[2016-8-27] Can Bitmain’s new miner bring bitcoin mining back to homes?

[DAOstock]

One ambitious bitcoin company is seeking to make mining a hobbyist activity again.

China-based Bitmain let slip today it will soon release its latest bitcoin mining rig, the R4, which it believes will be powerful enough to "bring mining back home".

Representatives for Bitmain said that the R4 is "the second most powerful bitcoin miner in the world", and that it will seek to reach enthusiasts with its production.

By building the miner with 16nm chips, Bitmain said it is able to reduce the cost of electricity for the miner, a leading factor for profitability. According to the spec sheet, users can expect a hashrate of 8.6 TH/s with a power consumption and efficiency of 845W and nearly 0.1 J/GH, respectively.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitmains-new-miner-to-bring-bitcoin-mining-back-to-homes

http://bitcoinist.net/bitmain-announces-antminer-r4/

http://www.coindesk.com/bitmain-release-new-bitcoin-miner-bid-attract-hobbyists

https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/bitmain-to-launch-antminer-r4-for-home-bitcoin-mining/

[Gahs]

That is a very good initiative - low electricity consumption.
Let's just hope R4 will not be as expensive as S9. S9 did not do very well in the market because it is a bit on the high side.

[Kprawn]

The more people jumping into solo mining, the higher the difficulty will go and the premium price you would have to pay for these Asic's will decrease it's profitability and it will cancel out the advantage

you might have, by having a tech that consume less electricity. The shipping cost and the delays will also be a factor you would have to factor in, because if something is in high demand, it will run into

some supply problems. Many companies cash in on this to make some extra profits. 

[Hazir]

Short answer - no. Bitcoin mining won't return to where it used to be. What will stop mining farm from purchasing even more of those R4 unit and create even bigger farms?
Lower electricity consumption won't benefit only hobbyist miners, it will allow centralized mining farms to be even bigger.

[onlinedragon]

I wonder what the maximum KWH price is that you can afford to pay when you want to make any profit with this new miner. It sounds like a good option but don't think it's profitable for people in the Netherlands where I life.

[richardsNY]

Short answer - no. Bitcoin mining won't return to where it used to be. What will stop mining farm from purchasing even more of those R4 unit and create even bigger farms?
Lower electricity consumption won't benefit only hobbyist miners, it will allow centralized mining farms to be even bigger.

Basically that. Home miners have absolutely no chance of getting their effort worthy of rewards in return. It's something people have to admit and forget. Mining farms will always be ahead of everyone. They are mining farms for a reason.