Vega MiningGuides.com

Change Log

Hi all! I love knowing how many people this guide has helped and enjoy offering it as a free online resource.  That will never change.  But, some might be in a position to give back and CircusWife and I would appreciate it if those who can afford it would send what they can as a show of support.
  • XMR: 46yn37Go9nP66k2bCy9uQsgsXtJExcZzST78SL2QfU5w7JCZneZRNGCNtfJL49BfEfckPii9g23TiBTdnHct6AQL444nDpY
  • ETH:  0x0Db3B49F4075eA688d89E86cbd5750890687F066
  • NANO:  xrb_3bqdyojqj1tg7ddd94nado8zcbbduwkzrrje8znuhgot9gacdcan5sspzzni

 

This Log captures notable changes to the guide content:

 2018-06-10

  • I updated my systems from Windows 10 'Fall Creators Update' (ver 1709) to Windows 10 April 2018 edition (ver. 1803).  This is a free Windows update.  I updated the guide to note this change but the update does not change the installation instructions from the guide.  NOTE: You will likely have to remove and reinstall the driver when windows does a major update (and thus the PPT's as well) but the guide instructions are the same. 
  • I tried the adrenaline driver option with an eye toward updating the guide but I did not like it and both of my rigs are now back on the Aug Blockchain driver (with the EXACT setup described in the guide).  Yes the system can hash OK with the new driver but I found it to be less stable w.r.t hard crashes and took a little more wattage for the same hash.  I do not think it is worth it unless: (a) you want more then 8 Vega's in your rig (you can get 13 with the new driver) or (b) you have Vega FE's (they are better with the new driver).  I do not currently plan to update this consolidated guide to use the new driver.  Let me know on the slack if you think there is a reason I should reconsider.
  • I got a TP-link HS110 when I was dealing with the adrenaline driver induced hard freezes and have been really happy with it (it provides the ability to restart a windows machine remotely that has stopped responding to remote services).  I added a snippet at the end of Section 15 to avoid the "windows error recovery screen" that sometimes occurs when the boots up after a hard power down reset. 

 2018-05-31

  • Added instructions helping people with a mix of Vega 56 and Vega 64's know which registry device ID goes to which of their cards ("MatchingDeviceID" field ends in rev_c3 for vega 56's and rev_c1 for Vega 64's). 

2018-05-17

  • Added an additional instruction so you computer will not update drivers when there is a windows update. Hat tip to @RatusNatus.

2018-03-25

  • So I got lazy and did not updated this change log for the last couple edits (but they were minor)
  • Tonight I edited it the XMR-Stak section to be updated for version 2.3
  • Tonight I edited the PG section to be updated for the new version (required to work with the new xmr-stak)
  • Updated the section on how to get a monero address.  It now points to github as the source for the wallet generator.

2018-02-06


2018-01-31

  • Howdy all!  I'm back.  Some of you may have noticed in the slack channel that I have been absent for some time.  I was actually away on travel for about 9 days with very spotty access to the internet.  CircusWife advised that it wasn't prudent to make pre-travel announcement letting the internet world know I would be away from home (wise woman I married :-).  Anyway, I am back now if you sent me a Direct message and have not gotten a response, it is because I was away.  Please feel free to send me another message so we can restart the thread.
 

2018-01-20

 

2018-01-18

  • I would like shamelessly remind people that a lot of time goes into answering questions and keeping this guide up to date.  The resource will always be free but I would greatly appreciate if those who can afford it would come back and donate once they have accumulated some coin. 
  • Given the new OverDrivenTool.ini suggestions I posted yesterday, I think that the Power Play Tables are still worth doing as a power optimization but that they are an optimization.  Because of that, I added a note to the front of the PPT section inviting users to skip the PPT section the first time through the guide so they can get mining reliably.  Once they are mining, I suggest they come back to install the PPT to ensure they are using the minimum required power.
    • I did this in part because a higher percentage of the complexity in setting up a vega miner is the PPT and it might be better for some.  Also, with the new aftermarket cards coming out, some people are having far better luck with the 85% PPT in the FAQ and I want them to have mining success before they optimize.
  • JJ's new miner is still in BETA but it is working for many so I moved the link for it down to the "setup hash rate monitor" section so people would find it on their first pass through the guide.  (The section update is not complete)

