It is safe to assume that BFL is a scam at this point.
Avalon has "Jeff" and some "foundation" claiming they received working ASIICs.
However we do not see a flood of random users that we would see from all the other "normal" people that ordered from Avalon.
Instead we see 1 day old youtube accounts (from the aboved referenced "foundation") that have only 1 video on their youtube account. One very low quality, short, uninformative, blurry video... from a group posing as a large professional "foundation".
You may guess where my point is going...
Has anyone "normal" verified ASIICS are even real yet? Or just a scam?
I am still playing with GPUs!
Topic: Where to order ASIICS? - page 3. (Read 7787 times)
So, are there no BFL products in the wild yet?
They have produced and delivered some FPGA units, people seemed quite happy with them. So yeah they have produced products.
But BFL ASICs, I dont think any in the wild.
Two problems with that thinking, though I thought along the same lines at one time. First, Thomas Van Riper also produced FPGAs and in fact is still selling them(BTCFPGA), yet he failed miserably at producing an ASIC product. Secondly and more ominously, BFL had a stash of FPGA chips that they turned into FPGA products and when those ran out they stopped selling FPGAs. While this isn't in itself an indictment, the fact that they sanded the markings off the chips and didn't seek a new supply/continue selling is disturbing. To compound concerns they trashed the FPGA market when they ran out of chips to sell by announcing an ASIC product on a timeline they couldn't hope to meet.
Sanding chips is not too bad, an attempt to prevent their HDL being copied.
Having a full custom ASIC produced is a very big deal compared to FPGA which can be done by hobbyists. Once they decided to take that path they had to dump all resources into it.
Time will tell if they deliver or obscond to some tropical paradise.
So, are there no BFL products in the wild yet?
They have produced and delivered some FPGA units, people seemed quite happy with them. So yeah they have produced products.
But BFL ASICs, I dont think any in the wild.
Two problems with that thinking, though I thought along the same lines at one time. First, Thomas Van Riper also produced FPGAs and in fact is still selling them(BTCFPGA), yet he failed miserably at producing an ASIC product. Secondly and more ominously, BFL had a stash of FPGA chips that they turned into FPGA products and when those ran out they stopped selling FPGAs. While this isn't in itself an indictment, the fact that they sanded the markings off the chips and didn't seek a new supply/continue selling is disturbing. To compound concerns they trashed the FPGA market when they ran out of chips to sell by announcing an ASIC product on a timeline they couldn't hope to meet.
So, are there no BFL products in the wild yet?
They have produced and delivered some FPGA units, people seemed quite happy with them. So yeah they have produced products.
But BFL ASICs, I dont think any in the wild.
My thoughts exactly!
I remember back in the day when BFL announced their ASIC products they would be ready, ummmm, last year in November or something. Now, here it is March already in 2013. I need to know how bad can a company predict when something will be available? I can give a guess, but when you are off by several months you really have to think they don't know what they are doing at all. I want to know, WHY IS BFL STILL TAKING ORDERS FOR A PRODUCT THAT DOESN'T EXSIST. Isn't there a legal aspect about this? Is this a fraudulent act, to advertise something that isn't available or can't even be proven to be available? Man, those few people with those Avalons must be cashing in big time. How lucky they are. Last year I never even heard of Avalon.
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placing an order with BFL will not result in a product anytime soon...if ever.
So, are there no BFL products in the wild yet?
From their website they looked pretty legit. Granted, I am lord of the noobs when it comes to BitMining and have 0 idea about any of this just yet.
Zero. Yeah their website is lovely.
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placing an order with BFL will not result in a product anytime soon...if ever.
So, are there no BFL products in the wild yet?
From their website they looked pretty legit. Granted, I am lord of the noobs when it comes to BitMining and have 0 idea about any of this just yet.
The BFL casing looks better and the power requirements seem to be a lot lower
It's going to be a very long time before power costs become an issue. GPUs are still quite profitable. What matters now is initial cost and time to delivery.
Thanks for the advice. "Hurry up and wait" may not be the most exciting course of action, but it's probably the most prudent.
I suggest you wait for more information and then choose a vendor when there's a choice to be made.
This is about the best advice which can be given to potential ASIC buyers right now.
Keep in mind that Avalon tends to announce the opening of orders for their next batch at fairly short notice, so you need to check for updates regularly if you even want the option to place a Batch 3 order.
It's simple at the moment as you cannot order from Avalon until batch 3 opens anyway and placing an order with BFL will not result in a product anytime soon...if ever.
I suggest you wait for more information and then choose a vendor when there's a choice to be made.
I suggest you wait for more information and then choose a vendor when there's a choice to be made.
Just went to order an Avalon and they are OUT OF STOCK. Will there be a batch #3, and do you thin it would even be worth it at that time?
I'm in a similar boat. The BFL casing looks better and the power requirements seem to be a lot lower - but they don't seem to exist and I'm getting nervous about them ever existing. On the other hand the Avalons appear to have next-to-no documentation at present. I cant really get a finger on how they're set up or configured from their website. I'm sure I could spend some time researching it, but the lack of first-party info is a bit off putting.
In other words, I'm torn between vaporware and a bundle of questions. Someone present a compelling argument for either side please.
Just went to order an Avalon and they are OUT OF STOCK. Will there be a batch #3, and do you thin it would even be worth it at that time?
I was one of those who ordered from basic...
What do I do now? Who to order from?
What do I do now? Who to order from?
You have two choices.
- Avalon delivered shit and will probably do so again
- BFL might deliver shit, but anything they deliver will have lower operating costs
Yep huge and make all of this NOISE !!!
CaCHIN$...CaCHIN$ ...every hour your are disturbed by money going into your account ~$14 per hour ...more than my job @ McDOnalds ...lol
You are seriously getting $14/hour return on your Avalon?
I bought an avalon (the car) and I pay $14/hr to drive it. Switchies for your avalon?
I was one of those who ordered from basic...
What do I do now? Who to order from?
What do I do now? Who to order from?
You have two choices.
- Avalon delivered shit and will probably do so again
- BFL might deliver shit, but anything they deliver will have lower operating costs
Yep huge and make all of this NOISE !!!
CaCHIN$...CaCHIN$ ...every hour your are disturbed by money going into your account ~$14 per hour ...more than my job @ McDOnalds ...lol
You are seriously getting $14/hour return on your Avalon?
I pre-ordered a jalapeno, hopefully I'll be cha-chinging soon too.
Do da cha cha. 
I pre-ordered a jalapeno, hopefully I'll be cha-chinging soon too.
At least with AVALON the shit actually exists. 
I will concede to your point. 2 > 0. 
At least with AVALON the shit actually exists.
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