Mining Hardware

[mitchfultz]

Hello

I have done a good bit of research and have noticed that GPU mining will soon be obsolete as CPU mining is because of FGPA and especially ASIC rigs.

I would like to take advantage of the free power I have so I am looking to start mining.

My question is where I could purchase an ASIC rig and whether or not an FGPA rig would be worth purchasing at this point.  Most of the sources I have seen only offer preorder services and I'm skeptical about butterflylabs. 

If preordering is my only option, what do you suggest I take a look at?

Also, if none of the above would be the approach I should take to maximize profits, please feel free to make any suggestions.

Thanks!

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[wilfried]

I think Asics are not yet reality. I think Asics producers - if they are not scams - are taking the preorder money to invest it in ascis device development, meaning they are not even close to be able to produce more than an working prototype. but they suggest the development process could be done in 6 months or so... i dont believe this story.
.. another thing about asics that makes me wonder a lot is why those beasts would need cooling in a similar magnitude as gpus - makes no sense. for example compare streaming clients (Asics) to cpu´s playing back hdtv video - which one dont need cooling ? i never saw a dedicated chip that didnt work magnitudes more reliable than a cpu-based solution. playstation vs pc etc etc

[du0001en]

So far as I know, a few ppl have already got their AVALON ASIC.
You can preorder one if you wish.

[wilfried]

cool, but where´s the proof? cant believe no customer did open the machines and have a look (and a foto or video) of the actual chip, cant believe that - would be the first thing i did, just to check that assembling is good.

[Gabi]

There are hundreds of people that received something that cost like a bit more of a thousand dollars and that make like 60GH/s

No cpu, gpu or fpga can do that. You think it is not an ASIC? Then it must be alien technology 

[du0001en]

cool, but where´s the proof? cant believe no customer did open the machines and have a look (and a foto or video) of the actual chip, cant believe that - would be the first thing i did, just to check that assembling is good.

If you need proof, maybe you can read this: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=140539.0

[crash_override]

Well, my GPUs are in no danger whatsoever of becoming unprofitable.. as of now, for every $1 of electricity used, I receive coins that are worth approximately $3, sometimes more (varies by the day, sometimes quite a bit, of course). Maybe my electricity is cheaper than some others here, but I'm not using some kind of homemade solar array or anything.

Yes, I'm not mining as many coins as I was a few months ago with my GPUs -- but I'm actually making even more money now, due to the increased exchange rate. I'd hope we all know by now that as the hash rate increases, so does the value of a BTC.

If we start seeing 250, 500, or whatever TH/s, I would be quite sure the value of a BTC will be in the hundreds of dollars per coin. Will GPUs still be worth it then? My guess is that they probably will.

So, if you want to start mining now, I don't see anything wrong with getting some old 5830s off of eBay. You have to start somewhere, and who knows when ASICs will start to become readily available (only a matter of time..)

[deyer]

I still believe investing in GPU power is a good deal since you'll be able to use it for LTC mining

Hello

I have done a good bit of research and have noticed that GPU mining will soon be obsolete as CPU mining is because of FGPA and especially ASIC rigs.

I would like to take advantage of the free power I have so I am looking to start mining.

My question is where I could purchase an ASIC rig and whether or not an FGPA rig would be worth purchasing at this point.  Most of the sources I have seen only offer preorder services and I'm skeptical about butterflylabs. 

If preordering is my only option, what do you suggest I take a look at?

Also, if none of the above would be the approach I should take to maximize profits, please feel free to make any suggestions.

Thanks!

[jordan.dev]

I still believe investing in GPU power is a good deal since you'll be able to use it for LTC mining

agreed. some money needs to flow back into LTC though ... but it's looking more viable in the last 30 days...