Profitability of CPU Mining the Cryptocurrency Monero on AWS EC2s (2024)

We will review the results from CPU mining Monero with the XMRIG miner on different AWS EC2 instance types.

Profitability of CPU Mining the Cryptocurrency Monero on AWS EC2s (3)

Cryptocurrency mining can be thought of as the execution of work by an agent that contributes to the confirmation of transactions. Since a large number of ideally decentralized miners are required in order to secure the blockchain (no double spending, etc), there is an incentive to benefit mining via common hardware (CPU) versus specialized hardware (GPU, FPGA, ASIC).

To achieve this goal, the cryptocurrency Monero makes use of the RandomX algorithm. This algorithm benefits from two properties of CPUs: The ability to execute arbitrary instructions and access to large amounts of memory. Instead, of relying on a hashing function that executes the same sequence of instructions on differing data, this algorithm randomizes both the data and the instructions (sequence of operations) that are used. Both the data and instructions are defined via a randomly generated bitstream that is stored in 2080 MB of RAM.

In the next sections, we will review the mining performance using AWS EC2 servers. Both the rental cost of the instances as well as the earnings from generated Monero will be shown.

Creating EC2 Instances

The AWS EC2 instances were created in the US-EAST-1 region via the admin console following the steps below:

  1. Click “Launch Instance” from the EC2 dashboard.
  2. Select the “Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS (HVM), SSD Volume Type” operating system. At the time of this writing it is AMI versions: ami-042e8287309f5df03 (64-bit x86) / ami-0b75998a97c952252 (64-bit Arm). Note: If launching on an ARM processor choose the ARM version of the OS.
  3. Select the instance type to profile.
  4. Skip “Step 3: Configure Instance Details”. We will be keeping everything to default settings.
  5. Add 16GB of SSD Storage (GP2).
  6. Skip “Step 5: Add Tags”.
  7. Allow SSH access to the instance by opening port 22 to “my IP” under the “source” column.
Profitability of CPU Mining the Cryptocurrency Monero on AWS EC2s (2024)

FAQs

How profitable is Monero CPU mining? ›

While Monero mining can be financially rewarding, it's important to remember that cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, and profitability can fluctuate. To assess the profitability of Monero mining, consider your hardware costs, electricity expenses, mining difficulty, and the current price of Monero.

Is crypto mining on AWS profitable? ›

The lucky people with free AWS accounts then switched to mining Ethereum Classic (ETC) or Ethereum POW (ETHW) but these were very unprofitable, yielding perhaps 10% or 20% max on a good day. And that's not 20% profit, that's getting $20 in crypto for $100 spent in AWS costs. Not a good deal.

How long does it take to mine 1 Monero on CPU? ›

Now, another question you might be interested in is how long it takes to mine one Monero coin? A Monero block is mined every 2 minutes. You already know that the current reward for mining a transaction block is 0.6 XMR. Doing the simple math, 1 XMR is mined every 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

What is the most efficient CPU for mining Monero? ›

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Furthermore, this CPU has been considered the best CPU for mining when it comes to mining the Monero crypto due to its several different specifications. First, this CPU has a powerful multiprocessing capacity of 16 cores and 32 threads, making it better than other CPUs.

Why is CPU mining not profitable? ›

However, GPU has much more ALUs than CPU and as a result, they can do large amounts of mathematical work in a greater quantity than CPU. CPU mining was initially allowed in Bitcoin client's earlier versions but pretty soon hashrate of the network grew too much for CPU mining to be profitable.

Is mining Monero better with CPU or GPU? ›

Proof of Work

This PoW algorithm is ASIC resistant, which means it's impossible to build specialized hardware to mine Monero. Miners must use consumer-grade hardware and compete fairly. Monero can be mined by both CPUs and GPUs, but the former is much more efficient.

Can AWS detect crypto mining? ›

In this blog post, we demonstrated how to define custom metrics in AWS IoT Device Defender to monitor CPU/GPU usage and average ML at the edge inference time to help detect cryptocurrency mining activities by creating a rule-based security profile.

Is cloud mining actually profitable? ›

Cloud mining can be profitable, depending on who provides your services. But, as with other types of mining, it is competitive, so there is no guarantee of payment or any continuity between payments.

Is crypto mining no longer profitable? ›

In recent years, the market has been relatively stable, with prices fluctuating within a narrow range. This has made mining less profitable than it was in the past. However, with the increasing adoption of cryptocurrencies and the emergence of new coins, there is still money to be made in mining.

How much can I make per day mining Monero? ›

On average, miners are currently making around $0.45 to $1 in profitability per day per mining system, though these figures vary greatly and are dependent on the factors that I will outline below.

What is the most profitable way to mine Monero? ›

Mining Monero with GPU is more efficient and profitable than CPU mining, but it also requires more investment and power consumption. Here are the steps to follow: Download and install a Monero mining software that supports GPU mining, such as XMRig or SRBMiner-Multi.

How much Monero can be mined per day? ›

Yes, you can mine one monero a day subject to the power of your hardware. A Monero block is mined every 2 minutes, and we know that the current reward for mining transaction block is 4.99 XMR. So, by doing the simple math, we know that 1 XMR is mined every 24 seconds.

What is the best CPU for Monero mining 2024? ›

To cut a long story short, the best CPU for mining in 2024 identified by us are the following:
  • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X;
  • AMD Ryzen 9 3950X;
  • AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X;
  • Intel Core i9-10900X;
  • AMD Ryzen 9 5950X;
  • AMD Ryzen 9 7950X;
  • Intel Pentium Gold G-6400.

Is it profitable to mine Monero with GPU? ›

Mining Monero (XMR) can be profitable with a GPU, but there are several factors to consider when determining the potential profitability of a mining operation. Some of the most important factors include: Hash rate: The hash rate of a GPU will determine how quickly it can solve mathematical problems and earn rewards.

What speed RAM for Monero mining? ›

RAM frequency and timing settings for Monero mining. Note that setting XMP might not be the most optimal setting for mining. We suggest setting RAM frequency to 3200 MHz, Infinity fabric to 1600 MHz, and RAM timings to auto. These should be default OC values for every RAM model when mining the RandomXMonero algorithm.

Is CPU mining more profitable? ›

Out of the three methods of mining, GPU and ASIC are typically considered to be more profitable than CPU mining. This is because GPU and ASIC miners can process a larger number of calculations per second, making them more efficient than CPU miners.

Is CPU crypto mining profitable? ›

Yes. Crypto mining can be profitable - but there are factors miners need to consider including electricity costs, mining difficulty, and market conditions. All these can significantly impact profitability. Electricity expenses play a crucial role as mining operations consume substantial power.

What is the most profitable crypto to mine with CPU? ›

Historically, Bitcoin (BTC) has been one of the most lucrative cryptocurrencies to mine due to its high market value. However, other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Monero (XMR) have also been profitable for miners, depending on market conditions and mining hardware efficiency.

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