Speaking about the equipment for the bitcoin mining, actually we should consider a whole the devices for the extraction of any cryptocurrency, not just the Bitcoin. After all, you can instantly convert any coin to the BTC using the exchange, so there is no difference, what to produce – in the end everything can be converted to bitcoins, which have become the gold standard.
From the point of view of the general working principles all equipment can be divided into two broad categories. The first is the units that use generic processors and computing devices. The process is made programmatically on these computers. The second category includes the specialized equipment, which work at the hardware level.
Generic devices include all machines that work with cryptocurrencies with the help of special programs. These units were originally intended by the manufacturers for other purposes, but any universal computing device can be programmed including for the cryptocurrency mining. In fact, digital coins can be received on any device that contains a universal processor and a memory for loading programs.
Cryptocurrencies can be mined on any ordinary computers, servers, mobile phones, Internet routers, game consoles, printers etc. But the mining on the CPU and video processors of graphics cards, of course, get the greatest prevalence.
| HashFlare | Use special code HF17TOPBTC3 to receive 3% discount on your first purchase! |
|
| Genesis-Mining | Use promo code 7VA5Uw to receive 3% discount on every purchase you make! |
Recently there has been a huge interest in the digital money production. This interest, at one time even led to a shortage of powerful graphics cards made by AMD, which bought up en masse to work in farms for getting the coins instead of installing in the game computers of ordinary users.
Such a big demand did not go unnoticed and manufacturers of integrated circuits was developed and released by specialized chips (ASIC, the acronym from the application-specific integrated circuit) that mine cryptocurrencies at the hardware level.
Currently ASICs are produced with the support of two most popular algorithms: SHA256 to obtain the bitcoin and its clones, as well as the Scrypt for litecoin and forks based on its code. There is no doubt that with the development of the blockchain technology will appear the specialized equipment for other algorithms.
Almost everyone has universal chips (CPUs and video cards) and they can be safely used for the initial study of the cryptocurrency world. With the help of a regular computer you can start to work without any additional investment. Besides, this technique is always in demand and you can easily sell it if you decide that this kind of earnings is not for you. However, it is pointless to mine bitcoins and litecoins directly with any conventional computer now. Besides, the cost of received coins is quite large due to the low energy efficiency.
The specialized equipment based on the ASIC is very efficient in terms of electricity costs per unit of the mined currency. In addition, these devices are developed with consideration of the scalability. Their only disadvantage is the narrow specialization. So buying ASICs is justified for advanced users who plan to engage in the professional cryptocurrency mining on an industrial scale.