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Author Topic: BFL or Avalon  (Read 1638 times)
polrpaul (OP)
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February 01, 2013, 08:27:23 PM
 #1

If you were shopping for an ASIC miner today, which product would you purchase and why?

While Avalon has a tangible product that I believe runs "headless" (without a PC), it still consumes too much power compared to BFL products (which are still vaporware).

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Bitcoin mining is now a specialized and very risky industry, just like gold mining. Amateur miners are unlikely to make much money, and may even lose money. Bitcoin is much more than just mining, though!
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February 01, 2013, 08:33:47 PM
 #2

If you were shopping for an ASIC miner today, which product would you purchase and why?

While Avalon has a tangible product that I believe runs "headless" (without a PC), it still consumes too much power compared to BFL products (which are still vaporware).

At this point if you are trying to mine the most coins (not make the most profit) I would say you have to go with Avalon. They have a product and you can have it in your hands in a month or two. BFL is promising April if you order today. You can mine more coins getting your hands on it now. Once everyone has ASIC's, you need the power efficiency that BFL promises. However, BFL could arguably have the worst track record on a product that doesn't yet exist.

I say mine the most coins because look at it this way. If you had plopped down $1300 worth of bitcoins for BFL's product in June when they started taking pre orders, those same coins today are worth almost $5000. If you're trying to make money and believe in what BTC is and will become, you're better taking your cash and buying coins today IMHO.

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February 01, 2013, 10:53:00 PM
 #3

If you were shopping for an ASIC miner today, which product would you purchase and why?

While Avalon has a tangible product that I believe runs "headless" (without a PC), it still consumes too much power compared to BFL products (which are still vaporware).

At this point if you are trying to mine the most coins (not make the most profit) I would say you have to go with Avalon. They have a product and you can have it in your hands in a month or two. BFL is promising April if you order today. You can mine more coins getting your hands on it now. Once everyone has ASIC's, you need the power efficiency that BFL promises. However, BFL could arguably have the worst track record on a product that doesn't yet exist.

I say mine the most coins because look at it this way. If you had plopped down $1300 worth of bitcoins for BFL's product in June when they started taking pre orders, those same coins today are worth almost $5000. If you're trying to make money and believe in what BTC is and will become, you're better taking your cash and buying coins today IMHO.


You raise very good points to consider. I think the right choice for today's buyer would be Avalon. This may change in a couple of weeks, if and when BFL releases a shipped product.

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February 01, 2013, 11:12:47 PM
 #4

If you can, get both.

Order the Avalons and the BFLs.

Mine with whichever arrive first.

Sell the Avalons when the BFLs arrive, or, if they're making more than what you're paying in interest, keep them.

As long as there's a waiting list for ASICs, there will be someone willing to take yours off your hands for the going rate.
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February 01, 2013, 11:36:12 PM
 #5

If you can, get both.

Order the Avalons and the BFLs.

Mine with whichever arrive first.

Sell the Avalons when the BFLs arrive, or, if they're making more than what you're paying in interest, keep them.

As long as there's a waiting list for ASICs, there will be someone willing to take yours off your hands for the going rate.


Yeah! Good stuff.

Anyone know if the Batch #2 Avalon priced higher than Batch #1 will have that 4th module installed for more Hashing power? (or should this be a different post topic?)

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February 02, 2013, 12:58:19 AM
 #6

do avalon accepts bitcoin?
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February 02, 2013, 01:20:08 AM
 #7

I'd still buy BFL.  Their trade in policy means your initial investment has future value.  I believe they will still provide a viable product that mines at a lower energy per hash cost which once all the ASIC's hit the market will make them the dominant mining platform.

Time will tell.

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February 02, 2013, 02:17:47 AM
 #8

do avalon accepts bitcoin?


Apparently, Avalon only accepts Bitcoin for payment, and nothing else. Batch #2 pre-orders (600 units) go on sale in just under 12 hours and reportedly boast 4 modules for 90 GH/s @ $1,500. I am not advertising.

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February 02, 2013, 02:20:30 AM
 #9

do avalon accepts bitcoin?


Apparently, Avalon only accepts Bitcoin for payment, and nothing else. Batch #2 pre-orders (600 units) go on sale in just under 12 hours and reportedly boast 4 modules for 90 GH/s @ $1,500. I am not advertising.

When would they start shipping, and how long does it take to ship from China?  I suspect even if you made a purchase from BFL you'd get it before Avalon.  If BFL ships on the current schedule (I know the fact that I had to state that says a lot).

Either are viable options.

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polrpaul (OP)
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February 02, 2013, 01:52:19 PM
 #10

do avalon accepts bitcoin?


Apparently, Avalon only accepts Bitcoin for payment, and nothing else. Batch #2 pre-orders (600 units) go on sale in just under 12 hours and reportedly boast 4 modules for 90 GH/s @ $1,500. I am not advertising.

Correction: according to http://launch.avalon-asics.com/, Batch #2 will sport 3 modules for 66 GH/s and 450W of power at $1500, with a 4th module available for $500 to add another 22 GH/s and 150W of power.
Originally, Batch #2 was supposed to carry 6 modules, then it was announced that there would only be 4 modules. Now it's 3 modules for $1500 (higher than Batch #1) with an upgrade option to 4 modules.

And, they are saying: "units will ship starting March 6th to April 5th, 2013."  <---- that's a pretty wide delivery date range...

