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 | $4.26 | $127.66 | $0.54 | $16.26 | $3.71 | $111.40 | $0.0137/W | 5.0mo | 11.8mo | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 22,011 H/s | $3.06 | $91.78 | $0.44 | $13.18 | $2.62 | $78.60 | $0.0122/W | 10.6mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 14,095 H/s | $1.96 | $58.77 | $0.33 | $9.91 | $1.63 | $48.86 | $0.0103/W | 11.8mo | 1.6yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 14,346 H/s | $1.99 | $59.82 | $0.44 | $13.18 | $1.55 | $46.64 | $0.0079/W | 6.8mo | 1.0yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 40,208 H/s | $2.06 | $61.84 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $1.49 | $44.72 | $0.0063/W | 1.0yr | 2.4yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 12,816 H/s | $1.78 | $53.44 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.48 | $44.51 | $0.0104/W | 7.2mo | 12.1mo | ||
| SAL RandomX | 38,146 H/s | $1.96 | $58.67 | $0.49 | $14.78 | $1.46 | $43.89 | $0.0069/W | 2.0yr | 3.4yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 41,069 H/s | $2.11 | $63.16 | $0.65 | $19.46 | $1.46 | $43.70 | $0.0057/W | 1.4yr | 2.8yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 10,740 H/s | $1.49 | $44.78 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.20 | $35.85 | $0.0088/W | 6.4mo | 1.0yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 9,617 H/s | $1.34 | $40.10 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $1.13 | $33.76 | $0.0110/W | 12.1mo | 1.8yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 9,995 H/s | $1.39 | $41.68 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $1.09 | $32.75 | $0.0081/W | 4.3mo | 10.9mo | ||
| SAL RandomX | 31,870 H/s | $1.63 | $49.01 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $1.06 | $31.90 | $0.0050/W | 1.1yr | 3.0yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,474 H/s | $1.04 | $31.16 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.83 | $24.82 | $0.0086/W | 4.1mo | 1.0yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,911 H/s | $1.10 | $32.99 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.80 | $24.06 | $0.0064/W | 9.6mo | 1.6yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,843 H/s | $1.09 | $32.70 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.79 | $23.77 | $0.0064/W | 5.9mo | 1.2yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,864 H/s | $1.09 | $32.79 | $0.34 | $10.10 | $0.76 | $22.69 | $0.0057/W | 1.7mo | 10.1mo | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 7,552 H/s | $1.05 | $31.49 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.75 | $22.56 | $0.0062/W | 11.3mo | 1.7yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 6,714 H/s | $0.93 | $28.00 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.72 | $21.65 | $0.0077/W | 9.4mo | 1.6yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 23,296 H/s | $1.19 | $35.83 | $0.49 | $14.78 | $0.70 | $21.05 | $0.0042/W | 11.5mo | 3.8yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,636 H/s | $0.78 | $23.50 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.57 | $17.16 | $0.0065/W | 3.7mo | 1.3yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,576 H/s | $0.78 | $23.25 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.56 | $16.91 | $0.0064/W | 6.0mo | 1.5yr | ||
| WOW RandomWOW | 5,336 H/s | $0.74 | $22.25 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.53 | $15.91 | $0.0061/W | 5.6mo | 1.6yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 18,462 H/s | $0.95 | $28.39 | $0.57 | $17.12 | $0.38 | $11.27 | $0.0029/W | 2.3yr | 7.8yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 12,848 H/s | $0.66 | $19.76 | $0.34 | $10.10 | $0.32 | $9.66 | $0.0034/W | 1.8yr | 8.0yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 7,636 H/s | $0.39 | $11.74 | $0.21 | $6.34 | $0.18 | $5.40 | $0.0032/W | 4.3yr | 9.3yr | ||
| SAL RandomX | 6,494 H/s | $0.33 | $9.99 | $0.30 | $8.93 | $0.04 | $1.06 | $0.0020/W | 13.9yr | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 3,312 H/s | $0.17 | $5.09 | $0.21 | $6.34 | -$0.04 | -$1.25 | $0.0014/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 2,971 H/s | $0.15 | $4.57 | $0.21 | $6.34 | -$0.06 | -$1.77 | $0.0013/W | ∞ | ∞ | ||
| SAL RandomX | 5,709 H/s | $0.29 | $8.78 | $0.37 | $10.96 | -$0.07 | -$2.18 | $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.