With ASIC hardware; with modern computers, even the best RX 480s won't compare to even just a tiny Block Erupter USB that came out in 2013. The best miner i'd recommend is the antimer S9, and even that will take you around a year and 3 months to ROI; that isn't even counting cooling costs and electrical costs. If your electrical costs are below 0.1$/kwh, you can at least start to look for mining hardware.
Software mining is occasionally profitable, but that's only if you mine altcoins like ethereum. I won't elaborate, since this is the bitcoin forum, but with a decent set of GPUs you can make a bit of money without having the electrical requirements like BTC.
ASIC hardware anymore is pretty much set and forget. All the hardwork has been done as far as hardware and you install and just input settings. With altcoins I will say it takes more to build a good system, and functional system. I have built a good amount in my day's it just takes more time.
But there is really only 1 way to mine bitcoin's. The "best" way is going the be the lowest electricity rate you can get. You will find doing some calculators electricity makes or breaks BTC issues. Altcoins you can have a tad bit higher electricity and still profit and in part to GPU keeping value as they can be used by gamers. But "software" mining of BTC on standard equipment is over now all asic controlled.
