Can someone explain how the ASIC vendors can supply double spec hardware ?

[jjshabadoo]

It seems as soon as cablepair announced his bASIC product, BFL started shifting gears.

Then we get the bASIC announcement that his devices can do 54 GH/s instead of the original 27.

Now Tom stated in his initial announcement he was going to be very conservative, so his announcement of double makes sense in that light.

BFL comes out and doubles all their product estimates.

Okay, so this is great for the network, but does anyone know the technical aspects of this and how this is really working?

Are we talking more chips or just underestimating chip hash rates ?

Is this the beginning of the price war everyone discussed earlier ?

Really curious on this.

[squid]

Tom mentioned plans to have 2 designs (2nd one with double the amount of chips). Thats why there are now 2 bASICs once with 27gh/s and another with 54gh/s. These are minimum values and based on conservative theoretical estimates not actual prototypes so there is still a possibility that these values could go up.

BFL may be on actual prototype specs (but they haven't confirmed this) merely said that the "plan all along was to update the firmware to allow for increased hashrate" should a price war or competition get intense.

[Clearfly]

Tom mentioned plans to have 2 designs (2nd one with double the amount of chips).

Do you have a link to that quote? Just that it wasn't on his website last week.

[squid]

Tom mentioned plans to have 2 designs (2nd one with double the amount of chips).

Do you have a link to that quote? Just that it wasn't on his website last week.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=79637.msg1229735#msg1229735

[ChipGeek]

Tom mentioned plans to have 2 designs (2nd one with double the amount of chips).

Do you have a link to that quote? Just that it wasn't on his website last week.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=79637.msg1229735#msg1229735

[Clearfly]

Ah ok on the 28th September.

I was hoping he had made that quote before 'Avalon' spec's were announced.

[squid]

Ah ok on the 28th September.

I was hoping he had made that quote before 'Avalon' spec's were announced.

Nope. Though I am not sure how much the AValon specs influenced these decisions since there is only an initial run of 300 and the 2nd mass run will be $2k

[crazyates]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=114339.msg1234039#msg1234039

[jayeeyee]

In a nutshell or laymen terms.  It's the GH/s war.  The 3 big ones (BFL, bASIC, NgZhang) are all competing with each other.

[irritant]

giggedy giggedy

[kjlimo]

In a nutshell or laymen terms.  It's the GH/s war.  The 3 big ones (BFL, bASIC, NgZhang) are all competing with each other.

they compete, we win

[squall1066]

In a nutshell or laymen terms.  It's the GH/s war.  The 3 big ones (BFL, bASIC, NgZhang) are all competing with each other.

they compete, we win

Well, No, Actually its all relative IMO, The only people that will win are the first to receive.

[Cablez]

Correction: the only people that will win are the ones that make the hardware.

[hahahafr]

Correction: the only people that will win are the ones that make the hardware.

+1+1+1+1

[jayeeyee]

 Correction: the only people that will win are the ones that create the machines that creates the hardware.

[majorddf]

On BFL's part its just business smarts.

They overestimated specs on a previous line and took a hammering over it.

This time around they seem to have underestimated to prevent a reoccurance.

This has had the added ability of keeping competitors in the dark.

bASIC et al put their cards on the table, BFL showed theirs and came out on top.

The GHz battle continues apace

[squid]

On BFL's part its just business smarts.

They overestimated specs on a previous line and took a hammering over it.

This time around they seem to have underestimated to prevent a reoccurance.

This has had the added ability of keeping competitors in the dark.

bASIC et al put their cards on the table, BFL showed theirs and came out on top.

The GHz battle continues apace

BFL just increased the value of their conservative estimate.. there was no actual testing of physical hardware... Right now bASIC is ahead of $/Gh/s ... but what matters most is the power draw, which no one has actual numbers of.. just estimates based on simulations (ie bullshit)

[majorddf]

just estimates based on simulations (ie bullshit)

Haha! Classic, I would love to see that phrase in a companies literature somewhere

[bitmar]

Correction: the only people that will win are the ones that make the hardware.

Correction: the only people that will win are the ones that do not lose money

back to the main thread:

chips performance is well known in the design phase, is known for the amount of logic gates and the technological process. Doubling the speed of chips in the production phase is either magic or clever marketing procedure. Firmware change can have a big effects in the FPGA but not ASIC.  if I'm wrong, correct me giving reasonable arguments.

[dunand]

Correction: the only people that will win are the ones that make the hardware.

Another similarity between Bitcoin and gold. During the gold rush era the first people to profit were the ones who sold the miners and other gold rush followers the tools and supplies they needed.