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Why would Bitmain be releasing the Antminer E9 if it has no benefit over GPU? Ethash is bounded by memory bandwidth, sure, which is why HBM-based ASICs and FPG

• latchkey 5y ago
  It isn't just hash/watt, it is $/hash. HBM is expensive. This is also why the bitmain boxes only come with 6gb. The dag will eventually grow and render them useless, just like we saw with 4gb gpus... The ethash asic's are not that much better than GPUs as they are all bound by memory controller speed. Even with faster memory, the gate is always how fast you can move through the DAG. That red circle is the issue... https://www.vijaypradeep.com/blog/2017-04-28-ethereums-memory-hardness-explained https://www.vijaypradeep.com/blog/2017-04-28-ethereums-memor... The only benefit of the bitmain boxes is that they are plug and play. You buy one box, stick it on the shelf, plug it in and that's it. GPUs are significantly more difficult to tune and run, especially at large scale. The ROI on these boxes is terrible... imaging you buy one and it burns out... zero chance for repairs on any sane timeline. Why does bitmain sell it? Easy money for a company that has a long history of ethics violations. When I was buying L3+'s directly from bitmain, they'd come clearly used.