Nvidia Said We Couldn't Game On This Crypto Mining Card...

Technological / Product Concepts Covered

Crypto-mining GPU cards (Gigabyte P106, “crypto-specific” model)

• Comparable class: Similar to a GTX 1060 (6GB) in its overall category (dual-fan, 6-pin power).
• Key limitation: The card lacks display outputs (no HDMI/DP ports).
• Gaming lockout via Nvidia: Nvidia driver/firmware restrictions effectively prevent gaming use, since the card is recognized as mining-oriented hardware.

Workaround discussed: “modified firmware/driver” to enable gaming

• A seller on Taobao allegedly offers these cards with a modified firmware/driver, claiming gaming compatibility for ~$67 (far cheaper than a typical GTX 1060).
• The video evaluates whether this claim is real and what technical steps are required.

Key bypass techniques

Because the card has no direct display connections, the solution relies on a concept similar to prior multi-GPU display routing approaches (described as carryover from laptops):

• Display routing via CPU/iGPU:

  • Use the onboard CPU/iGPU video output for the actual display.
  • Use the mining GPU for rendering/compute, driven by the modified Nvidia setup.

• Secure Boot + signed driver restriction bypass:

  • Disable Secure Boot in BIOS (“clear secure boot keys”).
  • Enable Windows test signing mode (so Windows accepts unsigned/modified drivers).
  • Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove existing driver state.

Driver identity / behavior

• In Device Manager, the mining card appears as “P106 100” instead of “GTX 1060.”
• Nvidia Control Panel may initially report that no display is attached to an Nvidia GPU, so proper GPU selection in Windows/Game settings matters.
• The end state includes installing/running an unsigned modified driver, which shows it is “not digitally signed” / “software is unsigned.”

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Review / Benchmark Results (Game Performance)

Benchmark used

• Game: Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Settings: 1920×1080, High
• Motion blur: Off

Comparison baseline

• EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 (Superclock) under the same core-class assumptions

Results (gaming enabled)

• Average FPS: ~68
• Minimum FPS: ~56
• Relative performance vs GTX 1060:
  • ~4 FPS lower average
  • ~3 FPS lower minimums

Conclusion

• The approach works and performance is close to a GTX 1060 baseline.
• However, it requires risky unsigned-driver modifications and depends on specific hardware/display-routing conditions.

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Safety / Legal / Usage Cautions Emphasized

• The creators do not recommend doing this broadly:
  • Installing unsigned/modified Nvidia drivers can expose systems to malware risks or instability.
  • The method depends on system conditions:
    • If the motherboard lacks usable video outputs or there is no iGPU, the approach won’t work.
• The video frames this as an e-waste problem:
  • Because Nvidia locks mining cards down, many end up “destined for recycling” rather than being reused by gamers.

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Practical “Guide / Tutorial” Elements Included

Where to get the modified driver

• The modified driver is said to have come from the creators’ forum, not directly from the Taobao seller.
• A community post reportedly included:
  • A document
  • A Google Drive link with the required files

Step-by-step enabling process (high level)

1. Install a specific Nvidia driver version (they mention 416.16).
2. Disable Secure Boot.
3. Enable Windows test signing mode.
4. Remove existing Nvidia drivers (they strongly recommend/used DDU).
5. Install the unsigned modified driver.
6. Correctly select/use the GPU in Windows display and/or high-performance settings.
7. Run the game and benchmark.

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Main Speakers / Sources

Speakers

• Dennis: primary handler/experimenter
• Anthony: joins during troubleshooting
• Brandon: present in the setup/testing environment

Sources referenced

• Chinese Taobao seller: claims modified firmware/driver
• Creators’ forum: where the modified driver package was obtained