Sanitizing findings against Jeff Garzik's experimentation, it looks like the raw power consumption on the Avalon is higher than specified: "66.3 Ghps / 620 Watts / 5.6 Amps  thanks to Kill-A-Watt."
620? It was advertised at 450W!  So this means that Avalon's 88 GH/s miner will be even higher than the advertised 600W.. probably closer to 900W..

My biggest concerns with Avalon: 1) power consumption, 2) no customer support with general shadiness, 3) Made in China, 4) uncertain delivery date, 5) the fact they proclaim they are Open Source but no source is made available.

My biggest concern with BFL: extreme delay (now 4 months) with a delivery date that continues to shift to the right - I hope they can meet February delivery as currently planned in order to put an end to any BFL concerns.

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February 02, 2013, 02:17:16 PM
 #11

At this point, I think it's worth it to wait and see if BFL has a product to deliver and what it's actual performance will be.

Although I have to agree with wtfvanity and say that for most people, I don't think it makes sense to invest in mining equipment anymore. You're better off trading in bitcoins and looking to make a profit that way.
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February 02, 2013, 02:34:23 PM
 #12

I'm all Avalon
polrpaul (OP)
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February 02, 2013, 03:50:34 PM
 #13

At this point, I think it's worth it to wait and see if BFL has a product to deliver and what it's actual performance will be.

Although I have to agree with wtfvanity and say that for most people, I don't think it makes sense to invest in mining equipment anymore. You're better off trading in bitcoins and looking to make a profit that way.

Question is *when* will BFL deliver? They have missed their delivery estimates several times if i recall correctly... At this point there is a guaranteed double in difficulty when all the first batch of 300 Avalon units come online.

Interestingly, I find the professionalism of all the asic manufacturers to be, well, lacking... As i'm writing this, i'm refreshing the Avalon batch #2 preorder page (they were supposed to open up at 9:00am and its 9:40 now!) ... And in my boredom i've found two spelling mistakes:

Quote
Avalon ASIC will not be responsible for if a bitcoin bug is introduced rendering it useless between the period of time a batch of Avlaon units are being built.

Quote
orders open on febuary, 2nd, 2013. 9:00 am EST

Hah! they misspelled February and Avalon! They misspelled their *own* company name! =P

<troll>
Maybe batch 2 is the cashout phase for Avalon's long con!
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LOL ROFL .. same with bitcoinasic.net (the new bASIC) .. very bad spelling.

I agree that all ASIC manufacturers seem to lack professionalism.. 2-bit companies run by "kids". At least some companies have prior reputation with FPGA technology.

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February 02, 2013, 04:04:11 PM
 #14

Now is the time to be patient.  Wait until summer to see how BFL answers.
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February 02, 2013, 11:10:48 PM
 #15

If you can, get both.

Order the Avalons and the BFLs.

Mine with whichever arrive first.

Sell the Avalons when the BFLs arrive, or, if they're making more than what you're paying in interest, keep them.

As long as there's a waiting list for ASICs, there will be someone willing to take yours off your hands for the going rate.


Scratch that shit...

After seeing this:

Power numbers snapshot:

     620 Watts, 5.6 Amps

thanks to Kill-A-Watt.

After all of their "No refunds, No proof" BS, how the fuck do you SHIP a 620w system while its still advertised as 400w on your website  Huh

I just can't give money to a company like that, even if I stand to profit from it, it's not worth getting sh#t in the face.


I'm going with this guy:

I'd still buy BFL.  Their trade in policy means your initial investment has future value.  I believe they will still provide a viable product that mines at a lower energy per hash cost which once all the ASIC's hit the market will make them the dominant mining platform.

Time will tell.


You've also got to consider BFL's lifetime warranty.
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February 02, 2013, 11:16:07 PM
 #16

Going to say BFL.

I'm coming to the party quite a bit late, but I like that the Jalapeno is in my price range for a definite bitcoin noob like myself. I don't want to go through the trouble of purchasing bitcoins to spend 1500 dollars on a piece of hardware that may not be sustainable long term (620 Watts, just wow, I read that whole thread and they had some pretty good points as to why 450W was kind of dishonest.)

I read all of Josh's posts and he seems like a pretty sincere dude.

Yes, Avalon did get the jump because of the first two units, but I'm still waiting to hear from others when they get their units.

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February 03, 2013, 01:13:14 AM
 #17

I read all of Josh's posts and he seems like a pretty sincere dude.


Lol, everything I've read from Josh makes him sound like a no-class whiner. It sounds like he'll eventually deliver an ASIC-based machine; but that latest update he gave was nothing but FUD and ad homs against Avalon, and excuses as to why it was anyone's fault but his own that his schedule was slipping.
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February 03, 2013, 02:41:23 AM
 #18

Well, I too tried to purchase an Avalon Batch #2.. but needless to say I did not score. I ended up with 3 ASIC miners in my cart at one point, and the total was 0.7 BTC (I believe), but I knew that not to be correct so didn't proceed any further.

I really wish I had secured myself an Avalon for the month of March - it's just around the corner (February is always short).

Sigh.

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February 03, 2013, 04:12:31 PM
 #19

The most sensible thing is to order from both... if you can.

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February 03, 2013, 05:11:41 PM
 #20

At this stage, Avalon seems to be the better bet between both of them. That's subject to change if BFL successfully ships, of course.
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