You make a great point in the long run; more money flowing into graphics cards should imply more R&D and improved technology (although if there's a lack of syne

You make a great point in the long run; more money flowing into graphics cards should imply more R&D and improved technology (although if there's a lack of synergy between "developments good for faster graphics" and "developments good for faster mining," I'd expect innovation to follow the money). ... in the short run, the production space hasn't ramped up to meet the demand from a new consumer sector and my graphics cards have jumped in price. ;) And (depending on how bullish you are on the notion of crypto solvers being a permanent need and not a bubble) the market may be setting up for a crash if these currencies turn out to be a flash-in-the-pan and demand evaporates overnight for solver hardware. I'm not super-convinced of that crash outcome though; it's a risk, but I'd rate it a low one.