UBIQ is a really great project, but I think there are many other projects like ubiq with greater popularity.
In terms of mining - there are a lot of cryptonight-heavy coins, which are insanely profitable to be mined and RX580s are top-notch cards for this algorithm. If you are an ETH believer, you can always mine other coins and buy ETH afterwards. It should yield you 2-3$ more.
That's at least what I'm doing
Correct on Ubiq not having as much popularity. They are a project with a focus on stability for businesses and enterprises that can use their fully vetted platform without the fear of bugs or issues since they are meticulous in testing for stability before adopting new features. Sometimes this hurts them in the near term as there isn't much news but I feel the careful and tactful approach will benefit them in the future.
Of course anyone would have to make their own opinion and do their own research but I do think in the coming years they are going to continue to gain relevance.
A side note is their Escher drops they are awarding for Ubiq holdings which will allow for voting and governance through their community.
Cleary I'm a believer in Ubiq but as previous post said, their are plenty of great options to chose from. Chose one that you think you will most benefit from or want to be involved in.