ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread

[X3rxis]

Hello guys,
where re the settings to control the fan speed?
is here a starter guide/thread/how to  anywhere ?
i updated the firmware already.
Also i 'll install a watercooling system.

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[cloh76]

Besides security, what performance or efficiency gains will I get from the cgminer update on my S3+ B8?  and Do I even need to update?

Also because I have the overclocked from the factory S3+ B8 do I need to plug in all 4 PCIe cables or am I OK still only plugging in two?  I plan on putting 3 S3s into 1 1200 watt PSU (Corsair AX1200i)

Thanks in Advance for your response!!

1. cgminer 4.6 has bugfixes for some security holes, however, in terms of performance gains, the jury is still out (see update to OP here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220.new#new, suffice to say it will reduce the load on your controller.
2. Running 3 S3 units at stock on a 1200 watt PSU will push it to the max. I personally would run only 2 on that.

Thanks.  Appreciate the advice.  Very comprehensive information!!

Since my 1200 watt PSU was able to easily handle 3 S1 Antminers overclocked to 200GH Im confident that it can handle 3 S3+ Antminers, that is unless 4 PCIe Connectors are required per miner.  Ill test when I get the units and report back.

answer is no on a 1200w axi plat corsair, the psu sense an overload (most likely & will power off itself with a red light) even with all 12 pcie's plugged into all 3 s3's. that's what i experienced as it may be different for you.

yes, it is pushing the psu to it's limits. i would rather power 2 with 4 pcies with a mild overclock. * try using psu on a computer & run corsair link & untick the OCP*

keep an eye out as it does heat up very near to the connectors & i find that corsair's pcie connectors melts easily from experience.

i tried powering 1 s3 with 2 different 1200w axi corsairs & it is working fine. (have few different psu brands & had spares so i'm powering them in various configs)

I'm running a number of groups of 3 S3 Batch 7 Units off of 1 Corsair 1200axi.  Been running for weeks without a single hiccup. 4 PCI Cables on each unit.

All units clocked to 237.5

Strato

I made need your advice on how to set that up  My PSU shuts down if I connect to the antminer using the splitter from 1 PCIe cable.  I have had to use a single PCIe cable for each connector which means at most I can use only 2 connectors on each of the 3 S3 antminers (1 can probably have 4 connectors since i have 2 PCIe connectors remaining on my PSU).

Im definitely not experienced on how PSUs work, but i read somewhere it's about distributing the power across the different rails.  I had to do a lot of research to get my current connections and config to work with my prev 3 S1s and now my S3s (just using the same config.)

[pekatete]

I have bitten the bullet and reverted back to the stock cgminer too! I know I will be missing the security updates and a responsive GUI but the drop in hash-rate felt a bit hard to swallow (see my updated results in the OP here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220.0)

after reverting back I am seeing the same hashing power...
So I am going to have to assume there is no difference in hashing and those who claimed there was are exaggerating.
 excitable blindness

All I can say is we all have our S3's setup differently. After reverting back to the stock cgminer, both my poolside and GUI hash-rates have increased to their previous rates.
It may not be earth shatteringly faster, but I felt the difference of 15 GH/s a day in my case (approx 10 uBTC / hr ... I think) was worth the risk.
Excitable blindness ? Facts are just that: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220.0

[Stratobitz]

Besides security, what performance or efficiency gains will I get from the cgminer update on my S3+ B8?  and Do I even need to update?

Also because I have the overclocked from the factory S3+ B8 do I need to plug in all 4 PCIe cables or am I OK still only plugging in two?  I plan on putting 3 S3s into 1 1200 watt PSU (Corsair AX1200i)

Thanks in Advance for your response!!

1. cgminer 4.6 has bugfixes for some security holes, however, in terms of performance gains, the jury is still out (see update to OP here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220.new#new, suffice to say it will reduce the load on your controller.
2. Running 3 S3 units at stock on a 1200 watt PSU will push it to the max. I personally would run only 2 on that.

