- acquaintance
- product
- design
- Job
- payback
- results
- conclusion
Contrary to the forecasts of skeptics, the rate of the cryptocurrency “elder” Bitcoin continues to grow to the delight of those sagacious users who managed to purchase this virtual currency at more reasonable prices, and to attract new community members who also want to get their “piece of the pie.” And since the demand for crypto mining is not falling, but on the contrary, is growing, companies producing mining equipment cannot afford to relax and continue to actively offer consumers new and improved models of ASIC devices.
One of these manufacturers is the BitMain company, whose products are well known to users and for several years have consistently been among the leaders among similar devices. One of the latest developments from this company, ASIC AntMiner T9, entered the market at the beginning of 2022 and immediately attracted the attention of the community, although, by and large, this device cannot be called fundamentally new. This is rather a redesigned version of the famous AntMiner S9 model.
Let's take a closer look at AntMiner T9
So, as we have already noted, the prototype of this ASIC model was an earlier development of the same manufacturer - Antminer S9. The authors somewhat simplified the device configuration, but increased the processor speed. All these changes were made with the goal of offering the consumer a miner with fairly high performance, but at a relatively low price. At the beginning of sales, AntMiner T9 cost $1,104. Naturally, the price could not stand still when the cue ball rate increased, so after some period of time it rose to 1,250 American “rubles”. And entrepreneurs from the “heavenly Empire” have even increased the price by more than double and on AliExpress you can find the figure of $2,550 for 1 copy of ASIC, however, with a bonus in the form of free shipping.
Comparative characteristics of T9 and S9:
- Let's start with device performance. The new model has indicators of 11.5-12.5 Th/sec (depending on the revision) versus 11.5-14 Th/sec for the S9.
- Both ASIC devices use the same type of chips (VM 1387), but their number is different. AntMiner T9 has 171 of them, and its predecessor has 18 more chips (189). The chip technology is the same (16 nm).
- There is also no difference in weight and size. In both cases you will receive an 8-kilogram device with a length of 35 centimeters, a width of 13.5 centimeters and a height of 15.8. It's the same story with cooling devices - each model is equipped with two 120 mm fans with a power of 6000 and 4300 rpm.
- And finally, energy consumption. It also depends on the revision and for T9 it ranges from 1.35 kW to 1.57 kW, while S9 has slightly more attractive figures - 1.1-1.37 kW.
Stable performance
What is surprising is the stable operation of the AntMiner S5 device literally from the first steps. For example, when the outside air temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius, the temperature on the blades did not rise above 58 degrees (in earlier models it could be close to 70). It is difficult to say what caused this effect; we are simply stating a fact.
Average frequency of 1155 GHz/sec. (plus or minus 5%), which the manufacturer stated, is fully consistent with reality. The device also passed the overclocking test perfectly (at 400 megahertz and 2 days of operation, it produced 15HW, which is much less than previous models).
To check the declared consumption (590 W, including PSU), we tested using 2 different power supplies. Their certificates are the same, 80+, only one has a simple one, and the other has a claim, “platinum”. The difference between the units is impressive, but the coveted 590 W could not be obtained in both cases (however, the “cool” power supply unit produced an almost minimal difference).
What can the new product from BitMain do?
As you can see from the comparative analysis of the characteristics, there are no particularly fundamental differences between the devices. Same case, same fans, similar processors, although slightly fewer chips. But the developers, for the sake of a high level of performance, overclocked them. This entailed an increase in energy consumption of over 1.5 kW, and in this the ASIC T9, of course, noticeably loses to its predecessor (specific performance drops by 1 watt). But it wins in price. AntMiner S9 not only costs more, but it is also practically impossible to buy.
In terms of performance, the ninth model with the letter T is no different from the performance of a number of S9 revisions, but due to higher power consumption, its profitability is still lower, although it cannot be called anything at all.
Design and setup
The T9 design is standard. The main block contains boards on which chips and radiators are located. This filling is controlled by a controller, which is also included in the design and is equipped according to all the rules - there is a network port, a connector for a flash drive, and indicators (activity and errors). In addition, there is a button for resetting the settings and another, with the help of which information about the IP is sent to the computer.
As for the settings, its essence lies in detecting the IP of your miner with a special program using the IP Report button. You can also look for an IP in your router settings. After this process, when you go to the set address, you will need to enter the details of the pool in which you have previously registered. Next, start setting up coolers, which consists of setting temperature limits to prevent overheating. Now that’s it, your “breadwinner” begins to work for your benefit.
Let's start
The first inclusion of the fifth model differs from the similar process on earlier miners.
For a number of reasons, the IP required for connection is not included in the stock router. One of these reasons is the use of BBB. In a word, you will have to start by searching for the device on the network. This can be done in several ways (for example, using FoundYourMiner). So, we turn on the ASIC, wait for the initialization to finish, which is indicated by 2 lit LEDs, and launch the search program.
