A purpose-built computer that does exactly one thing — guess proof-of-work hashes — billions of times per second. ASIC: application-specific integrated circuit.
GPUs mined bitcoin until ~2013; ASICs then made general-purpose hardware obsolete by being thousands of times more efficient at the single task. A modern flagship (Antminer S21 XP) produces 270 TH/s from 3.6 kW.
The machines are loud (~75 dB), hot (all power becomes heat), and hungry — which is why mining industrialized around cheap electricity. Our miners section ranks the current hardware honestly, including the $150 silent Bitaxe for learning.
IN A SENTENCE
“The garage fits four ASICs and heats the house all winter.”
Key facts
Flagship output234–270 TH/s (air)
Efficiency to beat< 16 J/TH (2026)
Noise~75 dB
Learning optionBitaxe Gamma, $150
Common questions
Can I mine with my gaming PC?
Not bitcoin, not meaningfully — ASICs are millions of times more efficient. A GPU earns fractions of a cent a day.
Why are they so loud?
Moving 3.5 kW of heat through a shoebox takes serious airflow. Hydro/immersion models trade fans for plumbing.