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There is hardly a person who would not like to have a money-making machine at home. If earlier it could only be a fantasy, then in 2022 production (mining on a home computer) is quite real and completely legal, since the money is virtual.
In order to start working with cryptocurrency, you will need a personal computer and Internet access. In this material, we will not talk in detail about what mining is. We will try to understand in detail the necessary technical characteristics and requirements for a computer for effective earnings.
Mining computer requirements
For productive earnings by mining, you need a fairly powerful computer. For mining “crypts” you can use a processor, hard drive or video card. However, this process will be most effective when combining the work of three devices. It is also important not to forget about the cooling system, because during mining, the PC performance goes off scale, and it overheats. Do not forget about payback. Sometimes the desire to install the most modern equipment turns out to be exorbitant costs. Below we will consider in detail the most optimal characteristics for each component.
Processor
To date, mining on the processor is not the most effective way to mine cryptocurrency, since the reward amounts are quite small. The requirements for the processor are generally the same as for the video card: high-quality VRM on the motherboard and full cooling. In addition, the device must support the SSE2 and AES instructions. Processor performance will depend on clock speed and number of cores. Separately, we note that processors show the highest efficiency when mining cryptocurrencies such as Monero, Electroneum, HODL and others.
Motherboard
A quality motherboard is just as important for mining as other components. In order not to make a mistake with the choice of device, it is necessary to take into account several features. So, the device must have four connectors for connecting video cards. An important factor is the presence of a high-quality cooler for cooling. After all, at peak loads, the card heats up quite strongly. Some miners are aware of this feature and specifically remove the motherboard from the case to the surface. You should not do this, because dust, moisture and pet hair will very quickly get on the microcircuits.
Video card
It is quite possible to mine cryptocurrency on a decent discrete graphics card, but the rest of the components must also be of a high level. The minimum amount of memory should be at least 4 GB, but it is better to focus on 8 GB. The memory bus width is not critical. We recommend choosing models with a 256-bit bus. Pay attention to the power consumption parameter. It will help you choose from among models that are comparable in other key characteristics. The lower the power consumption, the more profitable mining. Focus on prices from 30 to 50 thousand rubles. This is the most optimal price tag for the device today.
RAM
The amount of RAM required for mining is directly proportional to the number of video cards that are involved in the process. In our case, the best option would be 32 GB of RAM, but you can also stop at a 16 GB device if we are talking about the minimum configuration.
Жесткий диск
The choice of this device worries many miners. We hasten to please you that there are no special requirements for it. The most important thing is that it is in working order and there is enough space on it. It should be enough for the operating system with drivers, the swap file and the software that is needed for mining. As for the choice of SSD or HDD, it is better to stop at the SSD drive. It has many more advantages than the second option. In particular, low power consumption, low noise, high start-up speed, initial setup is much faster, no mechanics that can fail when the power is suddenly turned off. On the other hand, an HDD drive will cost you significantly less.
ASIC module
ASIC is an application specific integrated circuit. It provides maximum parallelization of calculations. Since around 2012, ASIC modules have supplanted most other mining devices as they consume far less electricity. In addition, ASIC chips are much smaller in size. They also require virtually no additional cooling. Another distinctive feature of the modules is their high efficiency. They are able to mine cryptocurrencies with a much higher hash rate (a unit of computing power).
Step-by-step instructions for setting up a computer for mining
So, you have purchased all the necessary components and installed them. The last, but very important step left before the start of cryptocurrency mining is setting up the equipment.
Step 1: choosing a payment system
Initially, you should decide on the payment system that will be used in the mining process and create an electronic wallet. An electronic payment system is a service that helps to make settlements between counterparties. It can be debit or credit. The first works with checks and electronic currency, and the second with the help of virtual credit cards. We will need an electronic wallet to withdraw funds from the pool to the miner.
Step 2: choosing a mining program
Next, you need to choose a program for mining. In our case, NiceHash is perfect for these purposes. It is easy to use and has a number of useful features. For example, with its help, it is possible to specify in the settings that mining starts when the computer is idle, and turns off when the user is active. After installing the program, you need to specify the address of replenishment of the electronic wallet in your personal account. For these purposes, WebMoney, Qiwi, YandexMoney are perfect.
Step 3: Equipment selection
Now you should decide on the equipment that will be used in the process of mining cryptocurrency. In the program settings, you must select one or another device. As mentioned earlier, the most effective will be the integrated use of all elements of the computer.
Step 4: start the process
We start the process. Be careful, because the system may freeze periodically. Do not allow significant overloads of the computer. For additional control, you can install an assistant program that will monitor the load.
Expert Tips for Beginners
To date, it is quite difficult to find information on how to mine “crypto” correctly, despite a bunch of links to this topic in the search engines. Various kinds of recommendations and advice regularly pop up on the network. However, their reliability is rather ambiguous. For help in this matter, Healthy Food Near Me turned to IT company system engineer Ahmed Azhazhu.
According to the expert, every novice miner should understand that he will not earn fabulous money right away, but investments can be quite impressive. As for the technical side, you do not need to have special knowledge. It will be enough to have the skills of a confident PC user and system administrator. Sometimes you have to disassemble the hardware. After all, in the process of mining cryptocurrency, overheating and contamination of equipment are possible.
If you have not previously encountered such equipment, then it is best to involve a person who can advise you, the expert notes.
“During the first experiments, you may encounter certain risks. This should be taken into account. Don’t expect instant results. Train regularly. Be sure to try different cryptocurrency mining algorithms. After all, this can significantly increase profits,” says Ahmed Azhaj.
Popular questions and answers
Is it possible to mine on a laptop?
Using a laptop to mine cryptocurrency is possible, but not very effective. There are a number of features on which profitability will depend. Much will depend on the model of the device and the mined coin. Cheap laptops are definitely not suitable for this task, and expensive models can suffer significantly in the process, since if the components overheat, you have no way to remove the cover and provide additional cooling. The conclusion is obvious. It is possible to mine cryptocurrency on a laptop, but a regular PC is better at this task.
A hidden miner is a special program that automatically mines without being noticed by the user who owns the PC. This work is more like a virus. The file with the program disguises itself as a system file and starts using the power of the hardware. Almost every computer owner can become a victim of such operations. According to the recommendations of ISSP experts, you should open the “Task Manager”, where, in the presence of a miner, a large percentage of CPU or GPU load will be displayed – ranging from 70% to 100%. A licensed antivirus will help to cope with this problem.
How much can you earn from mining
Let’s move on to the most acute issue of our material – the financial side. The profitability of the process is influenced by many factors: the market value of virtual money, the capacity of the equipment and the number of miners. Such a number of variables simply does not allow us to give an exact figure. However, approximate calculations will help you make a special calculator, which is freely available on the network. For example, you can use the NiceHash Profitability Calculator.