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Topic: Power Supply and ASIC socket standard (Read 793 times)

hero member
Activity: 725
Merit: 503
January 04, 2015, 02:21:37 PM
#3
Yeah, I guess we're reaching top performance around 0.5W/GH soon too so it won't be super important.
hero member
Activity: 686
Merit: 500
FUN > ROI
January 03, 2015, 01:49:05 PM
#2
Power Supply: Because designing your own when there are perfectly capable ones already developed and being produced by the thousands and available off-the-shelf does not make business sense.

Processor socket: because physical sockets are expensive and for most current designs make thermal management a pain the butt.

If you were thinking of package and pinouts: because not every chip design lends itself well to the same package and pinout.  While some of it could be harmonized, there's really little incentive to do so.  Most new chip designs are going to require new board designs anyway, be that for power management, decoupling, thermal management, etc.  Going with some 'agreed-upon' package/pinout would be limiting the possibilities.
( Note that there have been exceptions, e.g. the BitFury Rev1/Rev2.  Rev2 was pretty much a drop-in replacement, and could be applied to existing designs, and even replace Rev1 chips for those willing to desolder the old chips.  Not that much 'waste', though I think applying to new boards + components would be more cost-effective; can't easily resell desoldered older chips, but reselling an old functional miner isn't terrible. )
hero member
Activity: 725
Merit: 503
January 03, 2015, 01:37:18 PM
#1
Why don't the bitcoin hardware manufacturers build custom power supplies and ASIC processor socket?

Wouldn't a standard here reduce waste from every line of new processors?
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