technology Uncle Mining in EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum are similar in many key respects; they both seek to innovate and create something with unique utility.However, when it comes to abandoned blocks, this is where Bitcoin and Ethereum differ.Ethereum could be considered a descendant of Bitcoin.They’re similar in many key respects; they both seek to innovate and create something with unique utility.With the Bitcoin protocol, the longest chain is considered the absolute truth.If a block is not part of the longest chain then it is ‘orphaned’ (abandoned).An orphaned block is a block that is the same size as the correct block but is not part of the longest chain.This could occur if the mathematical equation to achieve that block happened just slightly after the other accepted block, and it did not propagate through the network fast enough to be included in the longest chain.The miner responsible for that orphaned block then loses the reward associated with mining, when it otherwise, would have been a valid block.

GHOST and Uncles - Heavier vs.Longer Chains Ethereum’s GHOST protocol treats orphaned blocks differently by giving them value.Orphaned blocks in Ethereum are called “uncles” and they can contribute to the security of the main chain.litecoin pool clientRelatively speaking, Bitcoin has a long block time.ethereum bearIt takes an average of around 10 minutes (give or take) to achieve a single confirmation on the Bitcoin blockchain.bitcoin moeda de qual paisStatistically, a confirmation inside ten minutes will occur about 63% of the time.ethereum chart graphSince the inception of Bitcoin, a large body of research about blockchain technology has developed.cara bitcoin cepat

This research demonstrates that faster blocks are indeed possible, which could be desirable for a variety of reasons.However, the trade-off for having faster blocks would be an increase in the rate of orphaned blocks, which is costly and ineffective.bitcoin poker leagueEthereum’s GHOST protocol solution gives these orphaned (‘uncle’) blocks an economic value on the network.Remember ‘uncles’ are also correct blocks.They aren’t the same size as the correct block that is on the chain and have had a valid proof of work go into them.Yet often, due to reasons of network propagation, they were not included onto the longest chain.The GHOST protocol pays for uncles, which incentivizes miners to include uncles in a mined block by referencing uncles in a new field in the header of each block.Reference to these uncles makes the chain heavier.In Bitcoin, the longest chain is the main chain.In Ethereum it is the “heaviest.” Theoretically, this protocol which opts to pay for uncles incentivizes miners, gives value to otherwise abandoned resources and produces more chain security.

Creating a “heavier” chain with valid proof-of-work blocks, adds to the security of that chain.Conclusion Ultimately, uncle mining is an added complexity that will provide useful experimentation and research.Already some non-critical vulnerabilities have been found in this approach.For example, payments for uncles act to incentivize miners who have more than 12.5% of the hashing power.Uncle mining is the most profitable at 12.5% - 37% hashing power but is similar to the possible conflicts of selfish mining in Bitcoin (which is considered a 25% attack against the Bitcoin network).More time is needed to determine the benefits of uncle mining and whether it is actually fully sustainable.Until then, the consequences of the GHOST protocol’s treatment of uncles can only be theorized.In truth, uncle mining is a key part of what makes Ethereum so unique and showcases it as a bold experimental protocol.It’s a novel innovation from Bitcoin’s treatment of orphaned blocks, and it’s an important demonstration of Ethereum’s cutting edge blockchain technology.

ETHNews is commited to its Editorial Policy Like what you read?Follow us on Twitter @ETHNews_ to receive the latest on GHOST, protocol or other Ethereum technology news.Following the massive growth of Ethereum in 2017, many consumers have purchased or built mining rigs.While Bitcoin is prohibitively expensive for casual miners, cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, ZCash, and Dash are more accessible to those with a budget.Ethereum’s price has increased dramatically this year, making it one of the favourite cryptocurrencies among miners due to the high returns.How much Ethereum your mining rig brings in each month is based on the power of its graphics cards, measured in hashes-per-second.A higher hash rate means your set-up will be better at mining Ethereum.If you plan to build an Ethereum mining rig, you will need to purchase graphics cards to drive the device.Both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards can be used to mine Ethereum, and the latest GPU generation is more cost-efficient than older cards.

We used mining performance benchmark data collected by BuriedOne to compare the latest generation of graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia.The reported hash rates and South African pricing for AMD’s Radeon RX series and Nvidia’s GTX 10-series graphics cards are below.Card Hash Rate Price AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB 26.8MH/s R4,692 Radeon RX 570 8GB 26.5MH/s R4,445 Radeon RX 480 8GB 26.9MH/s R4,847 Radeon RX 480 4GB 26.4MH/s R4,367 Radeon RX 470 8GB 25MH/s R4,098 Radeon RX 470 4GB 24.5MH/s R3,267 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 28-32MH/s R12,399 GeForce GTX 1080 23MH/s R8,999 GeForce GTX 1070 25-30MH/s R6,799 GeForce GTX 1060 17-19MH/s R4,445 AMD graphics cards are generally more efficient at mining Ethereum than similarly-priced Nvidia products, but Nvidia cards are currently easier to obtain.BuriedOne also recorded the hash rate of Nvidia’s upcoming dedicated mining graphics card, the GTX 1060 GP106-100.