In the early days of Bitcoin mining, hobbyists and crypto enthusiasts mined Bitcoin using just a standard computer equipped with a multi-core CPU. Back in 2009, these setups earned miners 50 BTC per block with minimal competition and computing power requirements.

Mining was relatively simple and accessible, allowing participants to secure the Bitcoin network and earn rewards using basic hardware​.

Mining 1 bitcoin per day in 2011 pic.twitter.com/3tATix6Bsg

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) October 16, 2024

As Bitcoin gained popularity, miners quickly transitioned to more powerful Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) around 2010. GPUs, initially designed for rendering video game graphics, significantly outperformed CPUs in mining efficiency by performing more parallel calculations.

This shift increased the network’s difficulty, making GPU mining the norm as miners sought better performance​

By 2013, the introduction of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) revolutionized Bitcoin mining. ASICs, built exclusively for Bitcoin mining, dramatically outpaced GPUs in terms of both speed and energy efficiency.

The advent of ASICs marked a shift toward industrial-scale mining operations, with higher barriers to entry due to increased costs and hardware specialization.

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