Bitaxe, NerdQaxe or Avalon Nano: which solo miner for home
Bitaxe, NerdQaxe and Avalon Nano are small bitcoin miners for a solo “lottery” on a whole block and for learning, not for making money. At home, none of them earns even enough to cover its own electricity. We calculate with an electricity price of 4.5 Kč/kWh (indicative, typically the twenty-hour D57d tariff; on the common D02d tariff around 6.4 Kč/kWh, see How much electricity for mining costs). For the lowest price, choose the Bitaxe Gamma 601 (1.2 TH/s, 35 dB). The cheapest 1 TH/s among small machines comes with the NerdOCTaxe, and the quietest ready-made device is the Avalon Nano 3S (33 dB in quiet mode).
We sell every machine in this comparison. The specifications come from the product details on our website (according to manufacturers and suppliers); prices and earnings are as of 4 November 2026.
Summary
- Earnings in a regular pool are 0.72–9.93 Kč per day for small machines, and about 27 Kč for the 800 W Avalon Mini 3. Electricity at home costs more for all of them.
- As of 4 November 2026, the average time to find a block when solo mining works out at 16,827 years for 1.2 TH/s and 1,683 years for 12 TH/s. It is a probability, not a place in a queue.
- Small miners still find blocks now and then. Block 957,382 from 10 July 2026 was, according to Public Pool, found by a miner of around 1 TH/s, reportedly a Bitaxe.
- The cheapest 1 TH/s among small machines comes with the NerdOCTaxe Hydro and NerdOCTaxe Gamma (862 and 883 Kč). The Avalon Nano 3S is more expensive and less efficient, but ready-made and the quietest.
- The most common problems: a weak power supply, overheating and Wi-Fi limited to 2.4 GHz.
What are small solo miners for?
A small solo miner today has 1–14 TH/s, while the entire bitcoin network has roughly 1,060,000,000 TH/s (converted from the difficulty as of 4 November 2026). The Bitaxe Gamma 601 thus makes up about a billionth of the network’s hashrate.
They make sense for two uses:
- Solo lottery. The miner tries to find a whole block. If it succeeds, you receive the entire reward – currently roughly 3.14 BTC including fees, which at a rate of 1 688 906 Kč is about 5.3 million Kč.
- Learning. For a few thousand koruna you can try out a pool, a bitcoin address, frequency and temperature tuning before you buy a large ASIC miner.
Do not expect a regular income from them. If you want a machine that really earns, compare the profitability of ASIC miners in a data centre.
Which small SHA-256 miners do we offer?
We offer 13 small machines for the SHA-256 algorithm (Bitcoin). The table shows the main variant of each model; noise and power draw are manufacturer or supplier figures, and we calculated J/TH ourselves.
| Model | Hashrate (TH/s) | Power draw (W) | Efficiency (J/TH) | Noise (dB) | Power supply | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 | 1.2 | 17 | 14.2 | 35 | 5 V DC adapter | air |
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 Max | 1.9 | 30 | 15.8 | 40 | 5 V DC adapter | air |
| Bitaxe GT 801 | 2.4 | 40 | 16.7 | 40 | 12 V DC adapter | air |
| Bitaxe Supra Hex 702 | 4.2 | 90 | 21.4 | 45 | 12 V DC adapter | air |
| NerdQaxe++ | 6 (or 4.8) | 100 (76) | 16.7 (15.8) | 40 | 12 V DC adapter | air |
| NerdQaxe++ Hydro | 7 | 100 | 14.3 | 35 | 12 V DC adapter | water block |
| NerdQX | 8 | 140 | 17.5 | 45 | 12 V DC adapter | air |
| NerdOCTaxe Gamma | 12 (or 9.6) | 200 | 16.7 | 45 | 12 V DC adapter | air |
| NerdOCTaxe Hydro | 13.8 (12 / 11) | 230 | 16.7 | 35 | 12 V DC adapter | water block |
| Canaan Avalon Nano 3S | 6 | 140 | 23.3 | 33–40 (depending on mode) | 100–240 V adapter | air |
| Canaan Avalon Mini 3 | 37.5 | 800 | 21.3 | 55 (at full power) | not specified | air |
| Lucky Miner LV07 | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 40 | 12 V DC adapter | air |
| Lucky Miner LV08 / LV08 Pro | 7 (or 4.5) | 150 | 21.4 | 40 | 100–240 V adapter (12 V) | air |
A lower J/TH figure means less electricity for the same hashrate. The most efficient are machines with the BM1370 chip (Bitaxe Gamma, NerdQaxe++, NerdOCTaxe); the least efficient are the Avalon Nano 3S and Lucky Miner LV07.