2018-01-17

  • I have been testing (and sharing with many via Reddit/chat/Slack direct messages) a new set of OverdriveNTool.ini parameters since just before the start of the year... point is, it's been about 3 weeks of testing and I have seen better stability and know of no bad effects.  My 5 Vega miner (3xVega 64  2x Vega 56) has been hashing without drop for over a week with the settings.  As of today I am making them the guide standard.  While OverdriveNTool cannot adjust the GPU_P0 to P5 and Mem_P0 to Mem_P2 values, it can disable those power states completely.  That is what the new guide standard file does.  These are great settings for mining but be advised that if you do not have a dedicated miner then the GPU will continue to reside in the higher power P-states even after you are done mining... because all the power states are disabled.  (They can be easily enabled with a separate OverdriveNTool.bat file that calls profiles that do not have the lower states disabled.)
  • It became apparent through a few chats that there was a need for an explanation on how to view the xmr-stak miner through the web interface.  There is now a new, "view your stats" segment in the Start Mining section.

2018-01-16

  • The Jericho Jones has complete a new, more robust and Vega FE friendly version of the Hash Monitor which he is calling Precious Guardian.  The guide will be updated for it shortly but in the mean time... it is available in the announce channel of the slack.

2018-01-12

  • As the guide has grown in length it has gotten a bit daunting for beginners.  It had also become hard to point people to particular sections for reference.  Hopefully you noticed the new web format of the guide.  I am NOT a web developer so this is based on a standard template but I hope people find it cleaner (black text on white helps readability) and easier to follow.  Note that each Chapter/Section heading is actually a hyperlink.  Each line of the index is also a hyperlink to that location.  If you are helping someone reference the guide, you can "right-click"--> "copy link address" and then send them right to the portion of the guide or FAQ that you think will help them out.   Good luck and happy hashing!   (Hat tip to u/SmokinCache for the encouragement.)

2018-01-11

  • Howdy all... I am finding that Reddit messages are a bit hard to follow when they come in bunches (and they do!).  I wanted to try something new to maybe help organize the messages a bit better.  We are going to experiment with a Slack Channel and see how that works for helping me keeping things sorted while I balance life priorities (i.e. the "Dad" part of CircusDad ;-).  It might also provide a forum for vega miners to help each other out.  
Click Here To Join the Vega.MiningGuides.com Slack Group. 
Once you join, click on my name over on the right hand side and shoot me a "Direct Message" if your looking to connect.
  • On that note...   I am in the process of converting the guide over to a cleaner more organized template that might be a little easier for people to use and reference.  The template I am looking at has two Java script related quirks I could use some help with.  Anyone have the skills required to lend a hand?  If so, please join that slack channel and direct message me.  Thanks!


2018-01-08

  • Added a new section to the end of the guide detailing how to set up your miner to auto-start when the computer boots up. 
  • Updated guide verbiage to make it more clear that Vega's are effective at mining all CryptoNight algorithms... not just Monero.  I had already said it at the start of the guide but I made it more clear in the section where the miner is setup.  If you don't know already, it is often more profitable to mine alternate coins and then trade for Monero (or your coin of choice).  Potential coins include ETN, ITNS, SUMO, KRB, XLC, and Nicehash Cryptonight (among others).  Shoot me a note on Reddit if you think it would be helpful for me to provide additional instructions to the guide on this subject.  
    • Note:  If you are intending to trade coins and do not already have an exchange account, then please consider using these referral links to setup your account.  It cost you nothing extra but might provide me a small benefit.  (Note: These are referral links)

2017-12-31

  • Updated guide to remove statement that all Vega's are AMD reference cards and brand did not matter.  Brand might still not matter but with after market cards hitting the market... I don't know that to be true.   I have received confirmation that the method and soft power play tables in the guide do work with ASUS AMD Radeon RX VEGA 64 ROG Strix OC. 

2017-12-29

  • Added a link and instructions for HWiNFO to the bottom of the tuning page.  I was getting a bunch of questions about monitoring temp / voltage during tuning.  It does not cause Hash drop as reliably as GPUz so it is "permissible" to use but it can still cause hash drop so only use it when actually tuning.

2017-12-26

  • Added FAQ on CL_MEM_OBJECT error that can occur when you start the miner <HERE>
  • Merry Christmas by the way :-) ! (Or happy Hanukkah, Holidays, Kwanzaa... )

2017-12-23

  • Added a discussion of the two different financial breakpoints to the mining Profitability post.

