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Great question! It's a common point of confusion. The key difference isn't just the physical machine, but the algorithm it's designed to solve. Think of it like this: Bitcoin mining uses the SHA-256 algorithm, which is all about raw processing power (hash rate). A "SCRYPT miner" is hardware specifically built to solve a different algorithm called Scrypt. This algorithm was intentionally designed to be more memory-intensive rather than just compute-heavy. This means SCRYPT miners need a lot of RAM to work efficiently, compared to the sheer processing muscle of a Bitcoin ASIC.
So, it's not for just one coin. The Scrypt algorithm is used by several major cryptocurrencies. The most famous example is Litecoin, which was actually the first to use it. Other big ones include Dogecoin, ViaCoin, and GameCredits. You can use a SCRYPT miner to mine any of these coins. The core job is the same—solving complex math problems to discover new blocks and earn rewards—but the type of problem is different, requiring different hardware specs. This glossary article gives a super clear, concise breakdown of exactly what it is and the main coins you can mine: paybis.com/blog/glossary/what-is-a-scrypt-miner/