Razer wants to use your spare GPU power for blockchain mining

[Shawn Knight]

Through the looking glass: GPU-based crypto mining has fallen out of favor in 2018 but apparently, Razer didn't get the memo. The gaming accessory maker is hoping to utilize your spare GPU cycles in exchange for some of its virtual currency which can be used to buy Razer gear. Is it worth the wear and tear on your hardware and the cost of electricity? Probably not.

Razer on Wednesday announced a rebranding of its virtual currency and rewards platform, the return of its Paid to Play program and the launch of a new mining app.

Moving forward, Razer zGold and Razer zSilver virtual currencies will be known simply as Razer Gold and Razer Silver. The virtual currencies launched in early 2017 as a way for gamers to pay for virtual goods and earn rewards, respectively.

From today, gamers can also “effectively double the speed at which they can earn Razer Silver” by utilizing the Razer Cortex app on PC and Android mobile devices. Razer said the revised feature offers improved earning and balancing mechanics as to reward all players equally.

Last but certainly not least, Razer has partnered with GammaNow to introduce Razer SoftMiner, an app that uses your graphics card’s spare processing power to solve “blockchain puzzles” in the background in exchange for Razer Silver. Razer recommends at least an Nvidia GTX 1050 or AMD RX 460 for use with SoftMiner.

With the app, currently in beta for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10, Razer says users can earn up to 500 Razer Silver or more in a given day. For reference, a Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard will cost you 280,000 Razer Silver, a BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard commands 154,000 Razer Silver and a Razer Tartarus V2 controller goes for 112,000 Razer Silver.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/77836-razer-wants-use-spare-gpu-power-blockchain-mining.html

 

[psycros]

Razer is the Apple of gaming.

 

[ShagnWagn]

So not only do they require your personal information to change default mouse LED colors (rainbow), now they want to make loads of "money" off you? For a fake "currency" that is used on the black market? And is a complete waste of resources for no benefit to mankind? This is a new low even for them.

So the lowball move on this is people will want to artificially buy more expensive video cards (increasing demand), which will artificially raise video card prices? Really? Is razer not even paying attention to their own industry? What are they trying to do to gamers?

 

[toooooot]

Um, what if I only have a razer keyboard? Can it mine bitcoins or at least bit ore? I recommend they update their keyboard firmware so that every time I type something, the energy produced goes into calculations for crypto currency

 

[Clamyboy74]

280,000/500 = 560 days of mining? No thanks, I'd rather mine some real crypto

 

[ShObiT]

Y Tho!... No!, Just Stop!! ffs!

 

[VitalyT]

When will all this mining crap die off? I thought we were half-way there already.

 

[Brahman05]

Yes, but can it mine Crysis?

 

[BigBoomBoom]

Wondering when we finally have Artificial Intelligence that achieves technological singularity in secret through the ruse of mining bitcoin, do we send someone back into the past to crash crypto market?

Maybe the current Crypto crash is the result of said time traveller in preventing SKYNETcoin.

 

[Dosahka]

Razer is the Apple of gaming.

Except the warranty and support, it's a nightmare to get repaired/fixed a Razer product in time, ppl rather go to trustworthy shops to fix easy problems, or sell it on ebay...While they are right on the gaming side, personally I'd never put bigger than 1060 into that chassis (overheat, heavy throttling) because a normal gamer want to use it without extra piece of cooling(pads).
I personally owned Razer Blade stealth 17 with 1080 (not max-q) and it was terrible, like my brothers old HP laptop, a jet trying to take off, vertically. But since I managed to buy a version with i7700+1060 it is like any of our MacBook in my workplace.
I think they need 3 fan or even have more powerful/bigger. IMHO

 

[Kibaruk]

With the app, currently in beta for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10, Razer says users can earn up to 500 Razer Silver or more in a given day. For reference, a Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard will cost you 280,000 Razer Silver, a BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard commands 154,000 Razer Silver and a Razer Tartarus V2 controller goes for 112,000 Razer Silver.

The cheapest one will still cost you over half a year of "savings", probably by what you are paying for electricity on that period you could get a couple or more. For people that don't see this it will make some sense to get something "out of nothing".

Yes, but can it mine Crysis?

Stop liking this, it used to be funny but now it feels like a sad attempt of rickrolling... at least for me.

 

[ckm88]

Glad I use all Logitech lulz