Starting for the first time
If you have used Installer then you have probably created desktop shortcut for launching NiceHash QuickMiner. Just double click it to launch NiceHash QuickMiner and then go to step 2.
Otherwise if you have used ZIP file, then open folder where you extracted all files and start it by double clicking NiceHashQuickMiner.exe.
Following screen may appear asking you to allow NiceHash QuickMiner. This is called UAC and it is for your protection. NiceHash QuickMiner needs administrative privileges to function correctly. You should press Yes button.
When NiceHash QuickMiner is started for the first time, it will ask you for your NiceHash Mining Address. There is a link and a picture how to get this address. This is a very important step - this is how NiceHash QuickMiner gets linked with your NiceHash account, so it mines for you and not somebody else.
You can get your NiceHash Mining Address on your Mining page. If you do not have NiceHash account, you have to create one. The mining address will look like this:34HKWdzLxWBduUfJE9JxaFhoXnfC6gmePG. NiceHash QuickMiner will not let you enter wrong address, you just have to make sure that you are entering your address and not somebody else's.
This step is not mandatory but we strongly recommend not to skip it because it can greatly improve your mining experience. You can give your rig a name - this is useful when you have more than one rig. When you name each rig, you can quickly identify when one is giving you a problems. Another important thing is to choose appropriate Service Location. Generally, if the location is closer to you, then it is better, but this is not always true. You may experiment with it and see which location is best for you. How to do this is explained here.
If you intend to use your PC for constant mining, then it is recommended to check option to Autostart with Windows. Also set error handling action to Rig Reboot, because this is the only method to make the full recovery if your NVIDIA driver crashes. At the end, you can go to Rig Manager or OCTune. Clicking on any of these two buttons will save your configuration. Do note that it may take several minutes for your rig to appear in Rig Manager and be fully functional.
After NiceHash QuickMiner is started, all the interaction with it is done through menu at notification icon in your tray taskbar. Access it by right clicking on NiceHash QuickMiner icon.
You can do following actions:
- start or stop mining,
- edit NiceHash QuickMiner config file (advanced),
- edit Excavator Command file (advanced),
- launch OCTune tool (explained here),
- enable or disable CPU mining,
- set NiceHash QuickMiner to start with Windows,
- activate or deactivate
Game Modeand - exit.
When your rig appears in Rig Manager you can quickly optimize mining performance by clicking button OPTIMIZE and then choosing among three options:
- Manual: default mode, nothing is changed, NiceHash QuickMiner does not manage your GPU,
- Lite: mild optimisation is applied and
-
Medium: average optimisation is applied.
Following table explains for each GPU component what is happening. Do note that this table is very generalized and that each GPU might behave slightly differently.
| Effect \ Optimisation | Manual | Lite | Medium | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPU Core Clock | Stock frequency | Very low frequency | Low frequency | soon |
| VRAM Clock | Stock frequency | Mildly increased frequency | Moderately increased frequency | soon |
| Fan Speeds | GPU Default | Keep GPU* below 60 ℃ | Keep GPU* below 60 ℃ | soon |
| Temperatures | Very high | Very low | Low | soon |
| Power consumption | Very high | Very low | Low | soon |
| Mining Speed | Low | Medium-High | High | soon |
| Efficiency | Poor | Good | Very good | soon |
* For RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 also keep VRAM Tjunction temperature below 95 ℃.
Optimisation feature is only available for RTX 2000 series, RTX 3000 series, GTX 1660, GTX 1660 Ti, GTX 1660 Super and TITAN V. Do note that we are constantly trying to improve these optimizations which requires a lot of testing and performance measurements. Our numbers will surely improve in the near future to offer you even better performance and efficiency. To get latest optimisation applied for your GPU, you only have to restart NiceHash QuickMiner. You can also view latest raw data that is being used. Medium optimisation may not work for all cards. We are working on Lite optimisation to be able to work for 99.9% of all video cards.
WARNING: Optimisation applies overclock to your card which means that your card is running with clocks that were not set by NVIDIA. This means that your card may not be stable. It is strongly suggested to try Lite optimisation first and test it for a day. If everything works okay, then try Medium. Also, do not enable Autostart with Windows before you finish performing optimisations. It can happen that you get caught in an endless restart loop because NiceHash QuickMiner applies overclocks at start and can cause immediate crash of your system if clocks are too high for your system. In that case, unplugging internet connection for the boot time may help because Excavator cannot mine until it gets data from the servers.
If you would like NiceHash QuickMiner to startup with Windows, then you have to enable this option. Click on NiceHash QuickMiner Notification Tray Icon to open menu and then go to Settings and then check Start with Windows.
I suggest going through the list of tips and tricks and properly configure NiceHash QuickMiner for your video card(s), to maximize your mining reliability and your mining profits.