Thanks.  Appreciate the advice.  Very comprehensive information!!

Since my 1200 watt PSU was able to easily handle 3 S1 Antminers overclocked to 200GH Im confident that it can handle 3 S3+ Antminers, that is unless 4 PCIe Connectors are required per miner.  Ill test when I get the units and report back.

answer is no on a 1200w axi plat corsair, the psu sense an overload (most likely & will power off itself with a red light) even with all 12 pcie's plugged into all 3 s3's. that's what i experienced as it may be different for you.

yes, it is pushing the psu to it's limits. i would rather power 2 with 4 pcies with a mild overclock. * try using psu on a computer & run corsair link & untick the OCP*

keep an eye out as it does heat up very near to the connectors & i find that corsair's pcie connectors melts easily from experience.

i tried powering 1 s3 with 2 different 1200w axi corsairs & it is working fine. (have few different psu brands & had spares so i'm powering them in various configs)

I'm running a number of groups of 3 S3 Batch 7 Units off of 1 Corsair 1200axi.  Been running for weeks without a single hiccup. 4 PCI Cables on each unit.

All units clocked to 237.5

Strato

I made need your advice on how to set that up  My PSU shuts down if I connect to the antminer using the splitter from 1 PCIe cable.  I have had to use a single PCIe cable for each connector which means at most I can use only 2 connectors on each of the 3 S3 antminers (1 can probably have 4 connectors since i have 2 PCIe connectors remaining on my PSU).

Im definitely not experienced on how PSUs work, but i read somewhere it's about distributing the power across the different rails.  I had to do a lot of research to get my current connections and config to work with my prev 3 S1s and now my S3s (just using the same config.)

The Ax1200i is single rail. Your unit should have come with some 8 pin to dual 6/8 pin cables. You can use those. Just use 6 of the 8 pins on the split side.

Keep them on the same unit too. Don't split them up.

Strato

[X3rxis]

Cant find anything at yahoo and google about my topic
Hello guys,
where re the settings to control the fan speed?
is here a starter guide/thread/how to  anywhere ?
i updated the firmware already.
Also i 'll install a watercooling system.

[Stratobitz]

Cant find anything at yahoo and google about my topic
Hello guys,
where re the settings to control the fan speed?
is here a starter guide/thread/how to  anywhere ?
i updated the firmware already.
Also i 'll install a watercooling system.

Water cooled??? Really?  My S3s work great right out of the box. Just plug em in.

[X3rxis]

The fan is to loud so i wanna set up it a lil bit slowlyer but i cant find any how to and the Forum search dont get my hashtags, its crap i think

[pekatete]

The fan is to loud so i wanna set up it a lil bit slowlyer but i cant find any how to and the Forum search dont get my hashtags, its crap i think

Fan is too loud? Which fan, the one on the S3 or the one on the PSU?
Also, where do you keep them, under your bed or sofa? Try putting them in the garage or cellar and see if they sound that loud.

[cloh76]

Besides security, what performance or efficiency gains will I get from the cgminer update on my S3+ B8?  and Do I even need to update?

Also because I have the overclocked from the factory S3+ B8 do I need to plug in all 4 PCIe cables or am I OK still only plugging in two?  I plan on putting 3 S3s into 1 1200 watt PSU (Corsair AX1200i)

Thanks in Advance for your response!!

1. cgminer 4.6 has bugfixes for some security holes, however, in terms of performance gains, the jury is still out (see update to OP here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220.new#new, suffice to say it will reduce the load on your controller.
2. Running 3 S3 units at stock on a 1200 watt PSU will push it to the max. I personally would run only 2 on that.

Thanks.  Appreciate the advice.  Very comprehensive information!!