2017-12-23

  • Updated links for JJs_HashMonitor (JJs_HashMonitor.ps1) (Run_HashMonitor.cmd) (JJs_Reset_n_Run_Tool.cmd)
  • Tweaked the troubleshooting section for the BOSD failure a little more and added an 85% option.  I also created and added all the Vega 56 files (I previously only had the Vega 64 files).
  • Went back to the original Reddit post for this guide and updated some of the comments (I had answered things via PM that did not make it to the comment thread).  If you are reading this please consider giving the Reddit post an "Arrow Up" as it looks could use some love :-). 
  • Shamefully added my XMR address to the guide.  I love knowing how many people this guide has helped as a free online resource, but it's been over 40 days and is consuming a LOT of my time.  Some might be in a position to give back so i'm giving them a way.

2017-12-22

  • Some people have been having trouble creating Soft Power play tables that work with their setup and are getting BSOD failures on bootup and/or card reset.  I have expanded the Troubleshooting guide for that error and now provide additional pre-made tables.  Hopefully it helps people.

2017-12-18

  • I had indicated to some that the new tuning guide would be posted today.  Apologies for the delay... life keep getting in the way.  It actually is still not finished but I decided to post what I had drafted so far as it might be enough to help some get started...  link here

2017-12-14

  • Updated the XMR-Stak amd.txt section of the guide to set the "strided_index" parameter that was new with XMR-Stak 2.1 to true.

 

2017-12-8

  • Added a step after driver install to save the windows registry file as a backup in case your computer does not like a soft power play table.  Also added instructions on how to easily undo a soft power play table that your computer may not have liked.
  • Expanded the FAQ TDR failure discussion into it's own section to include a solution on how to resolve.
  • Moved "Windows Miner Settings" above "Driver Install" as someone noted that their computer went to sleep during the driver install and messed things up.  This way we have already turned that setting off.
    • Note:  The installation time seems to be worse for those with standard disk drives.  Those with SSDs will not have quite the issue with driver install being so ridiculous.  
  • Added the optional step to disable automatic windows updates.  It will still check for updates and let you know about them... but it will not download and install them until you give the OK (I think it will still do the virus updates though).
  • Added an optional step to disable automatic driver updates.  Don't want windows to change our working system... and an quite happy to let others test out new drivers before they go on our production mining rigs.
  • Added an emphasis about hitting the "set" button in the virtual memory section as more then one person had forgotten that step.
  • Added the shameless donation/support plea to the top of this change log and the FAQ page.

2017-12-6

  • Corrected incorrect (or outdated?) dev fee reference on my CastXMR vs Stak-XMR post.  I had CastXMR listed with a dev fee of 2% and it is 1.5%.  I reworked all the numbers in the post since this factor was no longer a draw.

2017-12-3

  • Added some power info to the FAQ: Here. 
  • Added a link to the Miner Comparison Post to the FAQ: Here
  • Added an FAQ troubleshooting bullet to the "My system crashed" section to cover the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) with a TDR Failures
  • Added an FAQ troubleshooting section on 'Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware' error (means you have to reinstall driver): Here
  • (FYI - I also tested the new pull of xmr-stak that channel that increased my Vega 64 hash rate from 2003 h/s to 2042 h/s... exciting times :-)

2017-12-1


2017-11-30

  • Posted a new registry edit file made specifically for stock Vega 56's. Started testing it on the 29th.  I tested several restarts of my computer and restarts of the miner without issue.  Started miner mining Monero at supportXMR.com and let it run for over 24hrs without a hash drop.  (I took it down myself after taking this picture so I can begin dev testing of JJs new Hash Monitor version 2.9)
    • FYI - Using the settings and files on the blog my 5 Vega Monero Mining rig pulls 195w from the wall after boot-up while waiting idol at login screen.  940w from the wall when the Vega's are mining and the CPU is not mining.  1050W when the CPU is mining.
      Validation that system works with new Rx Vega 56 Registry file
  • Added a troubleshooting step in the "my computer crashed when I started the miner" section instructing them to turn off CPU and Nvidia mining and thus reduce variables as they focus on their issues.
  • u/Hellea has done a major re-write of his previously outdated definitive mining guide.  I updated my references to his guide step numbers and will continue linking to his guide to ensure he is properly recognized for his extensive soft power play table contributions.

