The NVIDIA Beta Driver 470.05 was a notable graphics driver release that gained attention in early 2021. This driver became particularly famous because it accidentally removed the cryptocurrency mining limiter on NVIDIA's RTX 3060 graphics cards.
Originally, NVIDIA had implemented a hash rate limiter on the RTX 3060 to discourage cryptocurrency miners from purchasing gaming graphics cards, thus making them more available for gamers. However, the Beta Driver 470.05, which was initially released for developers, unintentionally disabled this limitation.
After discovering this issue, NVIDIA quickly pulled the driver from their website. The company later released updated versions with the mining restrictions restored. This incident highlighted the ongoing challenges between gaming and cryptocurrency mining communities regarding graphics card availability.
The driver was compatible with Windows operating systems and supported various NVIDIA GPU models, primarily focusing on the RTX 30 series cards.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Driver Name | NVIDIA Beta Driver 470.05 |
| Release Date | March 2021 |
| Type | Beta/Development Driver |
| Notable Feature | Accidentally removed ETH mining limiter |
| Supported OS | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Primary GPU Series | GeForce RTX 30 Series |
| Key GPUs Supported | RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, RTX 3080, RTX 3090 |
| Mining Performance | Full hash rate for Ethereum mining |
| Hash Rate (RTX 3060) | ~50 MH/s (unrestricted) |
| Original Limitation | 24.5 MH/s (on other drivers) |
| Driver Status | Pulled from official distribution |
| Distribution Period | Very brief (less than 24 hours) |
| Installation Requirements | - Windows 10 64-bit - Compatible NVIDIA GPU - Direct display connection |
| Special Notes | - Bypassed NVIDIA's mining limiter - Not officially supported - No longer available for download |
| Security Level | Beta (not recommended for production use) |
| Performance Impact | - Full mining performance - Standard gaming performance |
| Developer | NVIDIA Corporation |
| File Size | Approximately 600 MB |
| Successor | Driver 470.xx series (with limiter restored) |
| Legacy Status | Considered a significant event in crypto mining history |
| Technical Impact | Demonstrated vulnerability in NVIDIA's hash rate limiter |
| Market Impact | Temporarily affected crypto mining community |
| Compatibility | Limited to specific hardware configurations |
| Support Status | No official support or updates |
