Node hardware in 2026 — Pi, mini-PC or old laptop?

Not sure I buy that. the real cost is never the rig, it's the 2190W nobody budgets for. What's everyone else seeing?

Good thread this. swapping a tired PSU for a platinum unit beat every clever tweak I'd tried. Anyone measuring something different?

Not sure I buy that. the best mining alpha left is patience plus a boring power contract. Am I missing something obvious?

Strong disagree with the last reply — I moved everything to a Pi node and the difference was bigger than any chip tweak.

Strong disagree with the last reply — difficulty grinding up is just the market telling you to find cheaper power. Anyone tried the opposite?

Firmware updates over USB first, OTA only after you trust the supply. Learned the hard way.