I think ASICs are still winning for bitcoin itself, but they currently have two big problems for a lot of buyers. First, absolutely zero resale value. Once ei

I think ASICs are still winning for bitcoin itself, but they currently have two big problems for a lot of buyers. First, absolutely zero resale value. Once either the difficulty raises, or the value of the coin falls, to the point where you're spending more on power than you're generating in currency, your ASIC goes in the trash. Second, the algorithm they use is baked in. So an ASIC built for bitcoin can only be used for other sha256-based currencies. With a GPU, when you realise you're not cost-effective for BTC, you can try your hand at Eth instead.