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> Bitcoin miners rarely use GPUs anymore, but ASICs Seeing the title and the conclusions, how can this be the case? Computationally they're not much behind ASI
by poisonborz 5y ago
> Bitcoin miners rarely use GPUs anymore, but ASICs
Seeing the title and the conclusions, how can this be the case? Computationally they're not much behind ASICs per $, are much more broadly available to buy and are easier to sell when needed.
- msgilligan 5y agoGPUs are used to mine cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin.
- 1-6 5y agoAnd GPUs are better positioned to pivot at any point and mine something else or go on resale when profitability equations change.
- bitxbitxbitcoin 5y agoFor Bitcoin mining’s computational needs, the specific ASICS designed for Bitcoin mining are several orders of magnitude ahead of GPUs in efficiency.
- runeks 5y ago> Computationally they're not much behind ASICs per $ […] Is this really true for Bitcoin? I’ve been out of the mining game for a long time, but ~5 years ago this certainly wasn’t true. Back then GPUs were at least an order of magnitude less efficient than ASICs.
- tcoff91 5y agoBTC ASICS have much better performance per watt for mining Bitcoin. It’s almost impossible to be profitable with btc mining on GPUs. ETH and many other alts are mined on GPUs though.
- donkarma 5y agoAnyone who buys a GPU second-hand is an idiot. They would have been running at maximum silicon temperature 24/7 with the result of massive wear.
- ComputerGuru 5y agoIt really doesn’t work that way. They don’t have moving parts (except the fan which is easily replaced); the question is electron migration and heat related problems. If they’re kept well-cooled they could have another ten years in them.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- 5e92cb50239222b 5y agoI'd be much more afraid of the GPU chip unsoldering itself from the mainboard (which is what happens usually if the card dies unexpectedly). If it wears out in 20 years instead of the expected 50… well, good riddance.
- lostmsu 5y agoActually, having uneven load is probably worse for GPUs than constant high load due to components contracting/expanding every time temperature changes (think rocking something from side to side to take it out). For the same reason you might (needs detailed analysis) economically be better off overall by keeping the temperature in your house constant as opposed to saving energy with a schedule.