Since my 1200 watt PSU was able to easily handle 3 S1 Antminers overclocked to 200GH Im confident that it can handle 3 S3+ Antminers, that is unless 4 PCIe Connectors are required per miner.  Ill test when I get the units and report back.

answer is no on a 1200w axi plat corsair, the psu sense an overload (most likely & will power off itself with a red light) even with all 12 pcie's plugged into all 3 s3's. that's what i experienced as it may be different for you.

yes, it is pushing the psu to it's limits. i would rather power 2 with 4 pcies with a mild overclock. * try using psu on a computer & run corsair link & untick the OCP*

keep an eye out as it does heat up very near to the connectors & i find that corsair's pcie connectors melts easily from experience.

i tried powering 1 s3 with 2 different 1200w axi corsairs & it is working fine. (have few different psu brands & had spares so i'm powering them in various configs)

I'm running a number of groups of 3 S3 Batch 7 Units off of 1 Corsair 1200axi.  Been running for weeks without a single hiccup. 4 PCI Cables on each unit.

All units clocked to 237.5

Strato

I made need your advice on how to set that up  My PSU shuts down if I connect to the antminer using the splitter from 1 PCIe cable.  I have had to use a single PCIe cable for each connector which means at most I can use only 2 connectors on each of the 3 S3 antminers (1 can probably have 4 connectors since i have 2 PCIe connectors remaining on my PSU).

Im definitely not experienced on how PSUs work, but i read somewhere it's about distributing the power across the different rails.  I had to do a lot of research to get my current connections and config to work with my prev 3 S1s and now my S3s (just using the same config.)

The Ax1200i is single rail. Your unit should have come with some 8 pin to dual 6/8 pin cables. You can use those. Just use 6 of the 8 pins on the split side.

Keep them on the same unit too. Don't split them up.

Strato

Yup.  That's what I did initially with my S1s and I made sure that the split was on the same miner, but the PSU would shut down with a red light after a few minutes.  When I tried using only one of the 6 pin connectors on the split cable it worked fine, so now I am using 6 cables in order to power the 3 S3s.   Havent tried again on the S3 - figured I would just use what is already working.  If I do end up needing to plug all 4 PCIes per miner I may try again, but for now it's working fine so I'll just leave it

Thanks though - good to know it's working for you and that if I need it SHOULD work for me as well

[cloh76]

The fan is to loud so i wanna set up it a lil bit slowlyer but i cant find any how to and the Forum search dont get my hashtags, its crap i think

Wow really?  My S3s are quieter then my S1s and they were virtually quiet.  What fans are you talking about?

[X3rxis]

if its at the cellar i'm still hear the noise, also if a put my Hand behind the second fan its pretty hot, so my question is how to set the fan speed down cauz i wanna cool down the Chips with watercooling

[pekatete]

if its at the cellar i'm still hear the noise, also if a put my Hand behind the second fan its pretty hot, so my question is how to set the fan speed down cauz i wanna cool down the Chips with watercooling

It looks like you are keeping your unit in a very closed space without air circulation. If that is the case, then the water-cooling may not work properly either. I'd first make sure the cellar has good ventilation, at the very least an exhaust ventilation where you can point the blowing fan(s) to. If that is OK then:

1. First install your water-cooling, and when that is working properly, then the fan speed will automatically reduce. This will reduce the fan noise.
2. If the fan speed does not reduce and you are sure the watercooling is working very well, then open the S3 box and pull out the fan connections. This will stop all the noise from the fan.

EDIT: PS. I wrote the above with a straight face.

[Stratobitz]

Besides security, what performance or efficiency gains will I get from the cgminer update on my S3+ B8?  and Do I even need to update?

Also because I have the overclocked from the factory S3+ B8 do I need to plug in all 4 PCIe cables or am I OK still only plugging in two?  I plan on putting 3 S3s into 1 1200 watt PSU (Corsair AX1200i)

Thanks in Advance for your response!!

1. cgminer 4.6 has bugfixes for some security holes, however, in terms of performance gains, the jury is still out (see update to OP here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220.new#new, suffice to say it will reduce the load on your controller.
2. Running 3 S3 units at stock on a 1200 watt PSU will push it to the max. I personally would run only 2 on that.

