Every beginner in the field of mining has a logical question - what hardware to choose for cryptocurrency mining? Video cards have long been a very effective tool for mining, but recently, in the context of a more advanced solution in this area, more and more people are talking about ASIC. What kind of hardware is this, and how is it better than already familiar video cards? Now let's figure it out.
What is ASIC?
ASIC stands for Application-Specific Integrated Circuit. For the first time this concept was used 40 years ago by one of the firms involved in the development of computer systems. Asik was called a hardware that focused on accelerating the functionality of the graphic elements of the system in classical computers.
If you look at the photos of ASICs on the Internet, you may get the impression that this is a full-fledged standalone computer. But it's not. In fact, it is a microchip that is specially designed to perform a specific task or function. In the context of mining, ASIC serves to achieve the maximum execution speed of the hashing algorithm. It is assumed that it should perform all processes with a moderate consumption of electricity and much more efficient speed indicators compared to conventional hardware.
Why is the speed of operations so important for ASICs? It's all about the fundamental hardware of the blockchain: in order to receive a reward in the form of coins, the computing machine must solve the “puzzles” first. Then she will be able to create a new block in the blockchain and collect a reward for it. Accordingly, the more powerful and faster the ASIC, the more likely it is to receive a reward. And since asics are focused on only one task in the form of cryptocurrency mining, their power and performance are much higher than other hardware in the field of mining.
Asics vs Video Cards
If we talk about comparing asics and video cards, then the former can be called more efficient and productive hardware, which is better suited for cryptocurrency mining on a large, close to industrial scale. While video cards have recently been called the ideal solution for beginners whose budget is limited.
To understand the difference between ASICs and video cards in computing power - ASIC is capable of computing 100 thousand times faster than the most powerful processor. Because of this, many coins even try to close their network from ASIC mining. Since as soon as a special ASIC appears for a certain algorithm, its mining with the help of video cards automatically becomes unprofitable.
It is worth noting that in terms of storage, video cards look preferable. Due to their high performance and high power, asics need a special cooling system, and the noise from their operation makes it impossible to store them in residential areas. While a farm of video cards can be stored even at home, their volume during operation will only slightly exceed the noise from a regular desktop computer.
ASIC - not a cheap pleasure
The price of ASICs is much higher than that of the same video cards. However, this can be explained by a considerable number of advantages that they have:
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High hashrate. This means that ASICs can mine more cryptocurrencies than GPUs or CPUs;
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Easy setup. Unlike video cards, which require special knowledge and skills to run and debug, ASICs are easy to turn on. Nothing further needs to be configured;
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High profit. As mentioned above, ASIC is a more powerful and faster hardware than a video card. Accordingly, it will also bring more profit;
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Energy efficiency. Asiki are powerful hardware that consumes a huge amount of electricity. However, if we calculate the cost of electricity per coin, then they are more profitable than video cards.
Like any technical hardware, ASIC has its drawbacks. For example, ASICs are designed to mine only a certain type of cryptocurrency. This is regulated by the hashing algorithm - each ASIC model has its own. Since it is not possible to mine any coins on them, you need to decide on the cryptocurrency you are interested in before purchasing the hardware.
Another undoubted disadvantage of ASICs is the noise during operation due to strong heating. And the price of the best ASIC models can scare away even large investors.
From the foregoing, it becomes obvious that ASIC is much more powerful and efficient than video cards. If you are aimed at big profits, have a large capital or do not want to understand the intricacies of the work and settings of video cards, then it is more expedient to opt for ASIC.
There is a wide range of ASICs on our website - follow this link you will definitely choose the ideal hardware for yourself.
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