Nvidia's new cryptocurrency mining cards are expected to launch soon

Nvidia's cryptocurrency mining cards are expected to launch soon, but new Turing-based GPUs may not emerge until autumn

Nvidia is planning to launch a range of cryptocurrency mining cards, with the first batches expected within a matter of weeks, according to Cryptomining Blog.

The launch could persuade crypto-currency miners to shift from their current preference for AMD graphics cards, releasing products into the market for ordinary PC builders and gamers.

Industry insiders believe that the Nvidia GP102-100 range of cryptomining cards will be landing soon - sporting 3200 cores and 400 GB/s of bandwidth.

As well as this, it is reported that the graphics cards will be able to mine up to 47 MH/s in Ethereum, 660 Sol/s of ZCash and 879 H/s of Monero.

The P102-100 SKU will be based on Nvidia's GP102 GPU, despite the fact that earlier reports suggested that the latter would be scrapped.

Designed predominantly for people and organisations that want to mine cryptocurrencies, the card is packed with 3,200 1582 MHz cores and 5GB of GDDR5X memory.

As for size, it will come in at 21.5 cm x 12.5cm. Not only will it have dual slots, but there will also be dual eight-pin connectors.

When the card launches, it will be able to work with the PCIe Gen1 x4 interface. Users should be able to insert it into PCIe slots easily.

Leaked photos of the card suggest that it will adopt an inno3D Twin X2 cooler layout, meaning it is likely to have two fans and five pipes for managing heat levels.

The is expected to come with the Pascal GP102 GPU as well, which is powerful enough to support cryptocurrency mining. Nvidia is likely to announce specification and price details soon.

In other news, it is rumoured that the chipmaker will not begin mass producing its forthcoming Turing GPUs until the third quarter of 2018. This is despite previous reports that said they would be launched this month.

Taiwanese news site DigiTimes suggests that Nvidia has had a change of heart due to turbulent times in the cryptocurrency market.

It suggests that "Nvidia and AMD have both been decelerating the developments of their new GPU architectures and prolonging their existing GPU platforms' lifecycle".