A Complete Analysis of Crypto Asset Mining Rigs: The Evolution of Mining Hardware from CPU to ASIC

From early CPUs to today's professional ASIC miners, how has mining hardware evolved? This article will delve into the evolution of mining hardware from CPU to ASIC, take stock of mainstream mining rigs and provide selection suggestions, and take you into the hardware world of "digital gold panning". This article is from an article written by Dr. Chai Say, curated and written by BlockBeats. (Synopsis: This man wants to send a bitcoin mining machine into space: unlimited sunshine + zero cooling fee is a BTC mining mecca) (Background supplement: PTT posted a request for "family bought a virtual mining machine": Is it a fraud to invest 100,000 in mining and give back 500 a day? Today, Dr. Chai will delve into the core tool of mining: mining machines. From the early home computer CPUs to today's professional ASIC miners, how has mining hardware evolved? How to choose a miner? This article will answer for you one by one and take you into the hardware world of "digital gold rush"! 01 The Evolution of Mining Hardware: From Home Computer to Professional Mining Farm Bitcoin was born in 2009, and the development of mining hardware has gone through several stages. Let's travel back in time and take a look at this hardware revolution: 1 CPU era (2009-2010): Mining with ordinary computers · Background: When Bitcoin was first launched, founder Satoshi Nakamoto (Satoshi Nakamoto) could mine with the CPU of a normal computer ( the CPU ) Features: At that time, the computing power of the whole network was low, and ordinary laptops could mine bitcoins. For example, in 2010 someone mined thousands of BTC from a home computer ( now worth hundreds of millions of dollars! )。 · Limitations: CPU computing power is weak, efficiency is low, as the difficulty of mining increases, the CPU quickly cannot keep up with the rhythm. 2 GPU era (2010-2013): The rise of graphics card mining · Background: Miners found GPUs ( graphics processors such as NVIDIA, AMD graphics cards ) Stronger than CPUs in parallel computing, suitable for hash operations in mining. Features: GPU mining efficiency increased dozens of times, attracting more people to join. Limitations: GPUs consume high power, heat dissipation is difficult, home mining noise is large, and computing power is still limited. 3 FPGA era (2012-2013): transition stage · Background: FPGAs ( field-programmable logic gate arrays ) is customizable hardware that is more efficient than GPUs but requires specialized configuration. Features: Power consumption is lower than GPU, computing power is stronger, but expensive, low penetration. Limitations: FPGAs are a transitional technology that will soon be replaced by more efficient ASICs. 4 The ASIC era (2013 to the present ): the overlord of professional mining · Background: ASICs ( application-specific integrated circuits ) are dedicated chips designed for specific algorithms ( such as Bitcoin's SHA-256 and Dogecoin/Litecoin's Scrypt), far outperforming GPUs and FPGAs. Features: ASIC mining machine has strong computing power and high efficiency, which has become the mainstream of modern mining. Status: In 2025, ASIC miners will dominate Bitcoin and Dogecoin and Litecoin mining, and home equipment will be almost uncompetitive. > Summary From CPUs to ASICs, the evolution of mining hardware is a leap in computing power and efficiency, but it also raises the bar. Nowadays, professional miners are mainstream, and ordinary people can still get started by GPU mining some Altcoins. 02 Mainstream mining machine inventory: Bitcoin/Dogecoin/Litecoin tools In 2025, there are a variety of mining rigs on the market to choose from, such as the SHA-256 algorithm for different cryptocurrencies ( such as Bitcoin's SHA-256 algorithm, Dogecoin/Litecoin's Scrypt algorithm, and ). The following is an introduction to the performance, price and power consumption of several mainstream mining rigs, based on the latest market information. 1 Bitcoin Mining: SHA-256 Algorithm Miner Designed for SHA-256 algorithms such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), these miners are powerful but have a high price and power consumption. Ant U3S23 Hyd. · Ant S21e XP Hyd. Note: The above estimated data results are only applicable to mining in PPS mode, because mining income is affected by factors such as mining rigs and mining farm electricity, the calculation results are for reference only. 2 Dogecoin and Litecoin mining: Scrypt algorithm miners Dogecoin (DOGE) and Litecoin (LTC) Using the Scrypt algorithm, compared to SHA-256, the computing power requirements are lower, and some miners are suitable for small and medium-sized miners. ElphaPex DG2+ · ElphaPex DG Hydro 1 Note: The above estimated data results are based on the current difficulty PPS mode of mining, because the mining income is affected by factors such as mining rigs and mining farm electricity, the calculation results are for reference only. 03 Performance comparison of mainstream mining rigs The following is a performance comparison of mainstream mining rigs in 2025, covering Bitcoin and Dogecoin & Litecoin mining rigs: > Bitcoin miners Data source: F2pool > Dogecoin & Litecoin miners: Data source: F2pool Notes: · Low unit power consumption means high efficiency: unit power consumption indicates the amount of energy consumed by the miner when generating a certain amount of computing power. The lower the power consumption, the miner uses less electricity and is more energy efficient when completing the same computing task. Directly affect the cost of mining: One of the main costs of mining is the cost of electricity. Miners with low unit power consumption consume less power under the same computing power, reducing the mining cost per unit of computing power, thereby improving economic efficiency. Environment and sustainability: Lower specific power consumption means less energy waste and less environmental impact, in line with the trend of energy conservation and emission reduction. 04 Cryptocurrency Mining Advice Reminder: Engaging in cryptocurrency mining activities needs to be carried out in compliance with local laws and regulations. Selecting a mining rig requires a comprehensive consideration of budget, electricity costs, mining goals and site conditions. Here are a few suggestions for reference only: 1 Clear mining goals: Want to mine Bitcoin? Choose the SHA-256 miner with a high budget and low electricity bills. Low-power Scrypt miners are more suitable for newbies. 2 Calculate costs and benefits: Use the mining yield calculator to estimate the payback period. Electricity is key: > $0.15/kWh for electricity can lead to losses, it is advisable to choose a region < $0.08/kWh. 3 Consider the site and noise: Household mining and selection of low-noise equipment ( water-cooling equipment ) or GPU. Professional mining machines need independent space or mining sites. Mining machines need regular maintenance, and attention needs to be paid to the safety of electrical equipment. 4 Pay attention to market fluctuations The market price of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Litecoin will directly affect mining earnings. In the case of high volatility, professional miners can lock in future earnings in advance through "hedging". Choose a mining pool that supports multiple currencies to flexibly switch between high-yield currencies. 05 Summary: From CPU to ASIC, the future of mining hardware From CPU mining at the birth of Bitcoin in 2009 to the overall dominance of ASIC miners today, the evolution of mining hardware has not only witnessed the rapid development of the cryptocurrency industry, but also profoundly changed the rules of the game of "digital gold mining". In the early days, ordinary people could participate in Bitcoin mining with their home computers and easily earn "digital gold"; Nowadays, than...