How much do they cost and how much do they earn in a pool?
In a regular pool, 1 TH/s currently earns 0,72 Kč per day (recalculated 4. 11. 8:59). We put home electricity at an indicative 4.5 Kč/kWh including distribution; your price may differ.
| Model (variant) | Price incl. VAT (Kč) | Price per 1 TH/s (Kč) | Pool earnings (Kč/day) | Electricity at home (Kč/day) | Difference (Kč/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 (1.2 TH/s) | 2,999 | 2,499 | 0.86 | 1.84 | −0.97 |
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 Max (1.9 TH/s) | 3,699 | 1,947 | 1.37 | 3.24 | −1.87 |
| Bitaxe GT 801 (2.4 TH/s) | 4,099 | 1,708 | 1.73 | 4.32 | −2.59 |
| Bitaxe Supra Hex 702 (4.2 TH/s) | 5,599 | 1,333 | 3.02 | 9.72 | −6.70 |
| NerdQaxe++ (6 TH/s) | 6,699 | 1,117 | 4.32 | 10.80 | −6.48 |
| NerdQaxe++ Hydro (7 TH/s) | 7,399 | 1,057 | 5.04 | 10.80 | −5.76 |
| NerdQX (8 TH/s) | 8,299 | 1,037 | 5.76 | 15.12 | −9.36 |
| NerdOCTaxe Gamma (12 TH/s) | 10,599 | 883 | 8.64 | 21.60 | −12.96 |
| NerdOCTaxe Hydro (13.8 TH/s) | 11,899 | 862 | 9.93 | 24.84 | −14.91 |
| Canaan Avalon Nano 3S (6 TH/s) | 8,299 | 1,383 | 4.32 | 15.12 | −10.80 |
| Canaan Avalon Mini 3 (37.5 TH/s) | 27,599 | 736 | 27.00 | 86.40 | −59.40 |
| Lucky Miner LV07 (1 TH/s) | 3,699 | 3,699 | 0.72 | 2.70 | −1.98 |
| Lucky Miner LV08 (7 TH/s) | 8,299 | 1,186 | 5.04 | 16.20 | −11.16 |
Prices are from our website as of 4 November 2026; you will see availability and delivery time with each product. Earnings are gross, before the pool fee, and change with the exchange rate and network difficulty. With such small earnings, it also takes a long time to reach the minimum pool payout.
To put it plainly: at home, the Bitaxe Gamma 601 uses about 670 Kč of electricity a year. For the NerdQaxe++ with 6 TH/s it is about 3,950 Kč, and for the NerdOCTaxe Gamma with 12 TH/s about 7,890 Kč. That is the price of your “lottery ticket”.
What is the chance of finding a block when solo mining?
At a difficulty of 148,364,561,003,867 (as of 4 November 2026, source mempool.space), 1.2 TH/s finds a block on average once every 16,827 years. It is calculated as follows:
average time to block (s) = difficulty × 232 / hashrate (H/s)
Difficulty × 232 is the number of attempts (hashes) the network needs on average for one block. Today it is about 6.37 × 1023. Dividing it by the miner’s hashrate gives you the average time in seconds.
| Hashrate (TH/s) | Example machine | Average time to block (years) | Chance of a block in 1 year | Chance of a block in 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | Bitaxe Gamma 601 | 16,827 | 1 : 16,827 (0.006%) | 0.06% |
| 6 | NerdQaxe++, Avalon Nano 3S | 3,365 | 1 : 3,365 (0.03%) | 0.30% |
| 12 | NerdOCTaxe Gamma | 1,683 | 1 : 1,683 (0.06%) | 0.59% |
We calculate the chance over a time t as 1 − e−t / average time. Difficulty changes roughly every two weeks. When it rises, the average time to a block gets longer too.
Why it is not waiting in a queue
Mining has no memory. Every hash has the same chance, so a miner that has been running for a year is no “closer” to a block than one switched on today. You may find a block tomorrow, or never. The average time only tells you how often it would happen if the same machine ran continuously for a very long time.
That it does happen comes down to the number of machines. Many small miners run around the world, so every now and then one of them gets lucky with a block. mempool.space attributes block 957,382 from 10 July 2026 to Public Pool. According to the pool’s overview, which it published on X and which was picked up by The Energy Mag, it was found by a miner averaging 995 GH/s, reportedly a Bitaxe. This has not been independently verified.
