Ways to make money with a PC
All methods fall into two groups. In the first, you earn the money and the computer is just a tool. In the second, the computer earns by itself: it sells its computing power while you are not using it.
- Crypto mining. The GPU and CPU perform calculations for a network and receive coins for it. It runs on an ordinary gaming PC and takes none of your time once started — this is real passive income.
- Renting out your GPU for AI and rendering. Specialised platforms rent your card’s power to researchers and studios. They pay well for an RTX 3090 or RTX 4090 with plenty of memory, but you need a fast, stable connection, 24/7 uptime and technical skills, and there is little demand for mid-range cards.
- Freelancing and remote work. Design, video editing, programming, writing. Income is limited only by your skills, but you are paid for your time, not for your computer — it is work, not passive income.
- Surveys, clicks, watching ads. Honest services pay cents per hour, and many are scams. Your time is worth more.
If the goal is income from the hardware itself, without your involvement, a home computer has one realistic option: mining. Below are the details and the numbers.
How much a GPU earns
Income depends mainly on the GPU model. In FlowHash, NVIDIA RTX cards mine Pearl (PRL), a coin on the pearlhash algorithm. It loads the tensor cores — the same units that power AI and DLSS — so even gaming cards from previous generations earn a decent amount. Figures at the rate of October 25, 2026, running around the clock:
| GPU | Hashrate | Power | Income / mo | Profit at $0.10 | Pays off up to, $/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 | 316 TH/s | 441 W | $266.62 | $234.87 | $0.84 |
| RTX 4080 | 220 TH/s | 255 W | $185.62 | $167.26 | $1.01 |
| RTX 4070 SUPER | 140 TH/s | 200 W | $118.12 | $103.72 | $0.82 |
| RTX 4070 | 120 TH/s | 163 W | $101.25 | $89.51 | $0.86 |
| RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB | 88 TH/s | 180 W | $74.25 | $61.29 | $0.57 |
| RTX 4060 | 62 TH/s | 115 W | $52.31 | $44.03 | $0.63 |
| RTX 3080 10 GB | 107 TH/s | 304 W | $90.28 | $68.39 | $0.41 |
| RTX 3060 12 GB | 50 TH/s | 170 W | $42.19 | $29.95 | $0.34 |
| RTX 2060 | 34 TH/s | 160 W | $28.69 | $17.17 | $0.25 |
“Profit” is income minus electricity at $0.10 per kWh. The last column is the rate at which income equals the electricity cost: as long as your rate is lower, you are in profit.
Coin prices and network difficulty change every day. The figures on this page are recalculated at the current rate every time you open it, and the mining calculator gives an exact estimate for your hardware and your electricity rate. For a full ranking of every model, see “Best GPUs for mining”.
How much a CPU earns
The CPU mines Monero (XMR) on RandomX, an algorithm designed specifically for CPUs. It earns less than a GPU, but it runs alongside it and adds to the total:
| CPU | Hashrate | Power | Income / mo | Profit at $0.10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 9950X | 24 KH/s | 170 W | $29.50 | $17.26 |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D | 10 KH/s | 90 W | $12.29 | $5.81 |
| Core i7-14700K | 12 KH/s | 180 W | $14.75 | $1.79 |
| Ryzen 5 5600 | 7 KH/s | 65 W | $8.60 | $3.92 |
| Core i5-12400F | 5 KH/s | 65 W | $6.15 | $1.47 |
The CPU is useful when the computer has no NVIDIA RTX card: a laptop or an office PC can earn something too. With expensive electricity, however, power-hungry CPUs make almost no profit — check your model in the calculator.
Electricity is the main cost
Mining is not free money: the computer uses electricity, and its cost has to be subtracted from income. The maths is simple: power in watts × 24 hours × 30 days ÷ 1000 = kilowatt-hours per month. For example, the RTX 4070 draws about 163 W — roughly 117 kWh per month. Multiply by your rate to get the cost.
Every model has a break-even point — the electricity rate at which income equals cost. For the RTX 4070 it is $0.86 per kWh, for the RTX 3060 12 GB — $0.34. Right now the threshold for every card in the table is above a typical household rate, but it drops when the coin price falls, so it is worth checking the calculator from time to time.
Tip: if you have a time-of-use tariff, night-time electricity is noticeably cheaper. Mining at night is the most profitable mode.
How to start: five minutes, no setup
Mining used to take effort: pick a coin and a pool, download a miner, write a config and watch it in a command line. FlowHash comes with all of that set up:
- Sign up at flowhash.pro and press “Get key” in your dashboard.
- Download FlowHash for Windows, install it and enter the key.
- Choose what to mine with — the GPU, the CPU or both — and press “Start”.
The app starts with Windows, runs in the system tray and shows income in real time. Earnings confirmed by the pool accumulate on your dashboard balance, and you can withdraw them in Bitcoin (from $50), Litecoin or to your Steam balance (from $5).
Can you mine and use the computer at the same time?
Yes, with caveats. CPU mining barely affects browsing and office apps. GPU mining uses the card fully, so press “Stop” before gaming and “Start” again afterwards.
The most profitable mode is to leave the PC mining at night and while you are at work or school: that is 14–18 hours a day that would otherwise be wasted. Note that the figures in the tables assume 24 hours a day: if you mine for 12 hours, both income and electricity cost are halved.
Is it safe for the computer?
It is an important question, so we covered it separately in “Does mining damage your GPU?”. In short: at normal temperatures mining does not “kill” a GPU; what wears out are mainly the fans and thermal paste, both replaceable. FlowHash limits the load and pauses mining when the GPU overheats or a laptop runs on battery.
One more thing: mining must be your decision on your computer. Programs that mine secretly are malware — see “Hidden miner: find and remove” for how to find them. Running FlowHash on other people’s, work or school computers without the owner’s consent is against the service rules.
What to spend the earnings on
Earnings are withdrawn in Bitcoin or Litecoin, which you can exchange for regular money or spend directly. Many people “mine for games”: we explained in detail how to turn mined coins into Steam balance and how many days a GPU needs to earn a DLC or a new game in “From mining to Steam”.
Bottom line
Real passive income from a home computer in 2026 is GPU and CPU mining. A mid-range card such as the RTX 4060 earns about $52.31 per month, a top-end RTX 4090 about $266.62 before electricity. You can start in five minutes, and the calculator shows the exact amount for your hardware.
How much will your PC earn?
Pick your GPU and CPU in the calculator — it estimates income and profit at your electricity rate.