The Bitcoin halving is approaching. Many ASICs will end up on the second-hand market, to the delight of amateur miners.
Bitcoin Halving = Balances on ASICs
Within seven months, the number of bitcoins created in each block will halve. Miners who do not intend to move in search of cheaper electricity will sell off their ASICs.
A boon for budding miners, even if it must be remembered that mining at home in France is not profitable. You might as well buy bitcoins directly.
However, the business can be profitable for those who exploit the heat of ASICs or who can produce electricity at low costs. But you still need to not buy your miner too expensive (find HERE a price comparison).
There will be more and more good deals as the halving approaches. Among the most interesting miners, we note the antminer S19K Pro ($2000).
At 18 cents per Kwh, this miner will earn 0.17 bitcoin over the next three years. That’s a loss of around 8,500 euros… You need electricity for less than six cents to start getting by.
That said, buying such an ASIC today can prove to be a very good investment if the price of bitcoin regains altitude. At 100,000 euros for one bitcoin, the loss turns into an income of 9,000 euros.
Here is a description of the S19K Pro from Luxor, a pool also active in the second-hand ASIC market:
In summary, the S19K Pro displays a hashrate of 120 TH/s for a power of 2760 watts. Which gives us a comfortable efficiency of 23 J/TH.
This efficiency is comparable to the S19 XP and its 21.5 TH/s for a price 40% lower!
The S19K Pro in detail
The 12.85 kg S19K Pro can operate in temperatures ranging from 0 to 40 degrees Celsius. Ambient humidity can range from 0% to 90%. Equipped with Martech and Nidec fans, the cooling is more efficient than any of its counterparts in the S19 range.
Unlike the S19s, S19 XP and S19j Pros which use aluminum hashboards, the S19K Pro has three FR4 hashboards equipped with BM1366 chips (same chip as the S19 XP).
Each hashboard contains 77 chips, compared to 126 for the S19J Pro, 110 for the S19 XP and 120 for the S19j Pro+. Reducing the number of chips helps improve thermal performance, which allows machines to operate at higher frequencies (higher TH/s).
In other words, the S19K Pro is a good candidate for overclocking. Here are our latest articles for more information on overclocking and mining at home:
–How to unblock your antminers?
–Extend the lifespan of your antminer
–When is it better to unplug your antminer?
–Maintain your antminer / Clean your antminer
–Bitcoin mining – Air vs Immersion cooling
–Bitcoin – Why mine at home?
The S19K Pro is even more suitable for overclocking as it is more heat resistant. The ASIC displays 122 TH/s and 2282 watts on the meter at an ambient temperature of 30°C. Or an efficiency of 23 TH/s, as announced by Bitmain, for noise at 89 decibels.
At 37°C, the power required increases to 2928 watts to produce 122 TH/s. That is to say a lower efficiency of 23.9 TH/s (-4%) which nevertheless remains excellent given the temperature level.
Conversely, in such conditions, the S19 XP and S19 J Pro+ miners turn off after a few minutes.
Overclocking
Altair Technology performed some overclocking tests. First observation, the software only offers a single factory setting (unlike MicroBT ASICs). Impossible to increase the hashing frequency unless you install for example Braiins OS.
Altair used the PowerPlay software and here is the comparison between the S19 XP (141 TH) and the S19K:
The S19K shows only 10% lower efficiency than the S19XP, even at 170 TH/s. This is quite remarkable given their much lower price.
This graph shows that it is possible to push the S19 K up to 170 TH/s by injecting 4,700 watts. That’s a 41% increase in hashrate.
This would give us an income of 16,750 euros over three years with a bitcoin price of 100,000 euros. Or even more for those who take the trouble to immerse their ASICs in a heat transfer liquid (immersion cooling).
Let’s finish by noting that Bitmain has just unveiled its latest model, the S21. Here are the important statistics for this S21 model in air cooling (cooling by ventilation):
-Hashrate: 200 TH/s (compared to 151 TH/s for the S19 XP)
-Efficiency: 17.5 J/TH (compared to 21 J/TH for the S19 XP)
-Electric power: 3,500 watts (compared to 3,250 W for the S19 XP)
Sunday miners will, however, prefer to watch for good opportunities which are sure to present themselves over the coming months.
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