CGMiner 3.7.2 Review: Pros and Cons of the Best GPU Mining Software for Litecoin Scrypt

CGMiner 3.7.2 - GPU Mining Software (Litecoin Scrypt) 64 Bit

If you are looking for a fast and easy way to mine Litecoin (LTC) or other Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies, you might want to check out CGMiner 3.7.2, one of the most popular and reliable GPU mining software available. In this article, we will explain what CGMiner 3.7.2 is, how to download and install it, how to configure and run it, and how to optimize and troubleshoot it.

CGMiner 3.7.2 - GPU Mining Software (Litecoin Scrypt) 64 Bit

What is CGMiner 3.7.2?

CGMiner is an open-source software that allows you to mine cryptocurrencies using ASIC, GPU, and FPGA devices. It supports various algorithms, such as SHA-256, Scrypt, X11, Keccak, Quark, and more. It also has many features and options that make it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

Features and benefits of CGMiner 3.7.2

Some of the features and benefits of CGMiner 3.7.2 are:

• It has a high mining speed, thanks to its optimized code and kernels.

• It supports multiple devices and pools, allowing you to mine different coins simultaneously.

• It has a low dev fee of only 0%, meaning that you keep all the rewards for yourself.

• It has a watchdog timer that monitors your devices and restarts the miner if they freeze or crash.

• It has an in-built overclocking feature that lets you adjust the clock speed, voltage, fan speed, and power limit of your devices.

• It has an auto-tuning feature that finds the best settings for your devices automatically.

• It has a remote monitoring and control feature that lets you access your miner from anywhere using a web browser or a mobile app.

• It has a user-friendly interface that displays your mining statistics, such as hash rate, temperature, fan speed, shares, earnings, etc.

• It has a comprehensive help menu that explains all the command-line options and parameters.

Supported devices and operating systems

CGMiner 3.7.2 supports both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs (including mixed mining rigs). It runs on Windows x64 and Linux x64 operating systems.

How to download and install CGMiner 3.7.2?

Download links and checksums

You can download CGMiner 3.7.2 from the following links:

File nameSHA256 checksumDownload link

cgminer.exe417b22681a716e2481fde1fcaed96d66a5716a188186a4ae765d558d4a7ec2f5[text](^1^)

cgminer.exec57cfadb4a6b8af18bb83248e5244992a0e1dd3617b254f68df9a6c97261c953[text](^6^)</ Installation instructions for Windows and Linux

To install CGMiner 3.7.2 on Windows, follow these steps:

• Download the cgminer.exe file from the link above and save it to a folder of your choice.

• Extract the file using a tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR.

• Create a batch file (.bat) in the same folder with the following content:

setx GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT 100 setx GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS 1 cgminer.exe --scrypt -o stratum+tcp://pool:port -u username -p password

Replace pool, port, username, and password with your mining pool details. You can also add other options and parameters as you wish.

• Double-click the batch file to start mining.

To install CGMiner 3.7.2 on Linux, follow these steps:

• Download the cgminer.exe file from the link above and save it to a folder of your choice.

• Open a terminal and navigate to the folder where you saved the file.

• Make the file executable by typing:

chmod +x cgminer.exe

• Create a shell script (.sh) in the same folder with the following content:

#!/bin/bash export GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT=100 export GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS=1 ./cgminer.exe --scrypt -o stratum+tcp://pool:port -u username -p password

Replace pool, port, username, and password with your mining pool details. You can also add other options and parameters as you wish.

• Make the script executable by typing:

chmod +x cgminer.sh

• Run the script by typing:

./cgminer.sh

How to configure and run CGMiner 3.7.2?

Basic command-line options and parameters

CGMiner 3.7.2 has many command-line options and parameters that you can use to customize your mining experience. Here are some of the most common ones:

• --scrypt: This option tells CGMiner to use the Scrypt algorithm, which is required for mining Litecoin and other Scrypt-based coins.

• -o stratum+tcp://pool:port: This option specifies the mining pool address and port number. You can use multiple -o options to add backup pools.

• -u username: This option specifies your mining pool username or worker name.

• -p password: This option specifies your mining pool password or worker password.

• --intensity n: This option sets the intensity of mining, which affects the GPU usage and performance. The value of n can range from 0 to 20, where 0 is the lowest and 20 is the highest. The default value is 8.

• --thread-concurrency n: This option sets the thread concurrency of mining, which affects how many threads are used per GPU. The value of n depends on your GPU model and memory size. You can use a calculator like this one to find the optimal value for your device.

• --gpu-engine n: This option sets the GPU core clock speed in MHz. The value of n depends on your GPU model and overclocking capability. You can use a tool like MSI Afterburner to find the maximum stable value for your device.

• --gpu-memclock n: This option sets the GPU memory clock speed in MHz. The value of n depends on your GPU model and overclocking capability. You can use a tool like MSI Afterburner to find the maximum stable value for your device.

• --gpu-fan n: This option sets the GPU fan speed in percentage. The value of n can range from 0 to 100, where 0 is auto and 100 is full speed. You can use a tool like MSI Afterburner to monitor your GPU temperature and adjust the fan speed accordingly.

• --gpu-powertune n: This option sets the GPU power limit in percentage. The value of n can range from -20 to 20, where -20 is 80% and 20 is 120%. You can use this option to reduce or increase the power consumption and performance of your GPU. You can use a tool like MSI Afterburner to monitor your GPU power usage and adjust the power limit accordingly.

For a complete list of command-line options and parameters, you can type cgminer.exe --help or visit the official documentation page.

