How to Set Up PhoenixMiner to Mine Ethereum Classic (ETC)

A tutorial on installing and configuring PhoenixMiner on Windows/Linux for mining Ethereum Classic (ETC): choosing a pool and wallet, optimizing hashrate, and troubleshooting.

Setting up PhoenixMiner is a key step for efficient Ethereum Classic mining. PhoenixMiner is known as one of the fastest Ethash/Etchash miners with a minimal dev fee (0.65%). In this article, we’ll cover installing PhoenixMiner on Windows and Linux, choosing a pool and wallet, optimizing it, and troubleshooting common issues.

📦 Basic requirements for ETC mining

Hardware: AMD or NVIDIA graphics cards with at least 4–6 GB of memory (6–8 GB recommended for future DAG file parsing). PhoenixMiner runs on Windows x64 and Linux; the developers report stability on both systems.
Drivers: The latest optimized driver versions for your GPUs. For AMD, it’s important to select “reliable” driver versions (e.g., 19.7.5 or 20.8.1, as recommended by the developers); otherwise, mining may be interrupted after reaching the 4GB DAG threshold. For NVIDIA, also use the latest versions with support for CUDA v5 and higher.
Software: Download the latest version of PhoenixMiner from the official website or a reliable resource. PhoenixMiner 5.3b supports the new Etchash version for ETC (an option -coin etcfor connecting to the Ethereum Classic network has been added). Be sure to unzip the archive and check for a README file with instructions.

💻 Installing and running PhoenixMiner on Windows and Linux

DOWNLOAD PhoenixMiner

Download: Go to the official PhoenixMiner website or a reliable source (Crazy-Mining.org, Cool-Mining.org) and download the latest version for your OS.
Unpacking: Unzip the archive into a separate folder (e.g., C:\PhoenixMiner\). Make sure all files in the PhoenixMiner directory are accessible (antivirus software can sometimes block miners due to their “hacking” nature).
Creating a launch command (Windows): Open a text editor and create .bata -file (e.g., start_etc.bat). In the file, specify the basic parameters: [ unspecified] setx GPU_FORCE_64BIT_PTR 0 setx GPU_MAX_HEAP_SIZE 100 setx GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS 1 setx GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT 100 setx GPU_SINGLE_ALLOC_PERCENT 100 PhoenixMiner.exe -pool ssl://eu1-etc.ethermine.org:5555 -wal ВАШ_АДРЕС_ETC -worker RIG1 -pass x -coin etcspecifies -poolthe pool address (e.g., ethermine for ETC), [unspecified -wal] is your wallet address with a label, [unspecified] -workeris the rig name, -pass[unspecified] is the password (usually x), and [unspecified] -coin etcexplicitly switches PhoenixMiner to the Etchash algorithm for Ethereum Classic.
Launching on Windows: save the file and double-click .batto start. The utility will set the environment parameters and begin mining. Monitor the console – after about 20 seconds, the DAG file will be created and mining will begin. To view the hashrate, press “s” in the console.
Running on Linux: Create a script similarly (for example, start_etc.sh), and enter the same command (without setx). Don’t forget to grant the script execution permissions chmod +x start_etc.sh. Running in the console: ./start_etc.sh. Linux systems allocate GPU memory more sparingly than Windows, allowing for longer mining times on 4GB cards.

💧 Pool and wallet setup

Pool selection: Ethereum Classic uses the Etchash algorithm, and most major pools support it. Popular options include Ethermine (us1-etc.ethermine.org, eu1-etc.ethermine.org, etc.), Nanopool (etc-eu1.nanopool.org:19999), 2Miners (etc.2miners.com:5050) , and others. For example, the official guide shows how to connect to Ethermine: -pool ssl://eu1-etc.ethermine.org:5555.
Wallet address: You need an Ethereum Classic wallet. Hardware, mobile, or desktop wallets that support ETC (e.g., Trust Wallet, MyCrypto, etc.) are suitable. -walEnter your ETC address in the field, followed by a period ( ваш_адрес.worker1). The Crypto-Mining.Blog website demonstrates this example for Ethereum, but for ETC, use your ETC wallet address .
Important: When mining ETC (and ETH) after activating Etchash in PhoenixMiner ( -coin etc), ensure the -daglimdefault DAG limit setting is set to prevent out-of-memory issues. PhoenixMiner also supports DAG uploading via SSL (as in the ethermine example) to protect against packet loss.

