Bitcoin Forum

Given that neither I have a strong computer at all nor I have the economic resources to purchase GPU's hardware, my only option left for trying out BTC mining is CPU mining. However, I don't have NVIDIA, don't have AMD. My computer is Intel Pentium Dual CPU T3200 2.0 Ghz and my graphic card is Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family. Which equals crap. Still, could I manage to mine at my computer with any miner software that allows me to mine even with not many resources?

I've already tried with GUI Miner but tells me the already well known "no OpenCL Devices found". Read a bit, switch some settings, still didn't work. Ufasoft didn't work either, computer recognised it as a virus.

Technically, the answer is yes. You could probably find software to let you CPU mine bitcoins. However, you're earnings are going to be so negligible they may as well be zero. That's assuming you have free hardware and power - if not, you'll just be needlessly wearing out your equipment and wasting money on power.

If you want to try mining still though, you might try mining an alt-coin instead of Bitcoin. I think Primecoin is still being mined by CPUs only, so you might start there.

I've been looking a bit at primecoins and it looks interesting. Already downloaded client but it will take me 2 weeks to synchronize it all  :o

It looks like I've finally been able to mine through Bitminter. However my hashrate is 0.00. That tells me it's not working at all. Any ideas on how to solve this problem?

I also typed setgenerate true at the bitcoint client console but I don't even know if that works.

If you don't have a high end GPU it really is pointless, actually beyond pointless.  It is unlikely you will find many people to assist, because honestly if you look in a store parking lot for change on the ground you can make 1000% more than trying to mine with a CPU.  Today mining profitably with a GPU is becoming more difficult and eventually will be impossible (for Bitcoin).  Using bitcoind is solo mining and it would take years (if not decades) to have a reasonable chance of finding a full block by solo mining with a CPU.  Many other mining software (not sure about bitminter) no longer support mining by CPU simply because it is so beyond pointless at this point.  We really are talking about on the scale of a 1 US penny worth of Bitcoins a week or less.

It's pointless to mine with that computer.  You'd be better off looking for giveaways, doing a paid chat, or clicking on faucets if you want to get your hands on some BTC.

You could always try PrimeCoin though if you want to burn up that CPU.

Ok, I get it.

I'll buy a better computer and some GPU when I get some cash  ;D

Thanks.

I would recommend reading a lot on economics of mining, ASICs, future difficulty, profitability, etc before making any purchase.  Entirely possible by the time you purchase that GPU rig it will be even more worthless then CPU mining is today.

If you want to mine Bitcoin, get an ASIC.

If you just want to mine, then research alternate crypto-coins, and then mine them... then trade them for Bitcoins.

Just take $100 and buy 1 bitcoin.  Then you're done!  Don't spend it and put it in a safe wallet.  Don't lend it or give it or use it as payment for anything.