Is Mining Bitcoin with USB Sticks Viable?

hey, saw a vid on youtube where someone mined btc with USB sticks on a laptop and made some profit. sounds too good to be true? can it really be done instead of using an asic?

if we're talking about ASIC USB sticks, like the newpac model, those are pretty slow. 200-300 times less efficient than a good miner, you lose a lot of potential.

what year is this video from? I actually have a few of those sticks collecting dust... used them ages ago and stopped.

tempting, but yeah, profits would be tiny. anyway, the video’s from 2021, I can share the link if needed, not trying to promote it, just curious.

i checked the first part of that video... looks like he’s showing off the newpac usb miner. it hashes around 45Gh/s when it works, but that speed is rare. and it's gonna use about 10 watts.

honestly, you'll probably end up making zero dollars. if you wanna throw away cash, go for those USB sticks.

yeah, probably won't make anything. but they’re called “lottery sticks” for a reason! you might hit a block solo. if you play the lottery, might as well try a stick since they’re cheap.

two points: 1) nobody buys USB miners to run a mining biz, it's more for fun or learning. 2) newer USB miners can hit around 365GH/s and use about 15 watts. three of those can get you decent power.