Why Antminer R4 Could Be a Far Better Choice Than Many of the Other Bitcoin Miners Around?
Technology
With the implementation of the Bitmain’s BM1387 chip that utilizes the TSMC’s 16nm FinFET technology, the R4 delivers an outstanding 0.098J/GHs efficiency. Each of the Antminer R4 has 126 of the chips to produce high efficiency and hash rate of 8.5TH/s. The Antminer R4 also has a control board that uses Dual-core Arm Cortex-A9 that is based on the Application Processor Unit. The control board on the R4 utilizes the Xilinx’s ZYNQ-7000 system that speeds up the mining process as well as transmission of the mined blocks.
Profitability
With profits as the main goal of mining, every hardware is judged on the basis of its profitability. For Antminer R4, it is no different. With an investment of $1000 to purchase the unit and an additional $500 for a complimenting PSU, it would take around 500 days to get the return on investment assuming all factors remain constant.
Noise Production
Unlike the other hardware miners, the R4 was designed to reduce the amount of noise that is emitted during mining- even at its maximum hash rate. It makes use of a rotary blade system instead of the usual traditional fan which, to be honest, has not been on the positive note of most miners. It draws inspiration from the silent split air conditioner to produce less than half of the standard miner fan noise. Additionally, the fan is automatically controlled meaning it never makes noise unnecessarily. With the new and inventive fans, the R4 works at a temperature range of 10-40 degree Celsius.
R4 Consumption of Power
The R4 has a power consumption of 845 watts with a hash rate of 8.6 TH/s
Power Supply
For the Antminer R4, Bitmain recommends the APW5 Quiet 1300W@110v 2600W@205v w/ 14 Connectors that goes for $500 on Amazon.
Efficiency
Similar to the S9, the Antminer R4 has an efficiency of 0.098 J/GHs. This efficiency is achieved by the FinFET technology applied in the Bitmain’s BM1387 chips. Thus the R4 achieves the efficiency through utilizing 126 of the chips.
Setting Up
To set up the R4, the miner could log on to the Bitmain website and follow the guidelines. They would get the miner’s IP address. The control panel page allows for the addition of the password and the input of the miner’s wallet before proceeding to start mining.
Ease of Use
The R4 user interface, just like most of the Bitmain hardware interfaces, was designed with the simple user in mind. It is quite smooth and easy to use. Once set up, the miner can go on to input their wallet address and the pool settings. It is also possible to customize the fan speed to your liking with ease.
Price of the Antminer R4
On an average price, the Antminer R4 goes for around $1600. It comes cheaper compared to the S9 and the S7. The R4 boasts of having the new more silent fans that are meant to cut the mining noise (that has been a burden to bear for the mining hobbyists) in half. It is power efficient and cheaper compared to the other popular Bitmain hardware. If in the market for a standard mining hardware but without a massive budget to go by, then the R4 may be a good place to start.
Specifications
Hash Rate: 8TH/s (Batch 3) and 8.7TH/s (Batch 4). Variation of ±5% is expected Maximum Power Consumption: 845W +9% (at the wall, with Bitmain’s APW5 PSU,93% efficiency, 25°C ambient temp) Power Efficiency: 0.1 J/GHs +9% on the wall (with Bitmain’s APW5 PSU, 93% efficiency, 25°C ambient temp) Noise: 52dB (at a test distance of 1M from the air outlet and at ambient temperature of 30°C in a silent room) Frequency: Automatically set Chip quantity per unit: 126 chips (16nm BM1387 ASIC chip) Network Connection: Ethernet DC Voltage Input: 11.60 ~13.00V Operation Temperature Range: 10°C to 40°C Operation Humidity Range: 5%RH-95%RH, prevent condensation Storage Temperature Range: -40°C to 85°C Product size: 515mm (L) x 100mm (W) x 222mm (H) Package size: 610mm (L) x 215mm (W) x 340mm (H) Package weight: 9 kg Read the full article