Can computers at home mine crypto?
In October 2025, Bitcoin mining is once again attracting attention. Bitcoin’s price is around $110,000, and transaction fees remain high due to increased online activity following the 2024 halving. years. Although the rewards per block are smaller, the total profit from mining is again interesting. The question of the profitability of mining, whether at home or in large industrial plants, has become topical.
Increasingly, computer users are thinking about using their devices for mining in their spare time. Modern computers have powerful graphics cards, good cooling and are often unused, so the question logically arises: can Bitcoin be mined at home?
The short answer: yes, but it’s not worth it.
The longer answer requires an understanding of how Bitcoin works and the reasons why today’s energy and computing power requirements are too high for most home users.
Source: cointelegraph
The Evolution of Crypto Mining
Bitcoin mining used to be much simpler. As new miners joined over the years and the overall computing power of the network increased, the Bitcoin protocol automatically raised the difficulty level of mining. This is part of its design: the system itself maintains an average block creation time of about 10 minutes, regardless of how much mining power is involved in the network.
In the beginning, in 2009, it was possible to mine Bitcoin using an ordinary processor (CPU) on a home computer. Graphics cards (GPUs) soon appeared, which drastically increased the efficiency of mining. The next step was the development of ASIC devices — specialized chips made exclusively for Bitcoin mining. These devices are much more powerful and energy-efficient than any graphics card, so they are up to 2015. age They have completely taken control of the market.
In the 2025. year ASIC devices continue to play a key role. Mining using graphics cards is no longer a competitive solution, so users who want to participate in the network are considering other strategies or cryptocurrencies with lower technical requirements.
Fun fact: after September 30, 2025, graphics cards with 4GB of memory are no longer usable for mining certain algorithms due to DAG file size limitations.
Source: cointelegraph
Gaming PCs vs ASIC Miners
Mining Bitcoin with a gaming PC, even with the most powerful graphics cards like the RTX 4090, is not efficient or profitable. This is due to high power consumption, limited performance, and hardware wear and tear compared to ASIC devices that are designed exclusively for mining.
Performance:
Graphics cards, even the most modern ones, cannot compete with ASIC devices when it comes to Bitcoin’s SHA-256 algorithm. The RTX 4090 can only reach a few hundred megahashes per second, while devices like the Antminer S21 Pro achieve up to 200 terahashes per second. That’s a difference of millions of times in favor of ASICs.
Effectiveness:
A graphics card like the RTX 4090 consumes about 450 W, but at the same time offers very little computing power per unit of power consumed. ASICs consume more power, about 3,500 watts, but achieve a much better power-to-power ratio — approximately 17.5 joules per terahash. In practice, this means that mining Bitcoin on a regular computer 24 hours a day consumes much more energy than it brings profits.
Profitability:
Even with low electricity prices, the return on investment in Bitcoin mining using a home computer is almost non-existent. The chances of an individual finding a block on their own are negligible, and participating in mining pools yields very small payouts compared to professional farms. In addition, long-term mining can shorten the life of the graphics card and void the manufacturer’s warranty.
Fun fact: The WhatToMine platform allows you to enter the model of your graphics card and shows you which cryptocurrencies are currently the most profitable to mine with that hardware.
Source: cointelegraph
Mining with graphics cards
Although mining Bitcoin using a computer is no longer profitable today, this does not mean that the world of GPU mining has completely disappeared. In 2025, there are still several cryptocurrencies that are specifically designed for graphics card mining and that offer users fair rewards for their contributions to the network.
Ethereum Classic (ETC) still uses the Ethash algorithm, making it suitable for mining using GPUs. New blocks are created approximately every 13 seconds, and the reward is about 3.2 ETC. Due to its stable network and relatively low technical requirements, ETC remains a popular choice among miners using in-house configurations.
Ravencoin (RVN) uses the KAWPOW algorithm, developed precisely to prevent the dominance of ASIC devices. This approach makes the network accessible to ordinary users with graphics cards. Blocks are generated approximately every minute, and the reward is around 2,500 RVN, which makes mining here easy and fast.
Monero (XMR) uses the RandomX algorithm, which allows mining using both processors (CPUs) and graphics cards (GPUs). Although the earnings are not high, Monero remains attractive due to its emphasis on privacy and the possibility of passive earnings, especially if the price of electricity is low.
For users who want to try mining without investing in expensive ASIC devices, these projects show that GPU mining still has its place in 2025 specifically as a way to research and understand how blockchain networks work in practice.
Source: cointelegraph
Conclusion
In 2025, mining Bitcoin at home is no longer a realistic option for most users. Despite the high price of Bitcoin, the high cost of electricity and the dominance of ASIC devices make home mining unprofitable. Still, those who want to harness the power of their computers can still mine other GPU-friendly cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum Classic, Ravencoin, or Monero. For most enthusiasts, it is a more convenient and affordable way to participate in the world of cryptocurrencies.
