ASIC vs GPU Mining Software: Two Different Worlds
Zcash mining software falls into two distinct categories: firmware/management software for ASIC miners, and GPU mining software (lolMiner, GMiner, MiniZ) for graphics cards. If you're running an Antminer Z15, Z15 Pro, or similar ASIC, you use the built-in firmware — dedicated GPU miners don't apply. GPU Zcash mining is only relevant if you have spare NVIDIA or AMD cards and are mining at a significant loss to understand the ecosystem, or are running a multi-coin GPU farm that sometimes points at Zcash.
The practical reality in 2025: GPU mining ZEC is around 80–100Ã- less efficient per watt than ASIC mining. A high-end RTX 4090 does approximately 10–12 KSol/s while consuming 450W. An Antminer Z15 does 420 KSol/s at 1,510W — roughly 40Ã- more Sol/s at 3Ã- the power draw, netting about 13Ã- better efficiency. This guide covers both, but if profitability is your goal, ASIC is the only sensible choice.
ASIC Firmware: Bitmain Stock vs Braiins OS
For Antminer Z15 and Z15 Pro owners, you have two firmware options:
Bitmain Stock Firmware is what ships with the machine. It's stable, well-tested, and supports all standard pool configurations. It includes basic tuning (frequency and voltage adjustments) but limited monitoring depth. For most miners, stock firmware is perfectly adequate and requires no additional configuration beyond the pool setup described in our Antminer configuration guide.
Braiins OS+ (formerly known as BOS+) is a third-party open-source firmware originally developed for Bitmain S-series SHA-256 machines. As of 2025, Braiins OS support for Equihash machines (Z-series) remains limited — check Braiins' official compatibility list before attempting to flash it on a Z15. The key benefit of Braiins OS+ is auto-tuning: it tests each chip individually and adjusts voltage/frequency to maximise efficiency, sometimes yielding 5–15% better Sol/W than stock. The trade-off is that flashing third-party firmware voids your Bitmain warranty.
GPU Mining Software Comparison
If you are GPU mining Zcash (Equihash 200,9), here are the main software options:
| Software | Dev Fee | GPU Support | Equihash Performance | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lolMiner | 1% | AMD + NVIDIA | Excellent (top-tier for AMD) | Windows, Linux |
| GMiner | 2% | NVIDIA only | Excellent (top-tier for NVIDIA) | Windows, Linux |
| MiniZ | 2% | NVIDIA only | Competitive, slightly below GMiner | Windows, Linux |
| Claymore ZEC | Abandoned | AMD + NVIDIA | Outdated — do not use | Windows only |
lolMiner
lolMiner is the top choice for AMD GPU miners on Equihash and also performs competitively on NVIDIA. It supports a wide range of Equihash variants (200,9 for Zcash; 144,5 for BeamHash; 192,7 etc.) and is actively maintained. Configuration is via a simple command-line batch file or JSON config. Example for ZEC with F2Pool:
lolminer.exe --algo EQUIHASH --pool zec.f2pool.com:3333 --user YOURUSERNAME.w1 --pass x
GMiner
GMiner has historically led NVIDIA Equihash performance benchmarks. Its 2% dev fee is higher than lolMiner's 1%, but the hashrate advantage on NVIDIA cards (typically 2–5% faster Sol/s) can offset this on higher-end cards. Recommended for NVIDIA miners prioritising raw performance over dev fee minimisation.
miner.exe --algo equihash --server zec.2miners.com --port 2020 --user YOURADDRESS.w1 --pass x
MiniZ
MiniZ is competitive but has lost ground to GMiner on recent NVIDIA architectures. It remains a good option for older NVIDIA cards (GTX 10xx, RTX 20xx series) and has a clean interface with per-GPU statistics. The 2% dev fee is the same as GMiner, so the choice between them largely comes down to benchmarking on your specific hardware.
Mining Management Software
For miners running multiple machines, management platforms simplify monitoring and configuration:
- HiveOS — Popular Linux-based GPU mining OS. Free for up to 3 rigs, then subscription-based. Excellent remote monitoring and fleet management.
- minerstat — Supports both ASIC and GPU miners. Advanced profit-switching (automatically mines the most profitable coin) and remote management.
- Awesome Miner — Windows-based management platform with ASIC and GPU support. One-time purchase model rather than subscription.
For a single Antminer ASIC, these platforms add unnecessary complexity. They become valuable when managing 5+ machines or when you want automatic failover and alerting without checking the pool dashboard manually.
Frequently Asked Questions
No additional software is needed for Antminer Z-series machines. The built-in web interface handles all pool configuration. GPU mining software like lolMiner and GMiner is only relevant for graphics card setups.
Run each software for 5 minutes and record the average Sol/s reported by both the software and your pool. Make sure to test under the same GPU clock settings for a fair comparison. Account for dev fee when comparing: a miner with 2% fee needs to mine at least 2% more Sol/s than a 1% fee alternative to break even.
Mining does accelerate GPU wear due to constant high utilisation. Modern GPUs are designed for sustained load (gaming already does this), but running at 100% for months without adequate cooling shortens lifespan. Ensure your GPU fans are clean, ambient temperature is reasonable, and consider reducing GPU power limit by 20–30% — you'll lose 5–10% hashrate but dramatically reduce power draw, heat, and wear.