With Bitcoin mining getting more and more power consuming by each passing day, the demand is also increasing for mining equipment that deems adequate enough to fulfil the needs put forth by the network.
And when it comes to powerful mining equipment, Bitmain’s name seems to be most prevalent of all.
The Chinese mining giant that is now known all over the world for its powerhouse mining solutions does not only boast of mining pools of its own but is also considered the industry leader for ASIC mining equipment that is created for various popular blockchain networks included but not limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum.
With its customers spread through all over the world and usual mining units seeing their costs starting from $500, Bitmain has become synonymous with high profits and success of the level that can only be dreamt off by other companies.
For Bitmain, this level of accomplishment came from backing up its claims about its mining equipment by providing machines that actually stayed true to expectations and delivered on what the customers bought them for: to get as much mining juice out of them as possible while also staying away from performance issues.
One such piece of equipment from the company is the Antminer S9, an SHA-256 Bitcoin miner that is supposed to address the increased performance requirements by the Bitcoin network while also giving its users a great return-on-investment (ROI).
Keeping these claims in mind, it is natural for anyone to be curious about the Antminer S9 and ask questions about its performance, efficiency, and cost-to-quality ratio.
In order to address the aforementioned questions along with a slew of other inquiries, we have compiled a detailed review of the Antminer S9 so you would know whether investing into the machinery would deem to be a favorable option for you.
So without further ado, let’s go ahead and delve into the details of the mining equipment.
Antminer S9 Review – Does It Do What it is Supposed to Do?
With a reported hash rate of 13.5 TH/s, the Antminer S9 is one of the most powerful Bitcoin miners to hit the market in recent times, with each unit sporting 189 ASIC chips.
The miner runs on a power requirement of 1300W, which is enough to throw off anyone with high energy costs if they are to use multiple of these in their mining rig.
However, what serves as the saving grace for Antminer S9 is the fact that it comes with a 93% efficiency if you use with APW3, which ensures that the majority of the power it is consuming is going towards optimal efficiency to get as many Bitcoin mined out of one’s efforts as possible.
What is the Energy Consumption of Antminer S9?
Depending on where you reside, the 1300W energy consumption by the Antminer S9 also translates to roughly $0.22 per GH/s in electricity costs – and that constitutes to over $115/month in electricity bills. If you add up to a conventional mining rig which could consist of about 5 Antminer S9 in one machine, then those electricity bills would go to be a little over $575/month.
The Antminer S9 also comes with two 12038 fans, which help keep its temperature stable which is supposed to be maintained below 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooling fans are a standard in most high-end mining equipment, but it is still a relief to see them being built into the Antminer so that it doesn’t get left behind in this important aspect.
What are the Dimensions of Antminer S9?
It works at a default frequency of 550 M +, and also sports the dimensions of 350mm (L) x 135mm (W) x 158mm (H), which makes it no larger than your average miner. This is actually a feat since Antminer even on a bad day would be able to outperform most of the “average” miners on their best performance days.
It also does pretty nicely in the weight department, as it only weighs a little more than 8 pounds (8.1 pounds to be accurate).
What About the Power Supply?
The power supply would be an additional charge since getting an efficient PSU would cost you anywhere from $150-$200. If you already have an older power supply hanging around, then you would be in luck, but even there you would have to be very specific with your leftover PSU as only a number of those work efficiently with the Antminer S9. Our recommendation would be the Antminer APW-12 16000 Watt PSU.
The Antminer S9 also deems to be a self-contained system which means that it is ready to be a plug and play device with minimal installation efforts required by the system owner. All that you need are a connecting PSU with relevant connection cables and you would be set to use the Antminer S9 with your mining rig in a few minutes’ time.
Antminer S9 Review: How Profitable is Antminer S9?
To calculate the profitability of Antminer S9 against the current Bitcoin value of $6,608, we assessed the electricity consumption at the average rate of $0.12 KW/hour. Depending upon where you live, the price can either be lower or higher.
As shown in the picture below, Antminer S9 does not get to be profitable through the first year as a single unit.
While its revenue generation for a single miner remains minimal at around $700/year, it still remains among one of the top performers in Bitcoin mining, which in itself is not an easy mining operation to run at all.
But even then, the Antminer S9 does not get to be a viable investment for the Bitcoin miner as a single unit as determined by its limited rate of return. However, it would be advisable to install multiple of these units in a single rig to get the most bang for your buck.
With that being said, now that it is at the reduced price of around $800-$1000 due to its depreciation since last year, the Antminer S9 remains a good purchase even a year after its release and in the number of multiple units, certainly makes for an essential part of an economical mining rig.