2017-11-29

  • For some time I have had the following text under the baseline OverDriveNTool.ini file box: "When you are ready to tweak, start by changing the appropriate line in the Vega 64 portion to read, "GPU_P7=1408;925" and "Mem_P3=1100;905". It will save 20 to 30 Watts."
    • I have now gotten sufficient feedback that those values work for people so as of today I am moving those values into the baseline Rx Vega 64 template file.
  • Added a caution to the GPU setup section so people knew that "This GPU is not supported" is a tell that you need to uninstall and reinstall the block-chain driver (thanks for reminder anon7920).
  • Updated the Alternate Script page.  It no longer provides instructions on how to obtain Devcon.exe because it is no longer needed.  The instructions were updated to instead incorporate TheJerichoJones' cool new Reset_n_Run_Tool.cmd (which no longer needs Devcon.exe). 
  • Finally added a few pictures of the mining rig.  More have been taken and will be added to include photos of the system as rebuilt with 5x Vegas.
  • Note: I am currently testing a new regedit file specific for Vega 56's.  I have always used the posted u/Hellea file on both my stock Vega 64's and my stock Vega 56's without issue.  Many others have as well.  So far testing has not shown any improvement with the new Vega 56 specific reg file but several were asking about it so I thought I would address the request. (My system power went up 10w per Vega 56 with the new file so this might not be the version I ultimately post). Shoot me a PM on Reddit if you have a file you think is worth consideration. 

2017-11-28 (07:00 UTC)

  • Updated JJs_HashMonitor to version 2.7 (version 2.6 update had broken support for xmr-stak-amd but the ver 2.6 documentation still stated xmr-stak-amd was supported)

2017-11-27:

  • Many people were affirming that the guide was working.  When questions did arise I noticed they often related to getting the Windows and Driver foundation properly setup
    • Re-write of "General Windows Setup" section to provide step-by-step instructions on how to produce a clean installation.
    • new, "Install GPU Drivers" Section expanded the previous description of the driver installation process .  
  • Moved the "Turn off AMD Crossfire Detection" step early into the process to occur right after driver installation (hat tip to u/Slithus7) 
  • System Rebuild FYI:  Prior to 2017-11-27 this guides was based on my adventures during the development of a 5 GPU rig comprised of 1x GTX-750, 2x RX Vega 64, and 2x Vega 56.  That setup enabled the HDMI Dongle to be plugged into a non-Vega GPU (this is an advantaged condition).  On the Weekend of 2017-11-25 I received a new RX Vega 56 (Yea!) to replace my GTX-750 (Motherboard only has 5 slots).  I created a fresh install of Windows and used this step-by-step guide to successfully create a stable 5 Vega rig.  My HDMI dongle is now installed into a Vega 64 aligned with my main 16xPCI slot via riser.  While use of the guide was successful.  I was able to 'enjoy' some additional driver installation experience and capture several screen shots to expand a few of the step-by-step guide instructions.  I also learned that the 'random' monitor artifact issues that some were experiencing were not random but instead the result of having a Vega trying to both mine AND support a monitor.  I determined that the artifact issue can be resolved by reducing the thread intensity for both threads of that one Vega to 1800.  It did not reduce the hash rate too much (20h/s ish) but I do miss seeing those 4 digit numbers for my Vega 64.  That finding has been added to the guide.  Rates below have been stable > 24hrs.

2017-11-26

  • Changed guide address from vegamining.blogspot.com to vega.miningguides.com.  This was done because international users were each being served different blogspot domain extensions (.com, .in, .it, .ca, .jp, .co.uk, .rs, .ru, .au, .ro, .hk, .hr, .br, .co.nz, .pt....).  Links were being shared with numerous names and it was adding to confusion (and likely hurting search engines rankings).  This may initially cause confusion but should ultimately help.  All old links still work.
  • @TheJerichoJones has been busy!  Download the new version 2.6 release of JJs_HashMonitor (Contains back end improvement and error checking enhancements, non-critical but worth updating).***   (Older version 2.2 is still posted)

2017-11-28


  • Published the start of a "Mining Profitability" discussion page (relates to two related PM questions I had been asked on Reddit)

2017-11-24


  • Fielded lots of questions over Thanksgiving vacation.  Published an FAQ.

2017-11-23

  • Added "TURN OFF AMD CROSSFIRE DETECTION":  Not something I have seen on other guides but it improves driver stability and speeds up windows boot time in multi Vega systems.  Update your rig even if your already set up!

-- Was not yet keeping a change log --

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