README.txt

This file is included in the Windows binary package. Compile instructions
for Linux and Windows can be found in RELEASE_NOTES.

This package is officially avalable only from:
 https://github.com/JayDDee/cpuminer-opt
No other sources should be trusted.

cpuminer is a console program that is executed from a DOS or Powershell
prompt. There is no GUI and no mouse support.

Miner programs are often flagged as malware by antivirus programs. This is
a false positive, they are flagged simply because they are cryptocurrency 
miners. The source code is open for anyone to inspect. If you don't trust
the software, don't use it.

Choose the exe that best matches you CPU's features or use trial and
error to find the fastest one that works. Pay attention to
the features listed at cpuminer startup to ensure you are mining at
optimum speed using the best available features.

Architecture names and compile options used are only provided for 
mainstream desktop CPUs. Budget CPUs like Pentium and Celeron are often
missing some features. Check your CPU.

Support for AMD CPUs older than Ryzen is incomplete and without specific 
recommendations. Find the best fit. CPUs older than Piledriver, including
Athlon x2 and Phenom II x4, are not supported by cpuminer-opt due to an
incompatible implementation of SSE2 on these CPUs. 

More information for Intel and AMD CPU architectures and their features
can be found on Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_CPU_microarchitectures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_CPU_microarchitectures

File name                      Architecture name

cpuminer-sse2.exe              Core2, Nehalem, generic x86_64 with SSE2   
cpuminer-aes-sse42.exe         Westmere
cpuminer-avx.exe               Sandybridge, Ivybridge
cpuminer-avx2.exe              Haswell, Skylake, Kabylake, Coffeelake, Cometlake
cpuminer-avx2-sha.exe          AMD Zen1, Zen2
cpuminer-avx2-sha-vaes.exe     Intel Alderlake*, AMD Zen3
cpuminer-avx512.exe            Intel HEDT Skylake-X, Cascadelake
cpuminer-avx512-sha-vaes.exe   Icelake, Tigerlake, Rocketlake

* Alderlake is a hybrid architecture. With the E-cores disabled it may be
  possible to enable AVX512 on the the P-cores and use the avx512-sha-vaes
  build. This is not officially supported by Intel at time of writing.
  Check for current information.

Notes about included DLL files:

Downloading DLL files from alternative sources presents an inherent
security risk if their source is unknown. All DLL files included have
been copied from the Ubuntu-20.04 installation or compiled by me from
source code obtained from the author's official repository. The exact
procedure is documented in the build instructions for Windows:
https://github.com/JayDDee/cpuminer-opt/wiki/Compiling-from-source

Some DLL filess may already be installed on the system by Windows or third
party packages. They often will work and may be used instead of the included
file. 

If you like this software feel free to donate:

BTC: 12tdvfF7KmAsihBXQXynT6E6th2c2pByTT