Due to its weak configuration, this model's Bitcoin mining ability is billions of times worse than modern systems.
Programmer Maciej Witkowiak wrote the Bitcoin mining program on the Commodore 64, one of the most famous computer systems in history.
According to Witkowiak, the machine has a hash rate of 0.2 H / s. This is a unit of measurement of the device's algorithmic "mining" cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin.
For comparison, current specialized application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) mining systems such as Antminer T19 have a hash rate of 84 TH / s (84 trillion H). Therefore, the ability for a nearly 40-year-old computer to mine a block of Bitcoin is almost impossible.
Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer, popularly used for gaming and music composition thanks to its powerful graphics and sound chips. According to Decrypt , the device is aimed at the budget segment with 64 KB of RAM.
According to Witkowiak, the reason why Commodore 64 "digs" Bitcoin slowly comes from the fact that the model is only equipped with 8-bit chip, not good at handling 32-bit calculations. The fun project is shared by Witkowiak on GitHub for users to experience, if still holding Commodore 64.
To mine Bitcoin, computers need to perform algorithmic calculations to confirm a previous transaction in the blockchain (blockchain). Basically, the machine will continuously give hash values to find the correct value for the transaction to be validated.
Since the hashes are completely random, a computer may have to come up with millions of values to find the correct result. Upon completion of a block, the owner of the computer is rewarded with a certain amount of Bitcoin.
Most computers can solve algorithms to mine Bitcoin, but today's "miners" often use ASICs specialized in decoding SHA 256 algorithms. Personal computers are almost impossible to mine Bitcoin anymore.
In March, the YouTube stacksmashing account wrote Bitcoin mining software for the Nintendo Game Boy, which was launched in 1989. With a hash rate of 0.8 H / s, this person said that it took "several million years" to Bitcoin mining from the device.