You will need to enter the address of your subnet and click on “start”. The system will display all available segment miners, among which you will find the access address to your device. Next, you contact your unit using the received IP (this can be done through any browser). To do this, enter the address into the address bar. Then enter your username and password to access the interface.
AntMiner T9 at work
The output of this miner (revision at 12.5 Th/sec) ranges from almost 12 to 13 terahash per second, it works smoothly, stably, without any glitches.
The problem, as with many similar devices, is the strong noise from the operating fans, which reaches 7.5 dB. It's the same as a constantly running vacuum cleaner, both in tone and volume. If you are not able to tolerate such noise in your room day and night (and who is?), then think in advance about a suitable room with good sound insulation in which you will create your farm. If there is no alternative to your own apartment, then you can use a glazed balcony or some kind of storage room, although there is a risk of the device overheating.
Sometimes miners connect sleeves to fans and thus remove heat, but this has its own dangers. Of course, the air must be supplied cool. But not only. It must also be dry, because with humid air, the walls of the air duct can become covered with condensation, and it is possible that this moisture will get on the boards, and this, you know, is very undesirable.
Interface
I don’t think it’s worth dwelling on it for a detailed description, since it is not much different from previous versions of BITMAIN products. Essentially, everything unnecessary was removed there and only the necessary functions were left. Unlike other manufacturers, it is intuitive even at first glance. Here are screenshots of the main menu items you will ever need to use:
The first thing you need to do is go to the Miner Configuration/General Settings tab, delete the contents of all lines on the page and click the button in the lower right corner - Save&Apply. If you are already familiar with BITMAIN products, you can not delete, but immediately replace the data with your pools/logins/passwords. If you are a beginner, then the ASIC will consume energy, and all income during this period of time, while you are figuring out the settings, will go to the manufacturer. With all due respect to this company, this is not entirely fair.
Your second task is to give settings (if you need them). You can change the IP address in the Network section by changing DHCP to Static
Everything there is reduced to a minimum. If you don’t understand what exactly needs to be entered there, then it’s best for you not to meddle in this section.
Will it pay off or won't it pay off?
One of the most difficult questions, since there can be no accurate forecasts here. If we can still guess how the difficulty of production will change, then with exchange rate changes everything is much more complicated. It is simply impossible to predict them.
We will provide here an approximate calculation of profitability, provided that the cue ball at the time of calculation costs a little more than $4,000 and a revision of the T9 ASIC is used with a power of 12.5 Th/sec, consuming 1570 W (electricity tariff is approximately 9 cents per 1 kW).
The result was the following: the profit for a day of work will be about 0.0034 Bitcoin, for a month about one tenth of BTC, and for a full year 1.24 Bitcoin. Now we subtract $1,237 for the electricity consumed and get a net income of $3,932 per year and $323 per month.
We must not forget the fact that as computing power increases, the complexity of mining also increases. As a rule, in percentage terms, the complexity grows monthly from 2 to 5%, that is, each subsequent month will be 2-5% less profitable than the previous one. If we take into account the cost of the power supply required for operation and delivery costs, then the ASIC will cost the user about one and a half thousand dollars. We divide this amount by the monthly profit and get about four and a half months to return on investment. But we must not forget about the adjustment for the increase in complexity, after which the payback period will increase to approximately six months.
6 months is, without a doubt, a very good indicator, but there is one “but”. This calculation is based on the high and growing even higher rate of the crypt. But life is full of surprises and a rollback of quotes is possible (there have already been precedents), then there is nothing to count on a six-month payback period. So when purchasing this device, be guided by the fact that you will be able to return your costs in about a year.
Let's sum it up
On the one hand, the AntMiner T9 model being considered today looks like a worthy continuation of the line of ASICs from BitMain; it cannot be denied competitiveness; it combines fairly high performance and energy efficiency. The model is compact and has a good cooling system.
T9 is easy to use, even a beginner who does not have any special knowledge can easily set it up. The miner uses VM 1387 chips (which very few ASICs can boast of), there are 171 of these chips in the device, the performance is 12.5 Th/sec (deviations of 5% in one direction or another are possible).
The developers of this device listened to the wishes of users and made the T9 compatible with power supplies that were used in earlier BitMain products.
But, as you know, everything in this world is known by comparison. And if we compare it with AntMiner S9, then the subject of our current conversation still loses. And, first of all, in energy consumption. For example, with a performance of 11.5 Th/sec it consumes 1450 watts, and the S9 with almost the same power (11 Th/sec) consumes only 1078 watts, and there are S9 revisions where the performance reaches 14 Th/sec, and consumption is 1372 watts. If, along with the above, we take into account the same cooling systems and identical noise characteristics, then the AntMiner T9 somewhat loses its attractiveness and the S9 looks preferable. But the thing is that it is unlikely that you will be able to buy this model, so you have to use an alternative option.
