Tuning XMRig Performance on Windows

Measure before you tune

Record a baseline with --bench=10M, run it twice, and note both results. If two runs of the same configuration differ by a few percent, that gap is your noise floor — any later "improvement" smaller than it is meaningless. Close background applications and keep the room temperature comparable between runs.

Large pages first

RandomX is memory-bound. Enabling large pages is usually the single biggest change available on Windows, and it costs nothing: run as administrator, confirm in the startup log, sign out and back in if the privilege has not applied yet. Everything else in this guide is worth less than getting this right.

Threads and cache, not core count

RandomX wants a large slice of L3 cache per thread. On a CPU whose cache is small relative to its core count, using every thread makes each one slower and the total lower. Test descending thread counts — all cores, then physical cores, then fewer — and keep the best. It is common for a CPU to peak below its maximum thread count.

Affinity on hybrid CPUs

On Intel processors with performance and efficiency cores, leaving placement to the Windows scheduler gives inconsistent results. Pinning mining threads to the performance cores makes measurements repeatable, which matters as much as the raw gain.

Memory configuration

Two matched modules in dual channel beat one larger module. Make sure the rated profile is actually enabled in the BIOS — plenty of machines run memory well below its specification by default. This is hardware, not software, and no configuration key compensates for it.

Thermals and power

Mining is a sustained all-core load, unlike most desktop work. A cooler adequate for gaming may not hold clocks for hours. If the hashrate is strong at the start and decays over ten minutes, that is throttling, and the fix is airflow or a power limit, not a config change. Set a Windows power plan that does not downclock under sustained load.

MSR tuning

On supported Ryzen and Intel processors, XMRig can apply MSR adjustments for a real gain. It needs administrator rights, and on Windows 11 memory integrity blocks the driver — see the Windows 11 guide.

Keep a record

Write down each configuration and its result. Without notes you will re-test the same idea in a month and reach a different conclusion because the room was warmer.

What not to bother with

• Copying someone else's thread count for your CPU model without testing it.
• Judging a change from the first thirty seconds of a run.
• Running an unofficial build promising higher speed.
• Overclocking to the point where shares start getting rejected.

Measurement technique is covered on the benchmark page.