What hardware do I need to get started with Bitcoin?

Question

I am new to crypto currencies and just got into bitcoin, I want to know how to start off, which equipment would I need?

Answer 1

Nothing out of the ordinary hardware wise is necessarily required if you are just using bitcoin as a currency. The only case you would need specific hardware was if you intended on mining bitcoin. For just normal bitcoin transactions you can utilize whatever electronic device you are using to visit stack-exchange.

There are really only 2 big decisions you have to make as a user. What wallet do you want to use and what exchange you want to purchase bitcoin from. Below is a resource to help you decide what wallet would meet your needs (it depends on the device you are using and the security level you require) https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet

There are two characteristics that make up the main difference between wallets, one being the type of environment they work on ie: some are for desktop computers, some for mobile devices and some are web based and work through the web-browser. The other is if they are full validation wallets or simplified validation. As a starter I would suggest beginning with a simplified validation wallet like electrum and getting your feet wet with that. Later as you learn more about bitcoin you can decide if running a full validation wallet like bitcoinqt would be something you'd be interested in doing to help out the network.

The second thing you need to decide is what exchange you want to use to purchase your bitcoin. This mainly depends on your location and personal preference.

Here is a general resource to help you learn more information about bitcoin: https://bitcoin.org/en/getting-started

I would suggest reading up on most of the bitcoin.org pages, the whole website is a great resources for people new to bitcoin.

Answer 2

I want to know how to start off, which equipment would I need?

If by equipment you mean mining, be sure to know that mining has become a professional venture. You need a good combination of i) cheap energy, ii) large CaPex, and iii) a country that has low (or no) import taxes on your equipment.

This is what a single, small, miner looks like today.

If, however, you want to aquire and use btc, you don't need much. Most current PC's/laptops will be able to handle even the full blockchain, provided you have the HD/SSD space. If you don't, there are a host of wallets which will not require the full blockchain in your machine. You can check them out at Bitcoin.org. What you're giving up then is some security---your machine is not checking that the transactions are all perfectly safe.

Answer 3

My setup is a bitcoin blockchain node only, created for participation, no mining.

Here's my hardware list: 1. Raspberry Pi 3B 2. 32GB MicroSD 3. 512GB hard drive torage (currently bitcoin blockchain size > 240GB)