Example configuration files for different pools and coins

If you don't want to use command-line options and parameters, you can also create a configuration file (.conf) in the same folder as cgminer.exe with the following format:

"pools": [ "url": "stratum+tcp://pool:port", "user": "username", "pass": "password" , "url": "stratum+tcp://backup_pool:port", "user": "username", "pass": "password" ], "scrypt": true, "intensity": "8", "thread-concurrency": "8192", "gpu-engine": "1000", "gpu-memclock": "1500", "gpu-fan": "80", "gpu-powertune": "10"

You can edit the values according to your preferences and save the file as cgminer.conf. Then, you can run cgminer.exe without any command-line options and parameters, and it will load the configuration file automatically.

Here are some example configuration files for different pools and coins:

CoinPoolConfiguration file

Litecoin (LTC)Litecoinpool.org "pools": [ "url": "stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333", "user": "[text]", "pass": "[text]" ], "scrypt": true, "intensity": "[text]", "thread-concurrency": "[text]", "gpu-engine": "[text]", "gpu-memclock": "[text]", "gpu-fan": "[text]", "gpu-powertune": "[text]"

Dogecoin (DOGE)Aikapool.com "pools": [ "url": "[text]", "user": "[text]", "pass": "[text]" ], "scrypt": true, [text]

Feathercoin (FTC)Theblocksfactory.com [text]

How to optimize and troubleshoot CGMiner 3.7.2?

Tips and tricks for increasing performance and stability

Here are some tips and tricks that can help you increase the performance and stability of your mining rig using CGMiner 3.7.2:

• Update your GPU drivers to the latest version.

• Clean your GPU fans and heatsinks regularly to prevent overheating and dust accumulation.

• Use a reliable power supply unit (PSU) that can handle the power consumption of your devices.

• Use riser cables or PCI-E extenders to connect your GPUs to your motherboard, especially if you have more than four GPUs.

• Use a cooling system or a fan controller to regulate the temperature and airflow of your mining rig.

• Experiment with different intensity, thread concurrency, GPU engine, GPU memclock, and GPU powertune values to find the best combination for your devices.

• Use the --auto-fan and --auto-gpu options to let CGMiner adjust the fan speed and clock speed of your devices automatically based on the temperature and load.

• Use the --temp-target, --temp-overheat, and --temp-cutoff options to set the temperature thresholds for your devices, and CGMiner will throttle or stop mining if they are exceeded.

• Use the --failover-only option to switch to a backup pool only if the primary pool fails, and not if it is rejected or stale.

• Use the --no-submit-stale option to avoid submitting stale shares, which are rejected by the pool and waste your bandwidth and electricity.

Common errors and solutions

Here are some of the common errors that you might encounter while using CGMiner 3.7.2, and how to solve them:

ErrorSolution

No devices detected!Make sure that your devices are connected properly and recognized by your operating system. You can use the --ndevs option to list the available devices. You can also use the --gpu-platform n option to specify the platform number of your devices, where n is 0 for AMD and 1 for NVIDIA.

Maximum buffer memory device 0 supports says 536870912This error means that your device does not have enough memory to run the thread concurrency value that you specified. You can lower the thread concurrency value or use a calculator like this one to find the optimal value for your device.

Stratum connection failed: Failed connect to pool:port; Connection refusedThis error means that your pool address or port number is incorrect or unreachable. You can check the pool website for the correct address and port number, or try a different pool.

Stratum authentication failedThis error means that your pool username or password is incorrect or invalid. You can check the pool website for the correct username and password, or register a new account if you don't have one.

GPU 0: invalid nonce - HW errorThis error means that your device is producing invalid or corrupted shares, which indicates a hardware problem. You can try lowering the intensity, thread concurrency, GPU engine, GPU memclock, or GPU powertune values, or increasing the voltage or fan speed of your device. You can also check if your device is overheating or damaged.

Conclusion

In conclusion, CGMiner 3.7.2 is a powerful and versatile GPU mining software that can help you mine Litecoin and other Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies with ease. It has many features and options that allow you to customize your mining experience according to your preferences and needs. It also has a low dev fee of 0%, which means that you get to keep all the rewards for yourself. If you want to start mining with CGMiner 3.7.2, you can follow the steps in this article to download, install, configure, run, optimize, and troubleshoot it.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about CGMiner 3.7.2:

• What is Litecoin?

Litecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that was created in 2011 by Charlie Lee as a fork of Bitcoin. It has faster transaction confirmation times and lower fees than Bitcoin. It uses the Scrypt algorithm for its proof-of-work system, which makes it more accessible for GPU mining than Bitcoin's SHA-256 algorithm.li>How do I mine Litecoin?

To mine Litecoin, you need a device that can run the Scrypt algorithm, such as a GPU, an ASIC, or an FPGA. You also need a mining software, such as CGMiner 3.7.2, that can communicate with the Litecoin network and the mining pool of your choice. You also need a Litecoin wallet, where you can store and manage your coins.

• What is a mining pool?

A mining pool is a group of miners who share their computing power and split the rewards according to their contribution. Mining pools are useful for reducing the variance and increasing the profitability of mining, especially for smaller or solo miners. There are many mining pools available for Litecoin and other Scrypt-based coins, such as Litecoinpool.org, Aikapool.com, Theblocksfactory.com, etc.

• What is a dev fee?

A dev fee is a percentage of your mining rewards that goes to the developer of the mining software as a way of supporting their work and covering their costs. Some mining software have a dev fee of 1% or 2%, which means that for every 100 coins you mine, 1 or 2 coins go to the developer. CGMiner 3.7.2 has a dev fee of 0%, which means that you keep all the coins you mine.

• How do I update CGMiner 3.7.2?

To update CGMiner 3.7.2, you can visit the official website or the GitHub repository and download the latest version of the software. You can also use the --version option to check the current version of your software. You can also subscribe to the official mailing list or follow the official Twitter account to get notified of any updates or news.

dcd2dc6462