Block 853,742 from 24 July 2024 was found by a solo miner via Solo CKPool. Blocktrainer considers it the first block found by a Bitaxe miner, but it only estimates the machine type from the worker name, which anyone can choose.
Does solo pay more than a pool?
No, on average it works out the same. The expected value of solo mining with the Bitaxe Gamma 601 is currently about 0.86 Kč per day, i.e. the same as pool earnings, just without the certainty. A pool pays you small, certain amounts; solo gives you a small chance of a large reward. We explain how pools split earnings in the article PPS, PPLNS and FPPS.
After the next halving, estimated for spring 2028, the block reward will fall from 3.125 to 1.5625 BTC. The chance of a block will not change, but the prize will.
Where did these miners come from?
Bitaxe is open hardware: the board schematics are public under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 licence and the ESP-Miner firmware (AxeOS interface) under the GPL-3.0 licence. The project started on GitHub and is now maintained by the bitaxeorg organisation.
The Bitaxe series differ in the Antminer chip they use:
- 400 series (Supra): BM1368 chip from the Antminer S21; the Bitaxe Supra Hex 702 has six of them,
- 600 series (Gamma): BM1370 chip from the Antminer S21 Pro,
- 800 series (GT, Gamma Turbo): two BM1370 chips.
The NerdQaxe++ is an open design (CERN-OHL-S-2.0 licence) with four BM1370 chips. The NerdOCTaxe Gamma from the same family has eight. Their firmware is based on the Bitaxe project’s ESP-Miner. The Canaan Avalon Nano 3S and Avalon Mini 3 are finished products from Canaan, and Lucky Miner is a separate brand. They are not part of the Bitaxe project.
Because the Bitaxe designs are public, many companies manufacture them. The bitaxeorg organisation therefore keeps its own list of verified sellers (legitlist).
Which pool should you connect a solo miner to?
Small miners are most often connected to the solo pools Public Pool (0% fee) and Solo CKPool (2% of a found block). They send the reward for a found block directly to your bitcoin address.
- Public Pool – the software is open source (GPL-3.0), and you can also run it on your own node.
- Solo CKPool – runs on the open-source ckpool software (by Con Kolivas). The pool itself points out that machines below 100 GH/s have no realistic chance of finding a block.
You will find addresses, ports and the full step-by-step setup in the Bitaxe Gamma 601 guide. The NerdQaxe++ and NerdOCTaxe are set up the same way, via the web interface.
The NerdMiner v2 (77 KH/s), which we also sell, has no ASIC chip. It mines on an ESP32 microcontroller and its average time to a block works out at hundreds of billions of years. Treat it only as a toy with a display.
What are the risks of running one at home?
- Power supply. The Bitaxe Gamma 601 needs a 5 V / 6 A supply; a phone charger is not enough. At 100 W, the NerdQaxe++ draws over 8 A from a 12 V adapter, and the NerdOCTaxe Gamma about 17 A at 200 W. Use the supplied power supply or one with the same rating. A weak supply causes restarts and a hot connector.
- Overheating. The chip should run below 65 °C. Do not put the miner in a cupboard or under a shelf, and do not cover the fan. Overclocking increases temperature and noise; we describe temperatures and limits for the Gamma 601 in the guide.
- Wi-Fi. Bitaxe and NerdQaxe connect only to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. They will not connect to 5 GHz – this is the most common mistake during installation. What to do in case of outages is covered in the article internet for mining.
- Water cooling. The Hydro versions need a small water loop with a radiator. If it is not in the box, you need to buy it separately; check with us before ordering.
- Electrical installation. A regular socket can handle small miners up to 230 W. The Avalon Mini 3 at 800 W is already like an electric heater – do not use power strips for it.
What are the drawbacks of each model?
Every machine has a weak spot. All of them lose money at home at 4.5 Kč/kWh, and all come with a 24-month warranty.
