Farming cryptocurrencies (also known as mining or staking, depending on the mechanism) is still alive — but has become much more selective. While a few years ago you could mine coins even on a laptop, today the efficiency and selection of cryptocurrencies have changed significantly. Still, there are real ways for home users with a regular PC to earn without getting into farms or renting computing power in the cloud.

What's up with Bitcoin?

About Bitcoin — in brief. Mining $BTC is currently impossible on a regular PC. ASIC devices costing thousands of dollars and consuming hundreds of watts of energy are required for this. The only way to earn Bitcoin at home is to buy and hold, or to use cloud services with a high degree of risk.

Now for more realistic options.

1. Monero (XMR) — privacy and CPU mining

Type of mining: classic mining (Proof of Work)

What you need: just a processor (CPU), a graphics card is not required

Why it works: the RandomX algorithm is specifically optimized for regular PCs

Example program: XMRig

#Monero — a leader among private cryptocurrencies. Mining can be started even on an old PC, but the profitability will be modest — from $0.05 to $0.50 per day depending on the power. This project is especially interesting for anonymity enthusiasts and those who want to mine without large investments.

2. Verus Coin (#VRSC ) — focus on decentralization

Type of mining: CPU mining (algorithm VerusHash 2.2)

What you need: multi-core processor, minimal settings

Plus: energy-saving, fair distribution mechanism

Program: VerusMiner or built-in CLI

#VerusCoin — a lesser-known but technically interesting alternative to Monero. Mining can be done directly from the command line. Suitable for those who want to deploy a node + mining and support the network.

3. Chia (#XCH) — farming using hard drives

Type of mining: farming through Plot files on HDD/SSD (Proof of Space and Time)

What you need: a lot of disk space

Features: requires patience, but does not overload the graphics card/processor

Program: official Chia GUI or CLI

Chia became popular due to its eco-friendly approach. "Farming" is based not on computations but on storage. Yet, income also depends on the amount of disk space — the more, the higher the chances of getting a block. A good choice for users with accumulated hard drives.

4. Nexa (#NEXA) — GPU mining with new possibilities

Type of mining: GPU mining

What you need: a graphics card (even mid-range)

Algorithm: NexaPow, optimized for modern cards

Program: lolMiner or BzMiner

If there is a graphics card in the PC, you can try mining NEXA — a new token with ambitions to build a powerful DeFi platform. Rewards are credited more frequently than with major coins, and the network itself is still in growth stage.

5. Staking through nodes: Avail, Aleo, Subspace (testnets)

Although this is not classic farming, today the test networks of new blockchains allow you to receive rewards for participating in the network. Basic knowledge of Linux is required, but the reward is often real tokens after the network launches (for example: Celestia, which distributed nodes worth over $1000).

Yes, the "gold rush" of mining has passed. But even today, the opportunity to farm cryptocurrency on your PC remains — albeit not as profitable, but still accessible and engaging. This is a way to understand the technologies from the inside and acquire assets that could take off tomorrow.

Choose according to your taste: anonymous Monero, green Chia, promising Nexa, or participation in future networks through nodes. The main thing is to act with a cool head and an understanding of the risks.