Search content
Sort by
Showing 6 of 6 results by KniteWulf
I would like to be whitelisted; I want to perform a person-to-person trade in this thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=78512.220 but cannot post outside the noob section for another 3 hours. I understand this may seem shady, but I honestly have no intentions of poor or illegal behavior.
If it were me I would get an Lenovo X series or a Macbook Air...
I love how only one guy has mentioned a Lenovo so far. I currently have an Edge series laptop that I only use for word processing, web browsing, and streaming video. The Edge series maxes out around $1200, I believe, but there are other options from Lenovo that you should seriously consider, such as the W series. You get nVidia Quadro series cards (which are really used for professional 3D modeling, but are also very applicable for gaming) and overall it's quite a nice package. You don't get Dell's shoddy build quality, nor HP's. You don't get the outrageous prices of Apple and the useless OSX. Lenovo's are legendary for their build quality and customer support. I've had multiple Dell laptops, an Acer, and an old IBM; guess which still works perfectly after 10 years? The IBM (now Lenovo).The W530 (I know, I sound like a salesman) is probably the best package from Lenovo for you, but don't let that stop you from exploring other options from them. It starts at $1200 and can go beyond $2k, but for around $1800 you'll get a great system with everything you're looking for. It even has a backlit keyboard!
Well, I am looking to increase my post count. (The following might have some misunderstandings in it, but should give you the right idea.)
Mining is the process that creates new Bitcoins. I should really read up on the details, but there's a hash function that gets applied to a block (of transactions) to produce a number. Hashes take a bunch of data, or a long number, however you want to think about it, and reduce that to a fixed-length number.
In order for a block to be accepted, the hash produced has to be below a certain threshold, so there's some data that gets fiddled until the hash is a small enough number. This is a brute force operation that requires lots of tries. Graphics cards are especially good at that kind of thing. When you "solve" a block by getting the right hash, the first transaction in the block is 50 new Bitcoins that now belong to you.
Now, everyone on the entire Bitcoin network is competing for the same block at any given time. Because there's so much computing power on the network, chances of you being the first person to happen to get a valid hash is very low. Enter mining pools. When a mining pool solves a hash, the created Bitcoins are distributed among members of the pool based on how much computing power they contributed. A decent-sized pool will solve a good portion of the blocks, so members get a steady stream of smaller quantities of Bitcoins.
You need one worker per graphics card you apply to a pool. It's just a username and password that you use when pointing your mining program at whatever pool's address.
Is it an integral property of these blocks that brute-force is the accepted and preferred method? The intricacies of mining are a little over my head what with how little research I've done, but I would think that there ought to be a more efficient manner than brute-forcing, such as an algorithmic approach. Would such an approach inevitably introduce issues that brute-forcing wouldn't?Mining is the process that creates new Bitcoins. I should really read up on the details, but there's a hash function that gets applied to a block (of transactions) to produce a number. Hashes take a bunch of data, or a long number, however you want to think about it, and reduce that to a fixed-length number.
In order for a block to be accepted, the hash produced has to be below a certain threshold, so there's some data that gets fiddled until the hash is a small enough number. This is a brute force operation that requires lots of tries. Graphics cards are especially good at that kind of thing. When you "solve" a block by getting the right hash, the first transaction in the block is 50 new Bitcoins that now belong to you.
Now, everyone on the entire Bitcoin network is competing for the same block at any given time. Because there's so much computing power on the network, chances of you being the first person to happen to get a valid hash is very low. Enter mining pools. When a mining pool solves a hash, the created Bitcoins are distributed among members of the pool based on how much computing power they contributed. A decent-sized pool will solve a good portion of the blocks, so members get a steady stream of smaller quantities of Bitcoins.
You need one worker per graphics card you apply to a pool. It's just a username and password that you use when pointing your mining program at whatever pool's address.
well Im gettin a fuckin alienware with a gtx 690 in about 5 days.. yes I make sandwhiches, no i dont make computers..
Protip: Get an ATI card bundled unless you really just care about gaming without much mining
I still haven't gotten my first coin. I'm hoping to get some via person-to-person trade, since buying them via Dwolla -> other service now takes 30 days; I don't have 30 days!
I might just start mining them with a computer lab
I might just start mining them with a computer lab
I'm really quite jealous of you. I've been trying to do the Dwolla -> BitInstant/other wallet service for weeks now, but this drat 30 day waiting period is killing me. I actually came here hoping to do a person-to-person trade, since the 4 hour login time and 5 post limit is far easier than waiting another couple of weeks. I don't want to deal with the hassle of getting coins in person, so I'm dedicated to doing it all online; unfortunately, that dedication is turning out to be incredibly frustrating.