Mining in the context of cryptocurrency such as Dash refers to theprocess of searching for solutions to cryptographically difficultproblems as a method of securing blocks on the blockchain. The processof mining creates new currency tokens as a reward to the miner. Miningis possible on a range of hardware. Dash implements an algorithm knownas X11, which the miner must solve in orderto earn rewards.
The simplest and most general hardware available for mining is thegeneral purpose CPU present in every computer. A CPU is designed to beversatile but offers less efficiency than a GPU, which is designed torapidly calculate millions of vectors in parallel. While specific CPUinstruction enhancements related to cryptography such as AES or AVX canprovide a decent boost, GPUs offer a significant performance increasedue to their multiple pipelines capable of processing the predictablyrepetitive calculations associated with cryptocurrency mining. Finally,ASICs are relatively inflexible and can only process the specificfunction(s) for which they were designed, but at an even faster ratethan the more general purpose GPUs and CPUs. A number of X11 ASICs arenow available on the market, which have quickly made CPU and GPU mininguneconomic due to the increased difficulty of hashing arising from therapidly increasing hash rate. The result is a currency which is moresecure against brute force attacks on the Dash blockchain.
The profitability of mining is determined by the hashrate of your miningdevice, the current network difficulty and the costs of your hardwareand electricity. The following links provide up to date information:
Masternodes vs. Mining#
Dash, like Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies, is based on adecentralized ledger of all transactions, known as a blockchain. Thisblockchain is secured through a consensus mechanism; in the case of bothDash and Bitcoin, the consensus mechanism is Proof of Work (PoW). Minersattempt to solve difficult problems with specialized computers, and whenthey solve the problem, they receive the right to add a new block to theblockchain. If all the other people running the software agree that theproblem was solved correctly, the block is added to the blockchain andthe miner is rewarded.
Dash works a little differently from Bitcoin, however, because it has atwo-tier network. The second tier is powered by masternodes (Full Nodes), which enable financial privacy(CoinJoin), instant transactions (InstantSend), and the decentralizedgovernance and budget system. Because this second tier is so important,masternodes are also rewarded when miners discover new blocks. Thebreakdown is as follows: 90% of the block subsidy is split between theminer and a masternode per the distribution found here,while 10% is reserved for the budget system (created by superblocksevery month).
The masternode system is referred to as Proof of Service (PoSe), sincethe masternodes provide crucial services to the network. In fact, theentire network is overseen by the masternodes, which have the power toreject improperly formed blocks from miners. If a miner tried to takethe entire block reward for themselves or tried to run an old version ofthe Dash software, the masternode network would orphan that block, andit would not be added to the blockchain.
In short, miners power the first tier, which is the basic sending andreceiving of funds and prevention of doublespending. Masternodes powerthe second tier, which provide the added features that make Dashdifferent from other cryptocurrencies. Masternodes do not mine, andmining computers cannot serve as masternodes. Additionally, eachmasternode is “secured” by 1000 DASH. Those DASH remain under the solecontrol of their owner at all times, and can still be freely spent. Thefunds are not locked in any way. However, if the funds are moved orspent, the associated masternode will go offline and stop receivingrewards.
Mining Pools#
Mining Dash in pools is more likely to generate rewards than solo miningdirectly on the blockchain. Mining dash using P2Pool is stronglyencouraged, since it is a good way to distribute, rather thancentralize, the hashing power. The following site lists Dash P2Poolmining pools near you, simply choose a pool with favourable fees andping time and enter your Dash payment address as username and anythingas password.
If you would like to set up your own P2Pool, documentation of theprocess is available here and the code for p2pool-dashis available on GitHub.Other mining pools are listed below and may be advantageous fordifferent reasons such as ping latency, uptime, fee, users, etc. A guideto using a typical mining pool can be found here.
DISCLAIMER: This list is provided for informational purposes only.Services listed here have not been evaluated or endorsed by the Dashdevelopers and no guarantees are made as to the accuracy of thisinformation. Please exercise discretion when using third-party services.If you’d like to be added to this list please reach out toleon.white@dash.org
In addition to joining a pool, you will also need to create a Dashaddress to receive your payout. To do this in Dash Core wallet, seehere.
CPU Mining#
This documentation describes how to mine Dash under the Windowsoperating system using just the CPU in your computer. Please note thatthe prevalence of GPU and ASIC miners mean that unless you have freeelectricity, this is highly unlikely to be profitable! Since this is thecase, the software in this guide has not been updated in several years,and is intended for experimental purposes and testnet only.
