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There are different approaches to mining. Among all available options, the choice of professionals who want to earn as much as possible from mining cryptocurrencies, was the work on special devices – asics. We tell you what models of equipment you should pay attention to.
What are asics for mining
Mining asics are devices specifically designed for mining cryptocurrencies. Such equipment is also called miners or ashik miners.
Often, asics are the choice of professionals who do not want to compromise and lose computing power due to working with less technically advanced installations for mining cryptocurrency. Let’s analyze the pros and cons of such devices:
Pros of asics:
- The highest mining efficiency available on the market.
- An ashik miner can replace large alternative mining installations. For example, one device is enough to reach the power level of an average video card farm.
- The payback of some asics is higher than alternative mining equipment.
- Simple setup compared to video card farms and other devices. You can quickly connect to the network and start mining.
Minuses of asics:
- High, in comparison with other mining equipment, cost.
- Many miners have to participate in the hardware race. Manufacturers regularly release new, more powerful devices that outperform previous models in technical specifications. In order to maintain high mining efficiency, regular hardware upgrades may be required.
- It is not so easy to buy asics for mining. Many models are not available in Russia. In some cases they have to be ordered from abroad, which increases the cost of organizing mining. Therefore, many have to choose which ashik to buy from a small list of available models.
Top-7 asics: choosing the best miner
There are many models of miners on the market. We offer a closer look at the most popular and effective asics for mining.
1.) Antminer S19 Pro
- Power consumption: 3.25 kW
- Hash rate: 110 TH/s
- Price: $10,000 – $19,600
Bitmain’s Antminer S19 Pro mining ashik is one of the main competitors of M30S++. The energy efficiency of the machine is 29.5 J/TH. The miner is based on TSMC chips.
The device is characterized by high performance indicators. Users also praise Antminer S19 Pro for its ease of use. Thanks to firmware updates, in which the developers eliminate the identified shortcomings, the miner has become one of the most popular on the market.
Unfortunately, Bitmain often has delivery problems. It is almost impossible to order equipment from the official site. An alternative for miners who want to get Antminer S19 Pro and other asics was offered by the cryptocurrency-oriented investment company ECOS.
The website of the platform has a store of asics. There you can find miners from popular manufacturers: from Bitmain and Innosilicon, to Antminer and WhatsMiner. The range of hash rates in the ECOS store varies from 39 TH/s to 112 TH/s.
The ECOS team also offers:
- Hosting services for miners.
- Warranty of 6 months for the equipment.
- Round-the-clock support service.
- Services for setting up and connecting asics to mining pools.
The ECOS team offers to control the devices via a convenient mobile application. It can also be used to keep track of expenses.
In addition, the cloud mining service is available to ECOS users. Working in this format means renting computing power from the company for mining cryptocurrencies. Such scheme of work is suitable for users who are not ready to purchase their own expensive equipment. The tariffs for cloud mining with ECOS start from $50.
2.) AvalonMiner 1246
- Power consumption: 3.43 kW
- Hash rate: 90TH/s
- Price: $4,000 – $5,300
Asik mining is produced by the well-established Chinese company Canaan, which released its first device for mining digital assets in 2013.
The AvalonMiner 1246 mining asics are some of the most powerful on the market. They have four fans built into their housing. They are necessary for cooling the device.
Unfortunately, when all four fans are turned on, the noise level coming from the ashik increases to an uncomfortable 75dB. Therefore, AvalonMiner 1246 buyers should think about arranging a separate room for the device installation.
At the same time, the miner has a good energy efficiency rating (38J/TH). Other advantages of the AvalonMiner 1246 include a one-year warranty from the manufacturer.
3.) AvalonMiner A1166 Pro
- Power consumption: 3.4 kW
- Hash rate: 81TH/s
- Price: $2,200 – $2,850
Another ashik miner produced by Canaan. This mining machine is a budget version of the AvalonMiner 1246. The energy efficiency of the device is 42J/TH. Because of the significant difference in price between the devices in favor of A1166 Pro, the ashik is hard to find on the market.
Among the disadvantages of the miner are only 180 days warranty from the manufacturer and difficulties that may arise with delivery. Due to the popularity of A1166 Pro, depending on the remoteness of the buyer, the manufacturer can set special order conditions. For example, in some cases the devices are delivered from 5 pieces.
As in the case of the AvalonMiner 1246, the volume of the machine can go up to an uncomfortable 75dB. It is important to clarify that almost all the best high power asics will be quite noisy.
4.) WhatsMiner M32-62T
- Power consumption: 3.348 kW
- Hash rate: 62 TH/s
- Price: $1,075 – $1,400
MicroBT’s WhatsMiner M32-62T is one of the most budget-friendly models on the market. The machine works on the basis of 8 Samsung microchips.
The power consumption of the device is comparable to the AvalonMiner 1246. At the same time WhatsMiner M32-62T is about 30% less efficient. The low cost of the device may compensate for some of its disadvantages.
The manufacturer gives 180 days warranty on the equipment. WhatsMiner M32-62T is delivered complete with power supply.
Important: The M32 is available in three versions, the most expensive of which produces 66 TH/s.
5.) WhatsMiner M30S++
- Power consumption: 3.472 kW
- Hash rate: 112 TH/s
- Price: $9,900 – $14,000
WhatsMiner M30S++ is another device manufactured by MicroBT. The model is considered one of the most powerful on the market. It works on the basis of Samsung chips. The device has a good energy efficiency (31 J/TH).
High cost is one of the main disadvantages of WhatsMiner M30S++. Because of its high cost, the device has a long payback period. It may take about a year to reach a net income.
6.) Ebang EBIT E11++
- Power consumption: 2 kW
- Hash rate: 44 TH/s
- Price: $2,024
The EBIT E11++ asic miner from one of the top miner manufacturers – Ebang – has a simple setup scheme that allows you to start mining cryptocurrency via Ethernet.
Ebang EBIT E11++ mining ashik is covered by up to one year warranty (one year for the controller, six months for the whole machine). Due to low hashing rates, the model was on one of the last places in the rating.
7.) Bitmain Antminer S5
- Power consumption: 0.56 kW
- Hash rate: 62 TH/s
- Price: ~$500
Bitmain Antminer S5 is one of the oldest asics in the rating. It was launched in 2014. Despite not the top technical characteristics, due to good energy efficiency (0.51 J/GH), the model is still in demand. This, among other things, is indicated by the popularity of the network query “Antminer S5 ROI”.
Due to its low weight (about 2.5 kg) and low noise level (about 65 dB) Bitmain Antminer S5 is suitable for miners who plan to keep the device in an apartment. The model is quite common. Buyers should not have problems with finding an asicle.
Antminer S5 payback, compactness and prevalence make the model quite in demand in the market.
What kind of ashik to buy
Selecting an ashik miner is based on a number of parameters. To simplify the selection process, you need to answer a few questions:
- What is your budget? Based on the answer, you can narrow down the range to decide what kind of ashik to buy. That said, it’s not always the best miner that’s available.
- Where will the equipment be installed? If the work of compact Bitmain Antminer S5 will not be perceptible in a living room, then under the noise, for example, AvalonMiner 1246 is unlikely to be able to sleep.
- What expectations do you have for the device? At this stage, it is worth comparing the technical characteristics of the machines to find the best miner. This way you can understand what kind of ashik to buy for the first time.
It is also important to calculate in advance the payback period and energy costs. In some cases, it is not superfluous to install additional cooling equipment (this may be relevant for hot regions).
