Best ways to rent out your PC: GPU and CPU options

This is a focused shortlist of three platforms that suit different machines. It isn't an exhaustive list or a ranking by who pays most. It's based on each provider's published documentation, checked on 28 September 2026. We haven't run a payout test on any of them.

Salad: the easiest trial for a Windows gaming PC

Salad is a Windows app for Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. It says the best earning potential comes from an NVIDIA RTX 3060 or later, a 4-core CPU and 12GB of RAM. That's a recommendation, not a minimum for every device: other NVIDIA and AMD cards may still qualify for some workloads. Salad's download page

Your PC might contribute GPU compute, CPU compute or bandwidth, depending on your hardware, settings, location and current demand. Those are separate kinds of work. Go through the settings and switch off anything you don't want running, such as bandwidth sharing or crypto mining.

You decide when it runs: manually, or automatically when the PC is idle. You can pause it when you want to play. Rewards arrive as Salad Balance, which you redeem through its storefront for options such as PayPal, gift cards or crypto. What you can redeem depends on what's supported where you live, so don't assume cash in every country.

Salad itself says available jobs and earnings vary with demand, hardware and how long you run it. Salad's earnings FAQ

Our view: it's a sensible first trial if you already own a compatible rig. Don't buy a graphics card because of a projection in the dashboard.

Check Salad compatibility

Vast.ai: a hosting project for a dedicated Linux machine

Vast is a GPU marketplace. Hosts list machines and renters pay to use them. The host does the work: installing Ubuntu, partitioning disks, installing NVIDIA drivers, opening ports on the router, running Vast's software, troubleshooting, pricing offers and planning maintenance so active rentals aren't disrupted. Vast says it doesn't offer support for getting your machine working. Vast's hosting overview

Verification is where it gets strict. Vast's verification requirements say a verified machine must be dedicated to hosting, so a personal desktop, gaming PC or mining rig fails. The listed minimums include Ubuntu Server 22.04 or 24.04, a public IPv4 address, a wired connection of at least 500Mbps up and down, and forwarded ports. Vast's verification stages Those are the rules for verified status, not blanket rules for every unverified listing.

Our view: this suits someone who can handle uptime, networking and separate hardware. It's a poor fit for the PC you game on every evening.

Read Vast hosting requirements

Golem: CPU sharing on Linux, paid in GLM

A Golem provider node runs on x86-64 Linux with virtualization enabled in the BIOS, and tasks run inside virtual machines. ARM hardware and macOS aren't supported. Golem's provider documentation

This shortlist covers Golem CPU providing. It suits a different use from renting out a GPU. Payment is in GLM tokens. Golem's FAQ says whether you get tasks depends on how well your hardware matches demand and how you price your node, so there's no guaranteed work. Golem's provider FAQ

If you want money in a bank account, the value you receive also depends on the token's rate and any conversion fees when you swap it.

Our view: worth a look if you already run an always-on Linux machine with CPU to spare. If you want a simple Windows app with a cash-out button, this isn't it.

See Golem provider setup

Work out the electricity cost before the earnings

Measure power at the wall with a plug-in meter. A GPU's rated wattage is not the whole PC's draw: the CPU, fans, drives and power supply losses all count.

Here's an illustrative example, not an earnings forecast. A PC drawing 300W in total for 8 hours a day over 30 days uses 72kWh. At €0.25 per kWh, that's €18 of electricity. Your gross proceeds need to beat €18 before platform or payout fees, and before any other costs.

Count the hours the PC sits on waiting for jobs, not only the paid hours. Then add extra cooling, wear on fans and the graphics card, internet data if your plan has a cap, and tax on the income where it applies. If the PC would be switched on anyway, the cost that matters is the extra power it draws while working, compared with that normal baseline. Plenty of "passive income" turns out to be a slightly warmer room.

Your files, your accounts, someone else's workload

Renting out your PC means letting third-party work run on your hardware. Install only by following the provider's official instructions. Keep personal files and logged-in accounts away from anything you share, and understand what a workload does before you enable it. Containers and virtual machines reduce the risk. They don't remove it.

On a dedicated host such as Vast, you're also committing to keep the machine available to renters. That means planned maintenance and no casual reboots.

Read how we compare services for our evidence standards.