This is a fairly simple procedure and examples will be given in order toachieve the fastest possible hash rate for your CPU, but remember thatmore optimized miners do exist, so we advise you to keep an eye out onmining sites such as these in order to keep up with the latestinformation and releases.
Dash Forum Mining Discussions
Mining software#
The first step is to download appropriate mining software. A good basicminer for modern CPUs can be found here:
This software depends on your CPU supporting the AES-NI and AVXinstruction sets. You can use CPU-Z to check if this is thecase for your CPU:
If your CPU does not support AES-NI and AVX, then you can try moregeneralized software which does not require specific instruction sets,such as these:
Our goal here is to choose mining software that supports the maximumpossible instruction sets available on your CPU, and then try toincrease the hash speed. Once you have made your choice, clickReleases and download and extract the zip file. The different *.exefiles indicate which specific processor optimizations they support. Thefolder should look something like this:
Configuration#
Begin by selecting a mining pool and generating a Dash address asdescribed in the Mining Pools section above. Keepall your mining files in a single folder. In this example we will workfrom the Desktop. The node selected for this example is from thep2poolming.us list and is located in China:
http://118.184.180.43:7903/static/
Next, open Notepad and type in on one line the command we will useto start the miner, followed by pause on the second line. The generalformat is as follows:
<minerd> -a <algorithm> -o <url> -u <username> -p <password> -t <threads>pause
Where:
minerd = the executable miner daemon file you choose to use
a = algorithm, which is X11 for Dash
o = URL of your mining pool, including the protocol and port
u = username, usually the Dash receiving address of your wallet or worker
p = password, can often be set to x
t = number of threads used
pause = keeps the window open in the case of errors
For the CPU in the example above, the command may be:
minerd-avx-aes-sse2-sss3.exe -a X11 -o stratum+tcp://118.184.180.43:7903 -u XwZRjo1f6gmq3LCv7X1Hi5h3NkvDMHvu8G -p x -t 8pause
Click File, then Save As. Change Save as type to AllFiles, then type the file name as startminer.bat and save it in thesame folder as the unzipped minerd files.
Testing#
You are now ready to start! Keep an eye on your CPU usage in TaskManager (right click the taskbar to open this) and be careful that theCPU temperature does not exceed your maximum rating (around 64°C). Ifyou have temperature or desktop stability problems, reduce t to ~2threads and try that first. If t is left out, the machine willdefault to the maximum number of threads. After running the miner for awhile, take a look at the hash speed and payouts in your mining pool.You can identify your miner by the wallet address on the page.
Tips#
Reduce the number of threads for added desktop usability and heatreduction. If the CPU temperature is too high, consider fitting a newfan and check that the heat sink thermal paste on the CPU is adequate.Tweak the processor clock speed for added performance using amotherboard controller like AI Suite for Asus motherboards.Reduction of CPU core voltage will result in lower temperature butincreased instability.
Try to select a pool that is nearby to reduce network latency. If thenode appears slow, switch to another location. Please distribute thehashing power globally to different pools to avoid forking.
GPU Mining#
This guide consolidates several other guides on how to use your GPU (theprocessor on your graphics card) to mine Dash using the X11 algorithm onWindows. Please note that the growing market for ASIC miners means thatthis if probably not going to be profitable! A lot of the software andbinaries described here also have not been updated for several years, sothis guide should be used for experimental purposes only.
This guide will cover the process of downloading and configuring themining software, followed by some suggestions for optimizations. Thistechnology can change rapidly, so we advise you to keep an eye out onmining sites such as these in order to keep up with the latestinformation and releases.
Dash Forum Mining Discussions
Mining software#
As for CPU mining, a range of mining software is available for GPUmining. Most of it based on sgminer compiled with differentoptimizations specific to different hardware. A good approach is toidentify your graphics hardware, then choose an appropriate build ofsgminer. You can use GPU-Z toidentify your GPU hardware:
Next, download the mining software. Most of these are based on theoriginal sgminer, but thisis not suitable for the X11 algorithm, offers no compiled binaries andhasn’t been updated in years. We will describe using pre-compiled binarysoftware maintained by newer developers only.
AMD
NVIDIA
tpruvot/ccminer (focus on coreapplication)
sp-hash/ccminer (sp-mod, optimized CUDAkernels for Windows)
Download your chosen release and extract the zip file to a knownlocation. The folder should look something like this:
The sgminer file is the executable file, while the various files with.cl extensions define the various algorithms supported by sgminer. Inthis case, we are interested in the darkcoin.cl and darkcoin-mod.climplementations of X11. Note that the name of the executable file may bedifferent for miners with different optimizations, for example ccminerfor NVIDIA cards.
