What Mining Better? Asic Or GPU

When a beginner miner plans to buy equipment, he chooses between two main options: ASIC vs GPU mining. In order to decide which is better in each particular case, you should take into account the sum of factors: the type of coin, the planned size of investments, conditions for equipment placement, the possibility of constant monitoring of the farm.

GPU mining

GPU stands for graphics processing unit, it is part of the video card. Mining on the GPU is good because of the minimal starting investment. You can try mining some cryptocurrencies even on a common gaming laptop with a 4 GB video card. GPU mining is suitable for Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC) and other coins. Mining Bitcoin (BTC) with a GPU is not very profitable today. ASICs are more suitable for Bitcoin mining at the current level of network complexity.

The main advantages of GPU mining are:

•         quiet equipment operation;
•         hardware flexibility;
•         no need for constant monitoring of the process.

ASIC mining

Asic mining requires an investment of money, but it pays off faster than video cards. This is due to the high power and hashrate. The power of one ASIC corresponds to the power of, at least, 3 modern video cards. At the same time, ASIC consumes less electricity than video cards of the same power.

Comparing ASIC miner vs GPU mining, it is necessary to note the disadvantages of ASICs. First of all, this is noisy work, which requires an isolated room. Cooling and regular cleaning are also important. To protect the equipment from power surges, it is better to install a voltage stabilizer, which entails additional costs. But the main minus of ASIC is its narrow specialization. Because of this, it can be used only for mining cryptocurrencies, that work according to the same algorithm.

What can ASICs and GPUs mine?

Comparing GPU vs ASIC mining, first of all, you need to choose a cryptocurrency. On ASIC with the SHA-256 algorithm, you can mine Bitcoin, BitcoinCash, Peercoin, and others. On  ASIC with the Scrypt algorithm, you can mine Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Mooncoin (MOON).

With GPU you can mine all the cryptocurrencies listed above, as well as Etereum, Ethereum Classic, and other coins on the X11, X13, X15, Scrypt-N, Scrypt-jane, SHA-3 (Keccak), and Quark algorithms. Thus, for the GPU the choice of currencies is wider.

Hashrate output

If we compare GPU vs ASIC in hashrate, ASIC is much more profitable. You can choose the best ASIC miner with hashrate from 100 to 2000 Th/s. It mines several times faster with lower power consumption. Asics are suitable for business mining. Approximate profit from ASIC mining and GPU mining can be calculated on the profitability calculator online.

Flexibility and adaptability

When the ASIC is more profitable, the GPU is more flexible. If mining of some coin stops, the ASIC can switch only for currencies with the same algorithm of work. For example, if you mined Bitcoin with ASIC, you will not be able to switch to Litecoin. At the same time, you can easily reconfigure the GPU to any other currency.

Conclusion

Thus, it is important to consider all the advantages and disadvantages before buying equipment. It is important to evaluate the prospects of mining in the future. Choose such hardware, that in the event of a coin crash, you can switch to another currency or sell equipment profitably.