Mining manufacturer Bitmain has announced new litecoin hardware it is aiming to ship in July.The China-based company listed the Antminer L3+ miner on its website yesterday, claiming that it will be the most powerful and efficient of its kind on the market.Published specifications indicate that the miner operates at a peak hash rate of 504 megahashes per second (MH/s), while consuming 1.6 Joules per Megahash (J/MH).The starting price is $1,370.Notably, Bitmain international sales VP Gadi Glikberg said that new demand for litecoin, which has seen its price skyrocket in recent days, led the company to announce the miner."Right now, the [litecoin] exchange rate is going up, so more and more customers are contacting us in search of miners.We try to respond through hardware, though production has certain hard timelines ...We try to keep an eye on the market and give more attention to projects that seem in higher demand."The hardware's release comes as the litecoin network moves toward adopting a scaling solution previously proposed by developers working on bitcoin.

Litecoin miners have started to signal their intention for adopting segregated witness, a proposal aimed at increasing the amount of information that can be stored within a block while also addressing issues such as transaction malleability.goodbye bitcoin hello bitcoinThe change requires that 75% of blocks produced during an 8,064 block activation period must signal for the change.risk of litecoin, meaning the activation will happen sometime within the next 30 days if the level of signaling remains the same.bitcoin vapeFor now, however, Bitmain isn't moving to devote significant resources to the litecoin space, reiterating the firm's commitment to bitcoin hardware.asic bitcoin miner usb

"Even with the recent increase [litecoin] still has a fraction of the market cap of bitcoin," Glikberg said.bitcoin sdr"As mining and market cap are coupled, our main focus has and remains in bitcoin."ethereum fiatPhoto via Shutterstock; Image capture from Bitmain The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an independent media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies.bitcoin delta financialHobby Bitcoin mining can still be fun and even profitable if you have cheap electricity, an efficient bitcoin mining machine, and get the best Bitcoin mining hardware.It’s important to remember, however, that Bitcoin mining is competitive and today it is not a good idea for the average person to mine.dogecoin bitcoin forum

If you want bitcoins then you are better off buying bitcoins.Since it’s now impossible to profitably mine Bitcoin with your computer, you’ll need specialized hardware called ASICs.Table of ContentsBitcoin Mining Hardware ComparisonWhat is an ASIC Bitcoin Miner?Don’t Get ConfusedHow to Find the Best Bitcoin MinerBitcoin Miners for Sale on eBay or AmazonUsed Bitcoin Mining Hardware for SaleJust Want Bitcoins?Hardware ProfitabilityMost Efficient Bitcoin MinersBitcoin Mining Hardware CompaniesBitcoin Mining EquipmentBitcoin Mining Without Hardware?USB Bitcoin MinersOriginally, Satoshi intended for Bitcoin to be mined on computer CPUs.most rewarding bitcoin mining poolHowever, Bitcoin miners discovered they could get more hashing power from graphic cards.Graphic cards were then surpassed by ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits).Nowadays all serious Bitcoin mining is performed on dedicated Bitcoin mining hardware ASICs, usually in thermally-regulated data-centers with access to low-cost electricity.

Think of a Bitcoin ASIC as specialized Bitcoin mining computers, Bitcoin mining machines, or “bitcoin generators”.There is Bitcoin mining hardware, which mines bitcoins.There are also Bitcoin hardware wallets, which store bitcoins.There are some important factors to look at when determining which Bitcoin mining ASIC to buy:Hash rate – How many hashes per second can the Bitcoin miner make?More hashes cost more, which is why efficiency is crucial…Efficiency – You’ll want to buy the most efficient bitcoin mining hardware possible.Since miners use a large amount of electricity, you want to buy one that converts the most amount of electricity into bitcoins.Price – How much does the bitcoin miner cost?Cheap mining hardware will mine less bitcoins, which is why efficiency and electricity usage are important.The fastest and more efficient mining hardware is going to cost more.Don’t try to buy a miner based on only price or only hash rate.The best ASIC miner is the most efficient bitcoin miner.

Aim for value.If you’re a hobby miner who wants to buy a couple rigs for your house, eBay and Amazon both have some decent deals on mining hardware.Both new and used bitcoin mining rigs and ASICs are available on eBay.One may want to buy used ASIC mining hardware on eBay because you can get better prices.eBay’s customer protection ensures you’ll get a working product.Other bundled equipment may be included with your purchase depending on the seller.We recommend purchasing the Antminer S7 or the Antminer S9.If you just want bitcoins, mining is NOT the best way to obtain coins.Buying bitcoins is the EASIEST and FASTEST way to purchase bitcoins.Get $10 worth of free bitcoins when you buy $100 or more at Coinbase.You can use a bitcoin mining profitability calculator to determine your estimated cost of return on your mining hardware.Be sure to take electricity costs into account.Most mining hardware appears profitable until electricity costs are accounted for.Good Bitcoin mining hardware needs to have a high hash rate.

But, efficiency is just as important.An efficient Bitcoin miner means that you pay less in electricity costs per hash.The miners in the table below are currently the most efficient Bitcoin miners on the market.The Avalon6 gets 0.29 Watts/GH, but costs more than $200 more than the Antminer S7.The Antminer S7 is more efficient, with 0.25 Watts/GH.The Antminer S7 also costs much less, and comes with 4.5 TH/s of hash power compared to the Avalon6’s 3.50 TH/s.The AntMiner S7 is clearly the better option between these two miners, which are currently the most efficient miners available for purchase.To improve your efficiency, there are also companies that will let you order hardware to their warehouse and run the miners for you.You could also cloud mine bitcoins.But both options are a lot less fun than running your hardware!Bitmain – Bitmain makes the Antminer line of Bitcoin miners.Bitmain is based in China and also operates a mining pool.BitFury – BitFury is one of the largest producers of Bitcoin mining hardware and chips.

Its hardware is not available for purchase.Spondoolies Tech – Spondoolies Tech is an Israeli based mining hardware manufacturer.In addition to a Bitcoin mining ASIC, you’ll need some other Bitcoin mining equipment:Power Supply – Bitcoin rigs need special power supplies to funnel and use electricity efficiently.Cooling Fans – Bitcoin hardware can easily overheat and stop working.Buy a sufficient amount of cooling fans to keep your hardware working.You can find Bitcoin mining equipment for sale on eBay.It’s still technically possible to mine bitcoins without dedicated mining hardware.However, you’ll earn less than one penny per month.Mining bitcoins on your computer will do more damage to your computer and won’t earn a profit.So, it’s not worth it unless you’re just interested to see how the mining process works.You’re best bet is to buy dedicated hardware like the Antminer S7 or Antminer S9.Using a Bitcoin USB miner with your computer was once a profitable way to mine bitcoins.