinitely more efficient than a CPU at mining. It is very good at doing grunt work and repetitive tasks.

[BitshireHashaway]

Thanks for the help guys. I understand the GPU is way faster but I was just wondering if the CPU would add enough so that its worth the cost.

[andrewsg]

If you pay for electricity then probably not. In my case the CPU would add about 2%-3% to the hashing power of my system for an increase of around 50W (modern CPUs have very efficient low power states when idle).
You should also consider heat - each watt you spend will generate heat that must be dissipated. In my case I have a huge heatsink with a 120mm fan so heat is a non-issue and I still don't mine with the CPU.

Anyway - laptop mining is generally not a great idea, CPU or GPU.

[that_bitcoin_kid]

If you pay for electricity then probably not. In my case the CPU would add about 2%-3% to the hashing power of my system for an increase of around 50W (modern CPUs have very efficient low power states when idle).
You should also consider heat - each watt you spend will generate heat that must be dissipated. In my case I have a huge heatsink with a 120mm fan so heat is a non-issue and I still don't mine with the CPU.

Anyway - laptop mining is generally not a great idea, CPU or GPU.

That's actually a really great point. The CPU may have marginal increases in hashing power, but pushing a laptop farther than that when you are already using the GPU may ruin the computer. I mean, if you're not concerned about energy and can keep the system cool, go for it.

[Random Bit]

Thanks for the help guys. I understand the GPU is way faster but I was just wondering if the CPU would add enough so that its worth the cost.

Would think not, have several old video cards that while they do generate some hash rate personally I don't think they are worth the time.  A 6 core processor would be much farther down the list.  Heat retention and possible damage to a laptop would not be worth the risk.