⚙️ Optimize performance and profitability

GPU Overclocking: To increase hashrate, optimize the GPU clock and voltage. Use MSI Afterburner (Windows) or utilities like nvidia-settings/ aticonfig(Linux) to reduce power consumption and find optimal clock rates. Crypto-Mining.Blog recommends starting with a minimum overclock and testing stability by viewing PhoenixMiner console statistics.
Option -gt: PhoenixMiner can auto-tune GPU settings. When you first launch it or change the epoch, try running the utility without the key -gt– the console will automatically select the optimal values. You can also press “z” during the process to automatically adjust each card.
Parameter -rvram: Useful when video memory is insufficient (especially on 4GB cards). By default, PhoenixMiner reserves a portion of memory (e.g., 384MB on Windows). As 2Miners recommends, to extend mining on 4GB cards, use -rvram 1[ ]—this will disable the reservation.
PhoenixMiner version: Be sure to update to the latest version! Cool-Mining.org notes that after DAG epoch 350** (which occurred on ETC and ETH), older versions no longer work, and owners of 4GB cards should upgrade to PhoenixMiner 5.0e or newer. Newer versions contain fixes for Etchash and support for the latest drivers.
Drivers: After updating PhoenixMiner, pay attention to your drivers. For Windows, known “reliable” AMD versions (18.12.1–19.7.5, 19.12.2–20.8.1) will allow mining up to epoch ~372 without restarting; poorly performing versions may require restarting every epoch. For Linux, we recommend using the latest drivers from the last 2–3 years to reach epochs ~378–380.
Energy saving: turn off your monitor and reduce brightness (if the rig is connected to your workstation), switch to Linux (less memory-hungry), and try to use integrated graphics in the BIOS if you’re using a 4GB AMD (one of the tips from the PhoenixMiner developers).

🚑 Solutions to common problems

No DAG file (VRAM): If PhoenixMiner returns an error like “Not enough VRAM for DAG epoch ,” try adding -rvram 1(as described above) or reducing GPU intensity via [ -gtUnclear]. On Windows, it’s also helpful to install the AMD 20.4.2 driver and the AMD-Compute-Switcher utility (recommendation from 2Miners).
No openCL platform found: This usually means that no suitable drivers or OpenCL were found. Make sure you have OpenCL-supporting drivers installed for your OS and reboot the system. On Linux, you can install a package ocl-icd-libopencl1(Debian/Ubuntu).
Poor stability/GPU crashes: Disable overclocking (leave default frequencies) and try a different driver. Check your power supply and cooling. Some issues can be resolved by installing -nvf 3(PhoenixMiner 5.2+ added an option for unstable GPUs).
High percentage of invalid shares: If the pool’s reject rate is increasing (>5% or more), there may be a DAG or driver issue (HIVE OS recommends updating your miner and drivers). Try changing your driver or pool (some users report that after switching, for example, from Ethermine to Hiveon, rejections disappear). Updating PhoenixMiner (incoming patches for Etchash) may also help.
“blabla.dll not found” errors: Install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and required components (PhoenixMiner recommends Visual C++ 2015-2019). For Linux, make sure the library libcurland OpenSSL are up to date.

Tip: If one of the cards in the rig is “tied” and not mining (especially a mixed AMD+NVIDIA rig), first set the integrated GPU as the primary display in the BIOS (or move the 6/8 GB card to the primary PCIe slot) – this will allow the other cards to load data normally.

🔧 Results

PhoenixMiner remains one of the most effective miners for ETC thanks to its high speed and support for modern GPUs (NVIDIA/AMD). Our guide helps you set up PhoenixMiner on Windows and Linux , select a pool and wallet, and provides tips on overclocking and troubleshooting. Use SSL-enabled ETC pools (such as Ethermine or 2Miners), specify -coin etcEtchash, and keep the miner version and drivers up to date (especially for owners of 4GB cards). By following these steps, you’ll achieve a consistently high hashrate and mine Ethereum Classic with maximum efficiency.