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 | $4.23 | $126.86 | $0.54 | $16.26 | $3.69 | $110.60 | $0.0136/W | 5.1mo | 11.9mo | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 22,011 H/s | $3.04 | $91.21 | $0.44 | $13.18 | $2.60 | $78.03 | $0.0121/W | 10.7mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 14,095 H/s | $1.95 | $58.40 | $0.33 | $9.91 | $1.62 | $48.49 | $0.0103/W | 11.9mo | 1.6yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 14,346 H/s | $1.98 | $59.44 | $0.44 | $13.18 | $1.54 | $46.27 | $0.0079/W | 6.9mo | 1.1yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 12,816 H/s | $1.77 | $53.10 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.47 | $44.18 | $0.0104/W | 7.3mo | 1.0yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 40,208 H/s | $2.04 | $61.22 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $1.47 | $44.10 | $0.0062/W | 1.0yr | 2.4yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 38,146 H/s | $1.94 | $58.08 | $0.49 | $14.78 | $1.44 | $43.30 | $0.0069/W | 2.1yr | 3.5yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 41,069 H/s | $2.08 | $62.53 | $0.65 | $19.46 | $1.44 | $43.07 | $0.0056/W | 1.5yr | 2.9yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 10,740 H/s | $1.48 | $44.50 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.19 | $35.57 | $0.0087/W | 6.5mo | 1.0yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 9,617 H/s | $1.33 | $39.85 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $1.12 | $33.51 | $0.0110/W | 1.0yr | 1.8yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 9,995 H/s | $1.38 | $41.42 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.08 | $32.49 | $0.0081/W | 4.4mo | 11.1mo | ||
| SAL RandomX | 31,870 H/s | $1.62 | $48.52 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $1.05 | $31.40 | $0.0049/W | 1.1yr | 3.1yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,474 H/s | $1.03 | $30.97 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.82 | $24.63 | $0.0085/W | 4.2mo | 1.1yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,911 H/s | $1.09 | $32.78 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.80 | $23.85 | $0.0064/W | 9.7mo | 1.6yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,843 H/s | $1.08 | $32.50 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.79 | $23.57 | $0.0064/W | 6.0mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,864 H/s | $1.09 | $32.59 | $0.34 | $10.10 | $0.75 | $22.49 | $0.0056/W | 1.7mo | 10.3mo | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,552 H/s | $1.04 | $31.29 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.75 | $22.36 | $0.0061/W | 11.5mo | 1.7yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 6,714 H/s | $0.93 | $27.82 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.72 | $21.48 | $0.0077/W | 9.6mo | 1.6yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 23,296 H/s | $1.18 | $35.47 | $0.49 | $14.78 | $0.69 | $20.69 | $0.0042/W | 11.8mo | 3.9yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,636 H/s | $0.78 | $23.35 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.57 | $17.01 | $0.0064/W | 3.8mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,576 H/s | $0.77 | $23.10 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.56 | $16.76 | $0.0064/W | 6.1mo | 1.5yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,336 H/s | $0.74 | $22.11 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.53 | $15.77 | $0.0061/W | 5.7mo | 1.6yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 18,462 H/s | $0.94 | $28.11 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $0.37 | $10.99 | $0.0029/W | 2.4yr | 8.0yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 12,848 H/s | $0.65 | $19.56 | $0.34 | $10.10 | $0.32 | $9.46 | $0.0034/W | 1.9yr | 8.2yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 7,636 H/s | $0.39 | $11.63 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.18 | $5.28 | $0.0032/W | 4.4yr | 9.6yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 6,494 H/s | $0.33 | $9.89 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.03 | $0.96 | $0.0019/W | 15.5yr | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 3,312 H/s | $0.17 | $5.04 | $0.21 | $6.34 | -$0.04 | -$1.30 | $0.0014/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 2,971 H/s | $0.15 | $4.52 | $0.21 | $6.34 | -$0.06 | -$1.82 | $0.0012/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 5,709 H/s | $0.29 | $8.69 | $0.37 | $10.96 | -$0.08 | -$2.27 | $0.0014/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.