It has been known for some time that Nvidia wanted to outfit its entire GeForce RTX 30 series with Ethereum cryptocurrency mining limiters after trying it on the GeForce RTX 3060 alone. Now we are seeing partner versions of these anti-mining cards for the first time, starting with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070.

As discovered by VideoCardz, Galax has revealed new "LHR" (Lower Hash Rate) versions of the GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070 cards. These GPUs are only about half as effective in Ethereum mining without affecting gaming performance.

The idea, as with Nvidia's efforts to lower hash rates on other GPUs, is to discourage miners from buying up what little inventory is available before it becomes available thanks to production problems caused by a fundamental semiconductor shortage. Thus, the average PC owner who has been struggling to find a place to purchase an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 may have a better chance of purchasing one.

Galax makes it clear that these new models are mining-only by adding a new "FG" suffix. However, it is not clear what this means. Perhaps it is "For Gaming". Or it could mean "Finally GPUs" for those who have been chasing restocks for months without success.

Nvidia's first attempt to put an Ethereum mining limiter on the GeForce RTX 3060 did not go as planned. Then more enterprising miners eventually succeeded in cracking it. This second attempt is considered more secure and will be included in the upcoming Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in addition to these existing GPUs.

However, the effectiveness of this new limiter is still unknown, both in terms of how difficult it will be to crack and how useful it will actually be in getting demand graphics cards into the hands of PC gamers. In any case, it is virtually certain that available inventory will be low, so it will still be necessary to act quickly when the LHR cards are released.