Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin => Mining => Topic started by: MisO69 on June 10, 2014, 01:44:55 PM



Title: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: MisO69 on June 10, 2014, 01:44:55 PM
I came across this article this morning on the BBC http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27779030 (http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27779030)

I wonder what kind of hashrates this guy was getting. If they were anywhere near competing with asics.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: fivejonnyfive on June 10, 2014, 02:29:56 PM
According to this article:

http://tradeblock.com/research/bitcoin-network-8-times-faster-than-top-500-super-computers-combined/ (http://tradeblock.com/research/bitcoin-network-8-times-faster-than-top-500-super-computers-combined/)

1 Hash equals 12.7kiloflops,

So, if they were using the most powerful supercomputer in the country at the time at 8.2 Petaflops, my math says 645 GH/s.

Not bad, but terribly inefficient :-P




Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: Hazir on June 10, 2014, 05:59:29 PM
Inefficient, yes probably. But when you are not the one who is paying for energy it does not matter for you if this is efficient. It pains me that other computers can be used that way and will never know.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: DrG on June 11, 2014, 02:05:01 AM
Meh that's nothing.  Botnets back in 2011 and 2012 were making more than what 650GH/s can do today  :D


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: guitarplinker on June 11, 2014, 02:40:47 AM
Meh that's nothing.  Botnets back in 2011 and 2012 were making more than what 650GH/s can do today  :D
Still, 650GH/s is an insane amount for a single computer. Wonder how much power it uses though... :D


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: fivejonnyfive on June 11, 2014, 02:55:59 AM
Meh that's nothing.  Botnets back in 2011 and 2012 were making more than what 650GH/s can do today  :D
Still, 650GH/s is an insane amount for a single computer. Wonder how much power it uses though... :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira)

3.9 Megawatts.

3,900,000/650=6,000

6 KILOWATTS PER GIGAHASH

http://12thehardway.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/1-21-gigawatts.png?w=625&h=390&crop=1


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: DrG on June 11, 2014, 04:11:46 AM
Meh that's nothing.  Botnets back in 2011 and 2012 were making more than what 650GH/s can do today  :D
Still, 650GH/s is an insane amount for a single computer. Wonder how much power it uses though... :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira)

3.9 Megawatts.

3,900,000/650=6,000

6 KILOWATTS PER GIGAHASH

http://12thehardway.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/1-21-gigawatts.png?w=625&h=390&crop=1

Only 6KW/GH!?!  Wow, now I can finally max out my fuel rods  :D

You can eat soup with a fork, but why...


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: guitarplinker on June 11, 2014, 09:46:00 PM
Meh that's nothing.  Botnets back in 2011 and 2012 were making more than what 650GH/s can do today  :D
Still, 650GH/s is an insane amount for a single computer. Wonder how much power it uses though... :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira)

3.9 Megawatts.

3,900,000/650=6,000

6 KILOWATTS PER GIGAHASH

http://12thehardway.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/1-21-gigawatts.png?w=625&h=390&crop=1
Jeebus that's ridiculous! Sounds like it needs some optimizing. :p


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: sukamasoto on June 13, 2014, 09:07:48 AM
According to this article:

http://tradeblock.com/research/bitcoin-network-8-times-faster-than-top-500-super-computers-combined/ (http://tradeblock.com/research/bitcoin-network-8-times-faster-than-top-500-super-computers-combined/)

1 Hash equals 12.7kiloflops,

So, if they were using the most powerful supercomputer in the country at the time at 8.2 Petaflops, my math says 645 GH/s.

Not bad, but terribly inefficient :-P



If your calculations are correct it would be very detrimental to the payment of electricity because it is not in accordance with coins obtained


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: FlyForFun on June 13, 2014, 10:30:39 AM
What if they use the supercomputer to mine litecoin or cpu coin instead, it is going to be super profitable..


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: DrG on June 13, 2014, 02:20:06 PM
What if they use the supercomputer to mine litecoin or cpu coin instead, it is going to be super profitable..