| Model | Who it is for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 | cheapest entry, learning, a desk in the living room | smallest chance of a block (1.2 TH/s), 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only |
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 Max | anyone who wants more hashrate in the same size | specifications are according to the supplier; 5 dB louder and worse J/TH than the Gamma 601 |
| Bitaxe GT 801 | double the Gamma’s hashrate for little extra money | 40 W and 40 dB, needs a 12 V supply |
| Bitaxe Supra Hex 702 | anyone who wants six chips on one board | older BM1368 chips and 21.4 J/TH; for 1,100 Kč more the NerdQaxe++ gives 6 TH/s and better J/TH |
| NerdQaxe++ | 6 TH/s with air cooling for just under 6,700 Kč | 100 W, i.e. about 3,950 Kč of electricity a year; 40 dB |
| NerdQaxe++ Hydro | quiet operation (35 dB) and the best J/TH above 5 TH/s | needs a water loop, which may not be in the box |
| NerdQX | 8 TH/s in one compact machine | 45 dB; the NerdOCTaxe Gamma 9.6 TH/s costs only 700 Kč more |
| NerdOCTaxe Gamma | the highest chance of a block with air cooling | 200 W of heat and 45 dB, high-current adapter |
| NerdOCTaxe Hydro | the highest hashrate in the small class, 35 dB | the most expensive of the small ones, needs a water loop |
| Canaan Avalon Nano 3S | the quietest ready-made device, a small heater | worst efficiency (23.3 J/TH), more expensive than the NerdQaxe++ with the same hashrate, not an open-source project |
| Canaan Avalon Mini 3 | heating instead of an electric heater in winter | 27,599 Kč, 800 W and 55 dB at full power |
| Lucky Miner LV07 | an alternative to Bitaxe | weaker and more expensive than the Bitaxe Gamma 601, 25 J/TH |
| Lucky Miner LV08 | 7 TH/s without water cooling | 150 W; the NerdQaxe++ Hydro has the same hashrate at 100 W and for less |
Which solo miner to choose by budget and noise?
- Up to 3,000 Kč: Bitaxe Gamma 601 for 2,999 Kč. The most efficient and, at 35 dB, quiet enough for a desk. Electricity at home costs you around 670 Kč a year.
- Around 4,000 Kč: Bitaxe GT 801 (2.4 TH/s for 4,099 Kč) – double the chance compared with the Gamma 601.
- 6,500–7,500 Kč: NerdQaxe++ with 6 TH/s for 6,699 Kč, or the quieter NerdQaxe++ Hydro with 7 TH/s for 7,399 Kč if you can handle a water loop.
- Around 10,000 Kč: NerdOCTaxe Gamma with 12 TH/s for 10,599 Kč – the cheapest 1 TH/s with air cooling (883 Kč).
- Quietest and hassle-free: Canaan Avalon Nano 3S (33–40 dB depending on mode). According to Hashrate Index, it has three modes and in the highest it blows out air at around 50 °C, so it will warm up a small study.
- You want heating: Canaan Avalon Mini 3. When a miner pays off instead of an electric heater, we calculate in the article heating with an ASIC miner.
Noise of 33–35 dB corresponds to a quiet bedroom, 45 dB to a quiet office. You will find a comparison with other quiet machines in the article how to quieten an ASIC miner at home.
This is not investment advice. Solo mining is a game with a very small chance; pool earnings change with the exchange rate and network difficulty.
What next
- Home mining – all small and quiet miners, with earnings recalculated every hour.
- Bitaxe Gamma 601: setup guide – Wi-Fi, pool, bitcoin address, temperatures and common problems.
- Does mining at home pay off? – calculation for larger home machines and comparison with hosting.
Sources
- mempool.space: current difficulty and difficulty adjustment (we take the difficulty every hour into our earnings calculation)
- mempool.space: block 957,382 (10 July 2026, Public Pool)
- The Energy Mag: block 957,382 and Public Pool’s figure of a 995 GH/s miner (secondary source)
- Blocktrainer: block 853,742 via Solo CKPool, estimate of the miner type
- bitaxeorg on GitHub: Bitaxe series, chips, ESP-Miner (GPL-3.0), list of sellers
- skot/bitaxe: open-source hardware, CERN-OHL-S-2.0 licence
- shufps/qaxe: NerdQAxe++ with 4 BM1370 chips
- nerdminers.org: NerdOCTaxe Gamma with 8 BM1370 chips
- Hashrate Index: Canaan Avalon Nano 3S – modes, power draw, noise
- Solo CKPool: 2% fee and advice on low hashrate
- Public Pool on GitHub (GPL-3.0)
- D-Central: comparison of solo pools (Public Pool 0%, Solo CKPool 2%)
Frequently asked questions
Does a Bitaxe or NerdQaxe earn enough to cover electricity?
How long does it take a solo miner to find a block?
Has a Bitaxe ever found a block?
Is a solo pool or a regular pool better?
Which small miner is the quietest?
This text was prepared with the help of AI. Facts, figures and procedures were checked by Yegor.
