This tool, called Nvidia RTX LHR v2 Unlocker, will be available from February 26.
In an attempt to dissuade cryptocurrency miners from jumping on its RTX 3000 graphics cards, NVIDIA propose des versions LHR (Lite Hash Rate) since last May. As the name implies, these cards have a reduced hash rate compared to regular models. Over the months, various methods to restore the full potential of the RTX 3000 LHRs have emerged, but so far none have fully succeeded. Several sites, including VideoCardz, MyDrivers or even Tom’s Hardware US, have devoted an article to a tool called Nvidia RTX LHR v2 Unlocker. Supposed to be available in beta from February 26, it would restore their full potential to the RTX 3000 LHR.
The author, a certain BySergeyDev, argues that it is “the first fully automated BIOS modifier for RTX cards with LHR v2 lock. Its use is simple, intuitive and does not require any advanced knowledge ».
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The performances announced
According to the explanations given on GitHub, the tool modifies the BIOS of the LHR cards and installs a new driver for Windows (or for another OS). The author writes: “Modifying the BIOS is not enough to restore your graphics card to its full hash. You also need graphics drivers modified by me. They are downloaded and installed automatically in Windows during program installation. If you are using another OS such as HiveOs etc. then you must install the drivers manually according to the instructions found in the DRIVER_INSTALATION.txt file in the application installation folder. »
BySergeyDev promises the performance below. Regarding the RTX 3000, hash rates more or less match those of non-LHR RTX 3000s.
| Graphic card | Hash rate |
| RTX 3080 Ti | Up to 115 MH/s |
| RTX 3080 LHR | Up to 100 MH/s |
| RTX 3070 Ti | Up to 69 MH/s |
| RTX 3070 LHR | Up to 57 MH/s |
| RTX 3060 Ti LHR | Up to 61 MH/s |
| RTX 3060 LHR V2 | Up to 49 MH/s |
| RTX A5000 | Up to 110 MH/s |
| RTX A4500 | not measured |
| RTX A4000 | Up to 67 MH/s |
| RTX A2000 | Up to 46 MH/s |
Caution is advised
Sergey will therefore release his Nvidia RTX LHR v2 Unlocker tool on February 26th. As it stands, we can only advise against trying it: downloading and installing files from unknown sources is generally prohibited.
Graphics cards: the fall in prices continues
In the event that this tool proves to be safe and effective, it is not guaranteed to have a huge impact on the demand for RTX 3000 graphics cards. Indeed, even with an unrestricted GPU, the profitability of mining crypto-currencies has fallen sharply in recent weeks: for a new entrant, break-even points for the RTX 3000s are all over 400 days now, whatever the reference. Also, the upcoming transition to a proof-of-stake system for Ethereum should reshuffle the cards (no pun intended).