CPU Mining Profitability
Realistic daily earnings based on typical hashrates, real electricity costs, and used hardware prices.
| CPU | Coin | Hashrate | Income/day | Income/30d | Elec/day | Elec/30d | Profit/day ↓ | Profit/30d | 30d trend | Eff. $/W | ROI CPU | ROI System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WOW RandomWOW | 30,616 H/s | $3.92 | $117.72 | $0.54 | $16.26 | $3.38 | $101.46 | $0.0126/W | 6.1mo | 1.2yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 22,011 H/s | $2.82 | $84.63 | $0.44 | $13.18 | $2.38 | $71.45 | $0.0112/W | 1.1yr | 1.5yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 14,095 H/s | $1.81 | $54.19 | $0.33 | $9.91 | $1.48 | $44.28 | $0.0095/W | 1.2yr | 1.9yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 14,346 H/s | $1.84 | $55.16 | $0.44 | $13.18 | $1.40 | $41.98 | $0.0073/W | 8.4mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 12,816 H/s | $1.64 | $49.28 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.34 | $40.35 | $0.0096/W | 8.7mo | 1.2yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 10,740 H/s | $1.38 | $41.29 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.08 | $32.37 | $0.0081/W | 7.8mo | 1.2yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 9,617 H/s | $1.23 | $36.98 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $1.02 | $30.63 | $0.0102/W | 1.2yr | 2.2yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 9,995 H/s | $1.28 | $38.43 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.98 | $29.50 | $0.0075/W | 5.2mo | 1.1yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 38,146 H/s | $1.27 | $38.02 | $0.49 | $14.78 | $0.77 | $23.24 | $0.0045/W | 4.2yr | 7.0yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 40,208 H/s | $1.34 | $40.08 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $0.77 | $22.96 | $0.0041/W | 2.2yr | 5.1yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,474 H/s | $0.96 | $28.74 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.75 | $22.39 | $0.0079/W | 5.0mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,911 H/s | $1.01 | $30.42 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.72 | $21.49 | $0.0059/W | 11.8mo | 2.0yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 41,069 H/s | $1.36 | $40.94 | $0.65 | $19.46 | $0.72 | $21.48 | $0.0037/W | 3.2yr | 6.4yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,843 H/s | $1.01 | $30.16 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.71 | $21.23 | $0.0059/W | 7.3mo | 1.5yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,864 H/s | $1.01 | $30.24 | $0.34 | $10.10 | $0.67 | $20.14 | $0.0052/W | 2.1mo | 1.0yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,552 H/s | $0.97 | $29.04 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.67 | $20.11 | $0.0057/W | 1.1yr | 2.1yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 6,714 H/s | $0.86 | $25.81 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.65 | $19.47 | $0.0071/W | 11.5mo | 2.0yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,636 H/s | $0.72 | $21.67 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.51 | $15.33 | $0.0060/W | 4.6mo | 1.6yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,576 H/s | $0.71 | $21.44 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.50 | $15.10 | $0.0059/W | 7.4mo | 1.9yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 31,870 H/s | $1.06 | $31.77 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $0.49 | $14.65 | $0.0032/W | 2.7yr | 7.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,336 H/s | $0.68 | $20.52 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.47 | $14.17 | $0.0056/W | 6.9mo | 1.9yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 23,296 H/s | $0.77 | $23.22 | $0.49 | $14.78 | $0.28 | $8.44 | $0.0027/W | 2.6yr | 10.5yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 12,848 H/s | $0.43 | $12.81 | $0.34 | $10.10 | $0.09 | $2.71 | $0.0022/W | 7.2yr | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 18,462 H/s | $0.61 | $18.40 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $0.04 | $1.28 | $0.0019/W | 22.5yr | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 7,636 H/s | $0.25 | $7.61 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.04 | $1.27 | $0.0021/W | 20.0yr | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 6,494 H/s | $0.22 | $6.47 | $0.30 | $8.93 | -$0.08 | -$2.46 | $0.0013/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 3,312 H/s | $0.11 | $3.30 | $0.21 | $6.34 | -$0.10 | -$3.04 | $0.0009/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 2,971 H/s | $0.10 | $2.96 | $0.21 | $6.34 | -$0.11 | -$3.38 | $0.0008/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 5,709 H/s | $0.19 | $5.69 | $0.37 | $10.96 | -$0.18 | -$5.27 | $0.0009/W | ∞ | ∞ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CPU mining still worth it in 2026?
At $0.07/kWh electricity, most consumer CPUs barely break even or lose a few cents per day. Server CPUs (EPYC, Xeon) with large L3 cache can earn $2–$5/day but take 2–3 years to pay back the hardware. Profitability depends mostly on electricity rate and used-market hardware price.
Which CPU is the most profitable for mining?
Without considering electricity, flagship multi-core CPUs with large L3 cache lead (Ryzen 9 7950X, EPYC, Threadripper). Once electricity is included, used-market server CPUs from previous generations often have the best $/W efficiency. The current ranking is in the table on the home page.
How much can you actually earn from CPU mining?
Realistically, $0.10–$1/day on a consumer CPU at $0.07/kWh. Server EPYC builds — up to $5/day. These figures already include pool fee (1%) and stale share losses (0.5%), but not hardware wear or downtime.
What algorithm should you mine on a CPU?
RandomX is the dominant CPU algorithm — designed to be ASIC- and GPU-resistant. It powers Monero, Zephyr, Salvium and other forks. Wownero uses a smaller variant (RandomWOW). Other CPU algorithms (AstroBWT, GhostRider) are either outdated or have liquidity too low for serious mining.
Does a CPU mining rig pay back?
It depends on electricity rate and used-market hardware price. At $0.07/kWh a used Ryzen 5 build pays back in ~1–2 years; a used EPYC server build in 2–3 years. If net profit is negative — payback never happens. Per-CPU breakdown is in the table.