Would it be profitable to mine zcash with personal computer? In case it is, what kind hardware set up do I need to mine it?
you need a GPU .
go to this website www.whattomine.com
you will find most GPUs and their mining capabilities on various crypto currencies .
It is not profitable right now unless you already have a GPU or you can find one for a sane price. See my thread on the profitability of a GTX 1080ti
On most sites like Amazon and Newegg it costs at least 1000 us dollars and make around $1.40 a day profit.
I second that ^
His thread about daily profitability is actually really interesting to watch the fluctuation in price.
the profitability depends on several thinks the price of electricity is one of them for example. also your mining strategy will u hold and wait for good price or directly sell at market price. atc there are profitability calculators like
what to mine https://whattomine.com
but be aware in case you getting only one GPU it will take several months to mine 1 Zcash for example a 1060 will mine that 1 ZEC in aprox 10 months with current mining difficulty
In case you will be getting only one GPU i think you will do better on some smaller coin with lower difficulty like Zen,Zclasic or Bitcoin gold … where you can mine 1 coin much quicker