What is a good hashrate for CPU mining Monero?

A good Monero mining hashrate depends on your CPU: a few thousand hashes per second can be solid for an everyday desktop, while a strong modern desktop processor may reach 10,000–25,000 or more. The best result for you is a speed close to what the same CPU achieves in reliable tests, without excessive power use or heat.

What the numbers mean

Your hashrate is the number of mining calculations your computer performs each second. Mining software usually shows it in:

• H/s: hashes per second.
• kH/s: thousands of hashes per second. For example, 5 kH/s means 5,000 H/s.

For dedicated Monero mining software, these are broad starting points—not promises:

• Below 1 kH/s: common on older, low-power, or heavily limited processors.
• 1–5 kH/s: plausible for many laptops and everyday desktop CPUs.
• 5–15 kH/s: a useful range for capable desktop processors.
• 15–30 kH/s or more: possible with powerful, well-configured desktop CPUs. Some workstation and server processors go substantially higher.

These ranges overlap. A newer processor with fewer cores can outperform an older processor with more cores.

Compare your CPU with the same model

The fairest test is not “Am I above 10 kH/s?” It is “Am I getting roughly what this particular CPU should deliver?”

Look for RandomX benchmarks—speed tests using Monero’s mining calculation method—for your exact processor. Prefer several repeatable results over one unusually high score.

Compare similar conditions:

• The same mining software and version, where possible.
• Similar memory settings and power limits.
• Sustained speed after the computer warms up.
• Whether the computer is also running other demanding tasks.

A stable 4 kH/s can be excellent for a modest CPU. That same result could suggest a setup problem on a processor that regularly reaches several times that speed.

Why setup changes your hashrate

Monero uses RandomX, a mining algorithm designed to favor CPUs. It benefits from fast memory and sufficient L3 cache, a small, fast store of data inside your processor.

As a rule of thumb, RandomX needs about 2 MB of L3 cache per mining thread. A thread is one stream of work assigned to the CPU. Adding threads beyond what your cache can support may reduce performance rather than improve it.

Other important factors include:

• Memory: RandomX’s fast mode uses a dataset of about 2,080 MB, plus additional working memory.
• Cooling: an overheating CPU slows itself down.
• Power settings: laptop battery modes often limit speed.
• Huge pages: an operating-system memory feature that can improve mining performance.

If you mine in a browser, do not treat dedicated mining software benchmarks as your expected result. Browser restrictions and the mining service’s implementation can make performance much lower. Check whether its displayed rate actually measures Monero RandomX work.

The bottom line

A good hashrate is one that fits your CPU’s realistic capabilities and runs steadily. More speed is not automatically better if electricity use rises even faster.

Measure power at the wall if you can, and use a live Monero mining calculator with your hashrate, electricity price, and pool fees. A pool combines miners’ work and shares rewards. Even a fast CPU may earn less than its electricity costs, so judge your setup by efficiency—not just the biggest number on screen.