Thanks.  Appreciate the advice.  Very comprehensive information!!

Since my 1200 watt PSU was able to easily handle 3 S1 Antminers overclocked to 200GH Im confident that it can handle 3 S3+ Antminers, that is unless 4 PCIe Connectors are required per miner.  Ill test when I get the units and report back.

answer is no on a 1200w axi plat corsair, the psu sense an overload (most likely & will power off itself with a red light) even with all 12 pcie's plugged into all 3 s3's. that's what i experienced as it may be different for you.

yes, it is pushing the psu to it's limits. i would rather power 2 with 4 pcies with a mild overclock. * try using psu on a computer & run corsair link & untick the OCP*

keep an eye out as it does heat up very near to the connectors & i find that corsair's pcie connectors melts easily from experience.

i tried powering 1 s3 with 2 different 1200w axi corsairs & it is working fine. (have few different psu brands & had spares so i'm powering them in various configs)

I'm running a number of groups of 3 S3 Batch 7 Units off of 1 Corsair 1200axi.  Been running for weeks without a single hiccup. 4 PCI Cables on each unit.

All units clocked to 237.5

Strato

I made need your advice on how to set that up  My PSU shuts down if I connect to the antminer using the splitter from 1 PCIe cable.  I have had to use a single PCIe cable for each connector which means at most I can use only 2 connectors on each of the 3 S3 antminers (1 can probably have 4 connectors since i have 2 PCIe connectors remaining on my PSU).

Im definitely not experienced on how PSUs work, but i read somewhere it's about distributing the power across the different rails.  I had to do a lot of research to get my current connections and config to work with my prev 3 S1s and now my S3s (just using the same config.)

The Ax1200i is single rail. Your unit should have come with some 8 pin to dual 6/8 pin cables. You can use those. Just use 6 of the 8 pins on the split side.

Keep them on the same unit too. Don't split them up.

Strato

Yup.  That's what I did initially with my S1s and I made sure that the split was on the same miner, but the PSU would shut down with a red light after a few minutes.  When I tried using only one of the 6 pin connectors on the split cable it worked fine, so now I am using 6 cables in order to power the 3 S3s.   Havent tried again on the S3 - figured I would just use what is already working.  If I do end up needing to plug all 4 PCIes per miner I may try again, but for now it's working fine so I'll just leave it

Thanks though - good to know it's working for you and that if I need it SHOULD work for me as well

Could just be slight variation of the psu. As in mine is 3% more efficient... Which is the go no go point.

[edonkey]

I've kept log of S3 performance in a spreadsheet. I track the number of seconds running, local average hash rate, hardware errors, DiffA, and DiffR. From these numbers, I compute the error rate percentage, and the DiffA per second, which I think is an interesting pool side performance statistic that can be compared against different configs running for different amounts of time. After each configuration tweak or update, I update this log and compare the results.

Whenever I make a change, I like to accumulate at least a days' worth of data before determining the affect of the change. You really have to give any changes some time to settle in, unless you're seeing dramatically bad effects (like ASICs shutting down). Also gathering more data over time should help average out pool side variability.

I'm currently running the antMiner_S320140721.bin firmware on my B3 units (I saw no reason to update). The only changes from the stock configuration were to set the "--queue 1" option on the command line, and a frequency of 237.5 (which is as far as I can push it). I've been running like this since around August 11th (which is when I settled into this config).

After running for 6 days with the new cgminer (the one with the security fixes) and no other changes, I can state that with my two B3 units there is no statistically relevant performance difference.

I wasn't expecting any difference with this cgminer update. I did the update because of the security fixes.

I'm posting these results because there are some people who think that this version will either make their hardware hash faster or slower. That is not my experience. All it seems to do is free up some processing power that allows the web GUI to run a bit faster (but that observation is a bit subjective).

