MacOS mining: "Apple" mining

MacOS mining: "Apple" mining
Many owners of the so-called "Apple" equipment are wondering how profitable mining on MacOS, namely on such devices as iMac or MacBook. In this article, we will try to figure out whether these machines can stand up to IBM-PC on Windows or Linux in the mining industry.

• MINING ON MACOS: AN INTRODUCTION

So, the first problem with mining on the Apple operating system awaits us at the initial stages - not all even the most popular miners are let in under this OS. One of the most productive, as practice shows, is minergate. It should be noted right away that mining on MacOS is possible only for less popular altcoins, with the prospect of their future growth. It is not worth it to try to get a hold of even the first top 20 in the ranking. So, now let's move on to a specific consideration.

• MAC OS MINING: HASH RATE

I would like to note right away, despite the fact that Apple computers are considered more optimized in terms of performance for household tasks, in mining they turn out to be much worse than Windows or Linux PCs. For example, a GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, on average, is capable of producing 700-800 MH/s when the OS is properly configured. On MacOS, in theory, one would expect at least 600-650 MH/s.

In practice, it turned out that its performance drops to 550 MH/s. Probably, this sag is mainly due to the internal architecture of the OS, which is not able to squeeze the maximum power out of the hardware.

• MINING ON MACOS: POWER CONSUMPTION

It would seem logical to assume that with such a low hash rate, mining on macOS should show low power consumption of at least 250W. What is actually happening? The figure reaches 380W. Although, those who have been using the equipment from Apple for more than a year know that it just furiously eats electricity - for this many people do not like the iPhone and other gadgets of this manufacturer.

• MAC OS MINING: SETTING UP

Here's the most interesting part - there are no practical settings for the system on MacOS. Whereas in Windows or Linux, you can tweak almost any parameter of operation, in Macintosh, it is virtually unrealistic. The system is very closed and conservative, what is set at the factory is very difficult to change.

• SUMMARY

Mining on MacOS will be real torture for a miner. This system is not very flexible, so setting it up for optimal mining performance will be extremely difficult. Some users argue that normal performance can be achieved by installing Windows or Ubuntu on their "Apple" computer. But think about it, is there a sense to spoil the machine, which costs about 1.5 thousand dollars, if you can buy a simple IBM computer for only 200-300 dollars?

In general, it is not worth re-inventing the wheel and getting into perversions, because MacOS is an OS for work, design, and everyday tasks, but not for mining.