Topic: BitForce SHA256 Single (Read 11511 times)

Hardware Bump

Really ? FPGA subforum. Can some moderator please move this there and also make a note to others to post in FPGA section because BFL is not using Radeon 6990 inside !

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=76.0

I made up my mind, and found it to be worth it and ordered a single the 1st of May. But I am not sure for the future, and are thinking of another GPU because of the resale value and the value as gaming equipment - which makes up for a lot of power use (especially since I run on "free" motherboards and PSUs). I am a bit torn in both directions, but I think my next bitcoin "investment" will be a GPU as I live in Norway with cheap power and good access to hardware. FPGA have high shipping, and customs duties are at least 25%.

If you pay much for power and would have to buy motherboards, ram, cpus, power supplies and have cooling problems, I think FPGA is safe to buy for at least the next half year.

He already posted here, that's the beauty of bitcoin discussions, once they're posted, they stay, even if the OP made a mistake, too bad, no chargebacks. The best we can offer is to answer his comments for 10 pages instead of 1.


OP: The BFL is the absolute best bang for you buck in the FPGA realm ATM. It's awesome. I'm running 1, and have more that were (supposed) to be delivered today, however the BFL timetable will add another 4 weeks at least.

The main reason you'll want to consider a BFL is power, heat, space, all minimal compared to GPU farms.

As far as ROI is concerned: $630 BFL Single: 830MH, current rate = ~16BT/month.
$475 7970 GPU Now @ 650MH = ~13BTC / mo x 3 months x $5 = $195

So by delivery, you're now at $280 cost @ 650MH/s vs. $630 cost @ 830MH/s, a $350 premium which will take ~4 months hashing the BFL to make it even towards the GPU (assuming diffculty and prices remain the same). Power savings isn't a whole lot to write home about in 4 months.

In my case, space, power and heat are not a factor, thus GPU is the clear choice for me, however, I'm nearing max capacity and plan on using my remaining AMPS to power FPGAs. Hence the BFL on order, but in the mean time, I've had my 7970's hashing away for 6 weeks waiting for the BFL to arrive.

GPU resale value is pretty good, FPGA resale value is better right now (I'd image you could sell the BFL single for a premium to those wanting it immediately) however beyond bitcoins, the value may be naught. But keep in mind, that would mean your confidence in bitcoin is low, if BTC stay firm, there will definitely be a resale value for quite a while. Also keep in mind that while 4 months of Power isn't huge, 24 or 36 months of Power really starts to add up.

Is this really inappropriate for this board? It says Hardware, not GPUs. This isn't necessarily an FPGA-centric discussion and I'm curious to hear people's opinions to OP's question.

Can we please get this moved to FPGA section ?

Thank you !

It's the best way to go right now.  GPU's are on their way out.  Current difficulty is just that...current. It changes too often.  It's up to you to determine if it's worth the risk.

Hello! I was wondering if this is currently worth it to purchase at the current difficulty (http://www.butterflylabs.com/pre-order-form/). At my current estimates, not including electricity costs, it would take about 233 days to gain back the initial investment.

I'm rather unfamiliar with mining, and I don't possess the technical knowledge to put together a rig, so something like this is ideal for me. I'm just curious