I recommend that people who are concerned about the security fixes, or that want a slightly snappier web GUI, should update to this version. Don't expect it to magically affect your hash rate, in either direction.

[yslyung]

why push the expensive psu to it's limits or beyond it's limits ? that was the question i asked myself . . .

3 x S3+ @ stock freq (225mhz) consumes at least 1065W *depending on temps, supply voltages, placement, variation, etc* & the psu is rated 1200W so why push it that far ?

life span will be much shorter & higher chances of it failing such as the components, hot/melted wires or connectors so better not to push it too far.

just myself though, always prefer to be a little conservative. 80% - 85% of published rating is pretty good imo.

yes & yes & yes, it can go a little more than 1200W but ask yourself this . . . how far can it go with 365/24/7 operations ?

i think it would be more efficient, reliable, safe & conservative to OC 2 x S3/S3+ with a corsair 1200W axi plat psu. try that & i am very sure the wires & connectors will be not as hot as powering 3 x S3's.

maybe can try a cheaper 1200W psu powering 3 X S3's @ stock freq's or underclock it a bit. raidmax is not too bad

[X3rxis]

thx bro 

[pekatete]

After running for 6 days with the new cgminer (the one with the security fixes) and no other changes, I can state that with my two B3 units there is no statistically relevant performance difference.

More like there is no statistically relevant performance difference for Batch 3 S3's]

I wasn't expecting any difference with this cgminer update. I did the update because of the security fixes.

I'm posting these results because there are some people who think that this version will either make their hardware hash faster or slower. That is not my experience. All it seems to do is free up some processing power that allows the web GUI to run a bit faster (but that observation is a bit subjective).

At least there is universal agreement in the responsiveness of the GUI.
On the issue of hashing faster or slower, that is subjective. Not all S3's are built the same (and I do not include the S3+ in this anology), and neither do we all set them up (and power them up) the same way. My batch 6 S3 running at freq: 262.5 hashes faster (pool side and GUI) with the stock cgminer. But there we are comparing oranges to apples .....

[cloh76]

why push the expensive psu to it's limits or beyond it's limits ? that was the question i asked myself . . .

3 x S3+ @ stock freq (225mhz) consumes at least 1065W *depending on temps, supply voltages, placement, variation, etc* & the psu is rated 1200W so why push it that far ?

life span will be much shorter & higher chances of it failing such as the components, hot/melted wires or connectors so better not to push it too far.

just myself though, always prefer to be a little conservative. 80% - 85% of published rating is pretty good imo.

yes & yes & yes, it can go a little more than 1200W but ask yourself this . . . how far can it go with 365/24/7 operations ?

i think it would be more efficient, reliable, safe & conservative to OC 2 x S3/S3+ with a corsair 1200W axi plat psu. try that & i am very sure the wires & connectors will be not as hot as powering 3 x S3's.

maybe can try a cheaper 1200W psu powering 3 X S3's @ stock freq's or underclock it a bit. raidmax is not too bad

I actually ran a couple Corsair AX1200i PSUs with 3 S1s overclocked 24x7 each for over 1 year with no issues.  I have also read in other threads that people are even running 4 S1s on this PSU - although I think that is pushing it.   With 3 x S3+ Neither the wires, connectors, or PSU are hot to touch and the fan is still running normal and quiet. 

Id recommend these beast's any day

[rkinnin]

if its at the cellar i'm still hear the noise, also if a put my Hand behind the second fan its pretty hot, so my question is how to set the fan speed down cauz i wanna cool down the Chips with watercooling

water-cooling??  send details on how you set it up.

[Gogreen]

if its at the cellar i'm still hear the noise, also if a put my Hand behind the second fan its pretty hot, so my question is how to set the fan speed down cauz i wanna cool down the Chips with watercooling

water-cooling??  send details on how you set it up.

I think you cannot set the fan speed, the fan rpm will adjust according to the temp if the water cooling can take down the heat the fan will reduce the speed