Bitcoin Forum

Hi!  From the time I've started mining, I've always mined Bitcoin.  I've never really thought about mining any altcoins up until now.  I've always thought they were a waste of time and money.  But for me, it's not about money all the time.  It's actually mostly just about having fun.  So I've done some research and I think it'd be pretty fun to mine some altcoins that aren't SHA-256.  I'd love to be able to participate in altcoins more.  But, alas, I cannot, for I have a laptop that may melt if I mine with it because quite obviously, you should never mine with a laptop.  So what I've wondering is this:  What is a good entry-level scrypt miner?  Keep in mind, I'm only doing this for fun so I don't care too much about profitability.  Of course, it'd be nice to make back a little money, but in the long run it doesn't matter.  I was thinking something for around $30, possibly a Gridseed or maybe, if I can find one cheap, one of those ZeusMiner Blizzards that run at 1.3MH/s.  I think I'll go with a Gridseed though...  But I thought I'd ask everyone here if there's a better miner that I've yet to hear of.  So, thanks, and happy mining!

there should be a 144K usb scrypt miner , I think USD15-20 .... it is the most entry-level , I think ...

No point in buying one of those.  People seem to be selling them for about five dollars more than a gridseed
Thank you for the suggestion though.

those usb stick miners are pretty good. you wont make much but you can get some experience with command line. i was thinking about breaking some of mine out this weekend just to see how some of the updated cgminer/bfgminer and try out some of the others floating around.

Alright, I might grab a few if I can get them cheap.  I already understand everything I need to know and note with compiling and running cgminer on multiple platforms.  I started out bitcoin mining on USBs, so maybe I'll have to take a trip down memory lane with some more :)

with all the updates over the past year, im sure it will still be fun. i enjoyed messing with the settings and tweaking.

The Gridseeds on Ebay are about as entry-level as you can get.

  I've just started mining, and for me, the Gridseed ASICS (GC3355) have been pretty entry level. It takes some fiddling with the drivers and such, but I have gotten up and running with relatively few complications. Power consumption and footprint are quite low if you use scrypt only mode, and you can't seem to overheat  them no matter what you do.

http://www.amazon.com/Gridseed-Miner-Litecoin-Bitcoin-Mining/dp/B00J4XPKJU

Edit:  Sorry, atp1916 I didn't see your post right above mine. Agreed with you, they're quite simple.

Okay, I'll be going with a Gridseed then.  Thanks everyone!

Actually going to go with a Gaw Miner Fury.  It's not too much more, so I might as well get it instead of the Gridseed.

Honestly anything you can find pretty cheap are good, you will find it easy to learn how to pull the most out of the hardware. Are you looking to profit well or just get started and hope for the best? (It may depend on what miner I recommend based on wattage etc.)

I'd like to make at least some of my money back, so a miner that can do that would be nice.  I don't think I'll be stuck technological anywhere, I've gone through a heck of a lot of time setting up other miners for Bitcoin.  Oh, and power isn't an issue for the most part.  I get it really cheap.