A review of the new Antminer V9 What to expect from the new Antminer V9? A review of profitability and reliability By tecnobits-I
In February Bitmain launched an advance order campaign for its new miner: the Antminer V9. It is a small SHA256 miner that must produce 4TH / s with an energy consumption of 1000W.
The miner can be purchased from $ 409 USD.
The power supply is not included in the package and should get 1500W + one. I suppose the Bitmain APW3 ++ could be the best option, since it only costs $ 168 USD for 1200W-110v-120v / 1600W-220v-240v power.
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Specifications of Bitmain Antminer V9
Product model: V9
Hash chip type: BM1580
Total quantity of hash chips: 135 PCS
Total quantity of hash boards: 3 PCS
Total hash rate: 4TH ± 5%
DC voltage input: 11.60 ~ 13.00 V
DC current input @ 12V DC: 79.59 A + 10%
DC Power @ 12V DC input: 955 W + 10%
220VAC Power @ 25 ℃, 93% conversion efficiency of APW3: 1027 W + 10%
220VAC Power efficiency @ 25 ℃, 93% conversion efficiency of APW3: 253mJ / MH + 10%
Weight (without package): 3.05 kg
Operation temperature: 0-40 ℃
Storage temperature: -40-85 ℃
Operation humidity: 5% RH-95% RH, prevent condensation
Noise: 76 dB
Network connection mode: Ethernet Cable
Size (Length * Width * Height, without package): 301mm * 123mm * 155mm
In general, it is not a very exciting announcement to be a new Bitmain ASIC miner , since the efficiency in terms of the "new" hardware is disappointing because of the performance it offers in the use of nominal power. Therefore, it seems to be aimed at users looking for cheap hardware that has a really cheap or even "free" power, otherwise, it does not seem economically reasonable to buy this miner at this time.
How profitable is the Antminer V9?
You probably know that Bitcoin ASICs are more like lottery tickets instead of passive entry machines. Let's see some estimates (maybe somewhat exorbitant) based on the average price of Bitcoin last month and estimating that it will continue like this for the next 6 months.
Since the V9 is very hungry for energy, profitability also depends on how much electricity costs in your area. Here are some numbers:
If you have free electricity, you recover the investment in 6 months
If you pay less than 8 cents per kilowatt, you will have a return on investment of less than one year
Now, people who pay more than $ 0.08 / kW probably should not even consider buying, especially since it is not clear if the price of Bitcoin will rise again.
Will the units be new?
Some users claim that V9 units have been undermining for some time and now the company is getting rid of them. Bitmain is known to sell reconditioned ASICs as new at times, so we do not rule out this possibility for the time being.
Some sources suggest that Bitmain might be considering moving its mining factories away from China, so they may want to sell their previous equipment before moving to another country. This is because the Chinese government is turning against cryptocurrencies. That said, other sources claim that the Central Bank of China is not really against Bitcoin.
Some people also speculate that the "new" V9 is nothing more than an underutilized Antminer S7. There are two reasons for that, one of which is that some people supposedly have managed to unlock their Antminer S7 and make them work as V9 (~ 4TH / s with an energy consumption of ~ 1kW).
The other detail is that the BM1580 chip model in V9 could be the same BM1385 that is installed in the S7. This is due to the same number of chips in the board and the similarity of the power / power consumption ratios, which means that the BM1580 and BM1385 chips work the same, consume the same power and could be the same (test logic) of duck).
Nor let us forget the photo of the V9 label that explains itself.
While none of the above mentioned means that V9s are, in fact, S7 reconditioned, some of you may find this information useful.
If you know something else, give yourself the opportunity to share your findings here.
In conclusion
Maybe the V9 is not for everyone. People who have cheap or free electricity, as well as modest ambitions regarding profitability, can find this mining interesting.
Otherwise, you may want to wait for the next generation of miners to be launched later this 2018. For example, Samsung is planning to launch ASNs of 8nm and 11nm this year, so some important changes may occur.