Um, no.  Any "profit" is at the expense of whoever is hosting the SC. The newer Scrypt ASICs will be 1000x more efficient per watt for Scrypt.  CPU coin maybe - but none of those are established.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: lowbander80 on June 13, 2014, 05:26:21 PM
What if they use the supercomputer to mine litecoin or cpu coin instead, it is going to be super profitable..

This what they did they mined doge and each day according to the article I have read it miner about 15000 daily.
Now the supercomputers are regulated and its not possible to have access to all of the power because they run
projects from various people so its mostly BUSTED

just a student trying to make a  small profit lost his ability to use the supercomputer


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: Youghoor on June 13, 2014, 06:56:46 PM
well it seems things didn't go good for him as he lost his access to supercomputer . I hope they will let him keep his profit :D


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: monim1 on June 25, 2014, 02:59:59 PM
Inefficient, yes probably. But when you are not the one who is paying for energy it does not matter for you if this is efficient. It pains me that other computers can be used that way and will never know.
I agree with you. If you are not paying the electricity bill then you can mine. But i think solo mining is not much profitable. You may join any pools and start mining.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: nickgaff on June 25, 2014, 05:33:59 PM
well it seems things didn't go good for him as he lost his access to supercomputer . I hope they will let him keep his profit :D

There is no law saying they can  :o


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: DrG on June 25, 2014, 07:46:34 PM
Why are you new users condoning the outright theft of other people's property?  If you are mining with somebody else's hardware (in the case above it is a gov sponsored entity so it belongs to the taxpayers) without their consent than that is theft.  It's no different than using a large botnet.

There have been several documented cases of IT people coming on these forums asking how to mine illegally and stealthily and they end up losing their job if not going to prison.

And for 15000 doge/day?  Sheesh, in March I mined 200K doge per day with just 20 video cards and you want to waste a supercomputer for 15000 doge... unbelievable.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: Questionator2 on June 25, 2014, 10:07:47 PM
I still don't get the fact that my few antminers are faster than this supercomputer in whatever I'm doing.
Still calculations right? I know I don't know what I'm talking about but stilll, arrgggg... The unknown info...


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: DrG on June 26, 2014, 12:55:40 AM
I still don't get the fact that my few antminers are faster than this supercomputer in whatever I'm doing.
Still calculations right? I know I don't know what I'm talking about but stilll, arrgggg... The unknown info...

The simple analogy I use is the spoon/fork analogy.  Think of a supercomputer as a whole bunch of forks.  You can try feeding yourself soup with 25 forks at once and it will work but it's not efficent.  ASICs are Application Specific Integrated Circuits - basically they were engineered for this one task and one task only which is to hash SHA-256.  The ASIC would be equivalent to a spoon.  One little spoon can feed you soup faster than even 25 forks stuffing your mouth at once.

So ASICs are made solely for this purpose so even though they're clocked lower they do this one job damn well.

The spork would be FPGAs :P


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: ALToids on June 26, 2014, 07:19:47 AM
Ah yes the proverbial spoon and fork, wait what  :P


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: Malok on June 26, 2014, 07:21:49 AM
I came across that article as well.  You had to wonder if he really thought he'd never get caught.....not a very smart college person IMO.  :)


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: ALToids on June 26, 2014, 07:25:51 AM
I came across that article as well.  You had to wonder if he really thought he'd never get caught.....not a very smart college person IMO.  :)

They always thing they're smarter than they really are.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: SirChiko on June 26, 2014, 07:17:17 PM
Still not bad when school is playing the electricity. But ridiculous hps/kw ;D


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: ALToids on June 26, 2014, 08:34:17 PM
Still not bad when school is playing the electricity. But ridiculous hps/kw ;D

It wasn't the school paying for it.  It's the American taxpayer.  He should have his ass thrown in jail.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: kingscrown on June 27, 2014, 01:39:48 AM
He should use that for scrypt or x11, for sha256 didnt make sense.


Title: Re: Using a university supercomputer to mine bitcoins.
Post by: Glizlack on June 27, 2014, 05:14:20 AM
Actually the person who suggested scrypt coins was right and xmr right now would be interesting wouldn't it. Can you imagine the forums if all of a sudden the hash rate double lol. It would go bonkers until it stopped then start right back up again with conspiracy theories.

Steve