Yes, You Can Turn NVIDIA's CMP 50HX Miner GPU Into A Gaming Card But Should You?
by
Thiago Trevisan
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Wednesday, November 08, 2023, 10:58 AM EDT
Today we'll have to visit a dark, dark place for gamers. No, we're not talking about the gloomy scenes in Alan Wake 2. Remember the great graphics card shortage that happened just a few years ago due in part to the mining craze? That's the type of nightmarish scenario that keeps gamers on their toes, looking around the corner for any indication it may happen again.
Don't worry, crypto mining is a sleeping beauty (or beast depending on your viewpoint), for now. However, something even more bizarre has happened, with Sfdx Show turning the NVIDIA CMP 50HX mining GPU into a gaming card. If we revisit the NVIDIA product stack for the era of shortages, we'll remember that NVIDIA made some interesting moves with GPUs.
It had lower hash rate models of its gaming products, to dissuade miners from taking the loot from ordinary users. NVIDIA also made mining only versions of its graphics cards, which were never intended for gamers to use.
Sfdx Show gaming on this once mining-only GPU
The NVIDIA CMP 50HX GPU has the TU102 GPU with 3,584 CUDA cores and 10GB of VRAM, which places it near the higher end of the GeForce RTX 20 series GPUs from that era. It has a few serious problems for enterprising gamers, however. It does not have the usual display outputs for monitors, since it was meant to run headless in mining operations.
There are also some interesting limitations attached to this GPU, such as lower power and only four PCIe lanes. This makes total sense when it's being utilized in its intended role of mining, since the hash rate and efficiency are the main focus. When it comes to gaming, these limitations spell a serious decrease in usability and performance.
The hardware limitations are only the introductory offer on the subsequent headaches that encroach the brave souls taking this task on. The software side is even more limited, and with good reason. NVIDIA wants to make sure each of its products are being used for its intended purpose, not to cross paths in the market place.
The adventuring tinkerer will find a custom BIOS for this purpose, which will have to be modified. The driver software that gamers are so used to downloading and have it work flawlessly from NVIDIA's GeForce Experience, will not be the case here. Gamers will have to scrounge around for modified driver software that may, or may not, even work correctly.
Given that the great GPU shortage is well behind us, this experiment is merely for entertainment. Most gamers are better off purchasing a more entry level new generation GPU, which will likely have more performance. Best of all, it will also come with a lot less headaches and hurdles to overcome.
