Crypto Mining Blog

It seems that there is a new wave of HDMI dummy plugs coming from China at very cheap prices (At least if you order directly from there) that are based on the Headless Ghost display emulator. These HDMI display emulator devices just plug inside the main video card of your mining rig and simulate the presence of a display with up to 4K resolution. As a result your mining rig boots normally (if it does not boot without a display connected) and you can use a custom resolution when you are remoting the mining rig and/or not be limited by low resolution. It seems that the HDMI dummy plugs from China are mostly available under a brand called Fueran, though we’ve seen some photos with unbranded adapters as well (including some photoshopped images).

These new HDMI dummy plugs can be an interesting alternative to the commonly used HDMI to VGA adapters that most GPU mining rigs get equipped with, though do note that you do not get the option to connect any kind of display to them. With HDMI to VGA adapters you are able to connect a cheap analogue VGA connector equipped monitor or a KVM device for monitoring the rig directly or even remotely with an IP KVM for example. So the new HDMI display emulators just look cooler and take less space, but are not as functional and do not really come much cheaper anyway, though you can find them more expensive and you can even buy the original Headless Ghost at even higher price.

If you do not need the VGA output that the HDMI to VGA adapters also simulating the presence of a monitor, then these new HDMI dummy plugs might be just fine for you. The new HDMI dummy plugs are available through eBay and Chinese sites such as Aliexpress for a price that can go as low as $3-$4 USD, the prices in Europe or US is usually a few times higher than that. The only drawback when ordering cheap from China is that the wait time for the delivery can be inconveniently higher than ordering locally at a higher price.