Configuration#
Begin by selecting a mining pool and generating a Dash address asdescribed in the Mining Pools section above. Keepall your mining files in a single folder. In this example we will workfrom the Desktop. The node selected for this example is from thep2poolming.us list and is located in China:
http://118.184.180.43:7903/static/
Next, open Notepad and create the basic configuration. The generalformat is as follows:
{ "pools" : [ { "url" : "stratum+tcp://pooladdress:7903", "user" : "walletaddress", "pass" : "x", "algorithm":"darkcoin" } ]}Where:
pools = defines a list of pools (in this case, only one) towards whichthe hashing power is directed
url = URL of your mining pool, including the protocol and port
user = username, usually the Dash receiving address of your wallet orworker
pass = password, can often be set to x
algorithm = hashing algorithm to use, in this case darkcoin (forhistoric reasons) or darkcoin-mod
For the pool above, the configuration may be:
Click File, then Save As. Change Save as type to AllFiles, then type the file name as sgminer.conf and save it in thesame folder as the unzipped sgminer files.
Testing#
Double click your sgminer.exe and a Command Prompt window shouldappear immediately. If it disappears too quickly, check yourconfiguration for missing commas, unclosed brackets or incorrect filename. The program will compile a special binary specific to your GPU andstore it in the folder, then begin hashing.
ASIC Mining#
ASIC stands for Application-Specific Integrated Circuit and describesa type of processor that is designed for one purpose only. ASICs are apopular choice for mining cryptocurrency because they can offer a higherefficiency than CPU or GPU miners, resulting in higher profit.
Please note that the information on this page may become obsolete veryquickly due to the rapidly changing market and difficulty of miningDash. You are responsible for carrying out your own research and anylisting on this page should not be considered an endorsem*nt of anyparticular product. A good place to begin your research is the miningsection of the Dash Forums.
The following X11 ASIC miners are available on the market today, clickthe product name to visit the manufacturer’s website:
Name | Hash rate | Power | Weight | Dimensions (mm) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
119 GH/s ±5% | 1566 W | 7.5 kg | 486 x 265 x 388 | $1,180 | |
540 GH/s ±10% | 4400 W | 19.5 kg | 640 x 525 x 185 | $7,000 | |
420 GH/s ±8% | 2100 W | 8.5 kg | 370 x 135 x 208 |
ASIC resellers may also have miners available:
The following ASIC miners are either no longer easily available orobsolete due to the increase in difficulty on the network.
Name | Hash rate | Power | Weight | Dimensions (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
10 GH/s ±5% | 800 W | 3.8 kg | 312 x 125 x 130 | |
150 MH/s ±10% | 40 W | .475 kg | 140 x 100 x 95 | |
2000 MH/s ±10% | 430 W | 3 kg | 300 x 140 x 125 | |
900 MH/s ±5% | 217 W | 2.5 kg | 300 x 123 x 123 | |
1200 MH/s ±10% | 300 W | 3 kg | 135 x 135 x 425 | |
17 GH/s ±5% | 970 W | 6.5 kg | 320 x 130 x 190 | |
384 MH/s ±10% | 715 W | 21 kg | 490 x 350 x 180 | |
11 GH/s ±5% | 810 W | 22 kg | 490 x 350 x 180 | |
22 GH/s ±5% | 810 W | 19 kg | 490 x 350 x 180 | |
Pinidea DR-1 | 500 MH/s ±10% | 320 W | 4.5 kg | 290 x 130 x 150 |
Pinidea DR-2 | 450 MH/s±5% | 335 W | 4.5 kg | 200 x 165 x 135 |
Pinidea DR-3 | 600 MH/s±5% | 345 W | 4.5 kg | 200 x 165 x 135 |
Pinidea DU-1 | 9 MH/s±5% | 7 W | 50 x 50 x 30 | |
Pinidea DRX-Kuznetsov | 900 MH/s±5% | 650 W | 280 x 180 x 150 | |
Pinidea DRX-Varyag | 1200 MH/s±5% | 850 W | 280 x 180 x 150 | |
56 GH/s ±5% | 2100 W | 17 kg | 490 x 390 x 180 | |
32 GH/s ±8% | 750 W | 3.1 kg | 400 x 135 x 158 |
