In 2021, the leading mining ASIC manufacturer, BITMAIN, has launched a cutting-edge model for Bitcoin mining – the ANTMINER S19 95 TH/s ASIC. Similar to the S9 and S17, modifications of this model, the ANTMINER S19 PRO, with a hashing power of 110 terahash, were also launched, and towards the end of the year the ANTMINER S19 J PRO with 100 and 104 terahash power. In November, only the S19 J PRO was available on the manufacturer’s website.
At first glance, the difference in hashing power is small – 95, 104 and 110 terahash. However, buyers often want to purchase the most powerful ASIC or think that more powerful is better, despite the significant price difference – nearly $1,000 for each more powerful model.
In reality, however, higher performance does not necessarily mean better quality, and a newer model does not mean higher quality.
Let’s find out how these ASIC boards differ.
The ANTMINER S19 95 terahash board (same as T19) has 76 chips (left in photo). On the other hand, the S19 J PRO and S19 PRO boards have up to 114 chips, which is significantly more, and each chip is equipped with smaller heatsinks (right in the photo).
What is the impact of this difference?
First, we can recall the 17 series, where the ASIC T17 had 30 chips and the S17 had 48 chips, and the manufacturer installed lower quality chips in the latter, which affected the percentage of defective pieces and the frequency of their repair. The ANTMINER S19 J with 104 terahash is only 9 more, but there are half as many chips. These chips operate at a lower frequency and there are suspicions that the manufacturer is using lower quality chips or a lower quality assembly. This can be estimated from our own defect statistics and also from PCPRAHA’s experience with repairing the 19 series, whose engineers note a much higher percentage of defective boards in the s19 J and s19 PRO models compared to the s19 95 and T19, as well as their much worse repairability.
Second, the s19 J and s19 PRO boards are more likely to overheat in the summer months (operating at 85 degrees or higher on chips), which is due to the higher heat capacity of the board. More chips means more heat sources. You may not notice the difference in winter, but you will notice it in summer. Finally, the more chips you have on the board, the more likely you are to have a failure because there is more room for potential failure.
Also remember that the PRO version has better consumption compared to the non-PRO version and the J version is intended for export to other countries, not Europe.
Don’t underestimate the efficiency and specific requirements of each version when choosing an ASIC for cryptocurrency mining. It is important to consider all factors such as performance, quality, thermal stability and more.
In conclusion, we at PCPRAHA would like to recommend to buy ASICs S19 90 TH because they are an order of magnitude more reliable than any modification. In addition, firmware is expected to be released soon to overclock these devices, which will reduce the difference in terahash compared to the Antminer s19 J and S19 PRO.
