NVIDIA has extended its Ethereum mining block to its entire RTX 30 series lineup (except the RTX 3090), with the first wave already in stores. The RTX 3060 which was the first SKU to get the nerf has also been updated to the GA106-302 die after a driver mishap. The original GA106-300 production has been discontinued and the newer die will only work with the updated drivers to prevent cross-flashing. The mining performance of the RTX 3060 LHR has been cut from nearly 50 MH/s to under 25 MH/s, pretty much making it redundant for Ethereum mining.
All isn’t going smoothly, however. Originally, NVIDIA had advised its board partners to prioritize the supply of the newer RTX 30 LHR shipments to internet cafes in Korea, China, and Japan. However, as per the latest news, it turns out that the first wave of shipments is quite limited, and such online retailers will now be getting the bulk of the shipments in view of the 6/18 mid-year shopping festival in China.
This is good news for Chinese gamers as they can expect to find a decent amount of RTX 3060s in retail in June, at or close to the retail price. Considering the high demand and the shopping season, you can be sure that these parts are going to sell like hotcakes, so don’t expect them to stick around for long.