Bitmain has just announced and released it's newest Bitcoin miner, the new Antminer R4. What is so unique about this miner? It's Bitmain's attempt to return to supporting home miners bringing both efficiency and noise level into consideration. It's a good start, although I don't think they are quite there yet.
Let's start with the Specs:
Hash Rate 8.6TH/s (Variation of ±5% is expected)
Power Consumption 845W +9% at the wall (with Bitmain’s APW5 PSU, 93% efficiency, 25°C ambient temp)
Power Efficiency 0.1 J/GH +9% at the wall (with Bitmain’s APW5 PSU, 93% efficiency, 25°C ambient temp)
Noise level 52dB (at an ambient temperature of 35°C)
Chip quantity per unit 126 x BM1387
Rated Voltage 11.60 ~13.00V
Product size 515mm (L) x 100mm (W) x 222mm (H)
Package size 610mm (L) x 215mm (W) x 340mm (H)
Operating Temperature 0°C to 40°C
Network Connection Ethernet
Default Frequency 600MHz
At it's core is 126 BM1387 ASIC Chips, currently the most efficient chip available for consumers.
The design itself has been modified from traditional antminers in order to support a new fan design which is similar to that of a split type air condition unit. This design allows the miner to run at roughly 50dB, making it quieter then a stock Antminer S3+
The miner also has a new control board that was custom built to improve overall efficiency
And although you can still use standard power supplies to power this miner, it is recommended to use the new power supply that Bitmain has most likely specially designed and built for the R4. The miner itself is a 2600 Watt power supply that is also quiet.
The current hashrate for the Antminer R4 is around 8.6TH/s pegging ROI at roughly 1 year if you were to buy the miner and power supply. This does not however factor in electricity costs, which at the current value of Bitcoin will mean no profit at all for most people, unless you have dirt cheap or free electricity.
I personally placed an order for 1 unit because Im a bitcoin technology hobbyist and intrigued by the new design. At the time of writing, one unit costs $1395 USD (2.441 BTC) for the miner and $240 USD (0.42 BTC) for the APW5 Power supply. In typical Bitmain fashion, I assume this price will continue to drop as the months go by.
When I receive the unit I plan on writing a full review with actual performance and earnings details, so please 
if you are interested to learn more about this new miner when I review it.
What do you think? Worth buying? Let me know your thoughts
1395USD for that? It will not return your money, especially if you include deliver, tax and a power supply.
I assume you have solar power or wind power to run this, that is the only way to make this pay. They have priced this way too high. I was waiting for 700USD to come up but when I saw 1300USD....whaaaaaat (in the voice of mo).
Currently my S7-LN is slowly losing its fight against difficulty v's electricity. Looks like the S9 is the only one that can earn but that is a high price too.
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Buying retail Bitcoin mining hardware has almost always been a very odd and complex way of taking a long position on bitcoin price. It's a lot easier just to buy some, definitely.
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Yes - unless you own the manufacturer then you can mine it on other people's money - or "test" it like Butterfly Labs used to call it:)
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Agree with pfunk. Investing in hardware is for those who either enjoy the hobby or are expecting the value of Bitcoin to rise in the future. That's not to say that Bitmain isn't drastically overpricing this hardware. It could stand to come down a few hundred dollars. Im purchasing the equipment just to test out the technology and see what the new design is like. I assume when the Avalon 7 is released, Bitmain will need to re-evaluate the price to compete.
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Interesting. I used to have a stack of antminers back in the day but the combination of falling BTC prices, increasing hashrate, and the unbearable heat and noise made me get rid of them. The noise is probably the worst part - they were never quiet.
50db is still pretty loud though. My gaming PC only makes about 35db at full pelt. I suspect they will need to get it down to about that level to attract back most home miners.
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Lol I have 4 still up in the loft unplugged of course plus about 10 of those small round miners electricity is just to much to run these unless the Kid with the magnetic power maker can help out or cover the house in solar panels.
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50dB is manageable. I think my 6 S3+ were around 55dB each and I placed them in my office at work. 35dB would be nicer though, along with a more reasonable price. We'll see what the Avalon 7 has to offer when it comes out
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I think I've been spoiled by how quiet the average gaming PC has become now. 10 years ago it would have been more tolerable.
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How much money do you make a day?
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