First off, what does LHR stand for?
It stands for: Low Hash Rate. What is hash rate? Hash rate is a measure of the processing power of the video card specifically related to the cryptocurrency network. So why would you want a LHR video card? Well if you have been paying any sort of attention to the current market for video cards, they are extremely hard to get hold of and the ones that are available are extremely overpriced.
The first time manufacturers attempted to limit the hash rate of graphics cards was not successful due to the “fix” being a driver. Which was able to be reverse engineered and remove the limit to the hash rate. The new LHR video cards will not only have the driver hash rate limit, but also a hardware countermeasure.
This LHR limitation will only affect Etherium (ETH) mining hash rates. Most other cryptocurrency currently on the market do not use graphics cards to create the coins so targeting ETH is a smart move. These new LHR graphics cards will include the following new cards: 3060ti, 3070ti, and 3080ti. The current 3060ti that are on the market right now will not have the LHR limiters. However, the new 3060ti that will come out after this announcement will have the LHR identifier on the boxes.
This is a good thing potentially for the future of the DIY custom build market. With the new cards potentially being an investment loss for mining rigs, they will be less attractive for that market. This means more potential cards on the market for custom builds.
Personally my system at home is due for an upgrade, but still does what I need it to do so I’m not in as bad a place as many others. There are many users that built a custom system but due to the graphics card shortage that new system build is completely unusable without a graphics card. If you need a graphics card, keep an eye out for these cards to show up on store shelves.
Frankenstein Computers has been taking care of our happy clients since 1999. We specialize in affordable IT Support, IT Service, IT Security MAC repair, PC Repair, Virus Removal, web design and much more. Give us a call for remote support or drop in to drop off. Check out what our clients are saying about us on Yelp!