MSI NVIDIA CMP 30HX Card Debuts For Ethereum Mining Aficionados

Based on previous leaks, the CMP 30HX Miner XS features NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1660 Super GPU. The card looks like a dead ringer for MSI's GeForce GTX 1660 Super Ventus. The big difference is that the GeForce GTX 1660 Super Ventus has a single HDMI port and three DisplayPort connectors. Given that the CMP 30HX Miner XS doesn't need video outputs since it's dedicated to mining for Ethereum, the I/O plate only features exhaust vents for the coolers.

The CMP 30HX Miner XS has 1408 CUDA cores with a base clock of 1530MHz and a boost clock of 1785MHz. You'll also find 6GB of GDDR6 memory onboard. The card is rated at 125 watts, and it adheres to NVIDIA's spec'd 26 MH/s hash rate. The GPU found in the card isn't exactly a powerhouse (at least not by today's standards) and is cooled by a meager aluminum cooler and dual cooling fans backed by double ball bearings.

According to MSI's support information, its regular graphics cards come with a 3-year limited warranty. However, the CMP 30HX Miner XS is by no means a standard graphics card and will most likely have a shorter warranty period. After all, that is the case with Gigabyte's CMP 30HX counterpart. While Gigabyte's gaming cards come with a 3-year warranty, its CMP 30HX D6 6G is paired with a comparatively skimpy 3-month warranty. This reduction is expected given that these cards are running full-tilt 24-7-365. However, we don't know if MSI is taking the same drastic action with its warranty reduction on the CMP 30HX Miner XS (its specs sheet [PDF] makes no mention of warranty). We've reached out to the company for clarification on this matter.

NVIDIA's CMP HX family of Ethereum mining cards are part of a two-pronged attack at the GPU shortage affecting the enthusiast market. The CMP HX cards are built using GPUs that are not up to par for GeForce graphics cards. So, this gives NVIDIA a cost-effective way of repurposing those "defective" GPUs to address the growing needs of the mining community.

NVIDIA's second avenue of attack is with the latest revisions of GeForce RTX 30 GPUs, which have a hardened Ethereum mining limiter that should be less vulnerable to hacking. The company's first-generation ETH limiter introduced with the GeForce RTX 3060 was defeated within days. However, the second-generation limiter will be introduced with the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and RTX 3080 Ti.