ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread

[CryptoCrane]

Where i can buy ANTMiner S3 guys ?
can you help me  

https://bitmaintech.com

payment only use BTC ?
can't use alt payment

If you're interested, I still have some 1st batch S3s available via Amazon. They will be among the first to ship from Bitmain when expected shipping begins this week.

[vulgartrendkill]

Where i can buy ANTMiner S3 guys ?
can you help me 

https://bitmaintech.com

payment only use BTC ?
can't use alt payment

If you have alt currency (doge etc) then use exchange,  otherwise I'm afraid direct from bitmain its BTC only.

However! other resellers may take different methods of payment.

I mean, payment of a dollar / local currency.
but there is only available payment via BTC.
S3 is not the same as S2, S2 can be purchased using dollars.

Best option is to buy btc using dollars then pay in btc for S3.

Localbitcoins.com is what I use. very trustworthy site. just dont choose paypal option.

[contactlight]

What reason do we have to believe that the first batch will be shipped at the beginning of the period they provided us? I can easily see them dragging this off until the 20th since they can mine even more with them.

They already got their $20,000,000 from the sales of the first batch. Now they are just being greedy.

[iglasses]

What reason do we have to believe that the first batch will be shipped at the beginning of the period they provided us? I can easily see them dragging this off until the 20th since they can mine even more with them.

They already got their $20,000,000 from the sales of the first batch. Now they are just being greedy.

They have indicated this will be the case in a few spots.  They are saying batch2 and even batch 3 should ship before 7/20 so if there are a few days between each one that would mean batch 1 has to start shipping on 7/10 or 7/11.

Bitmain has a very good track record when it comes to this.  They do what they say they are going to.

[CryptoCrane]

Other than their amazing track record, Bitmain probably doesn't have the facilities to host all of the miners they make.

Most people who accuse mining manufacturers of holding back inventory don't realize the infrastructure that would be required to do this. If I had to guess, Bitmain probably has 1000-2000 machines running at all times. They would hook up the brand new ones to mine and then sell the tested ones that have been running for the longest (off the shelf). This would match our observations about their recently increased hashrate as well as allow them to accurately promise shipping dates to us. As their production capacity increases, the amount of time each unit is tested for would decrease since they wouldn't be increasing the size of their mining facilities. They're likely in the process of filling their racks with S3s right now and will start shipping as soon as they don't have any more room.

The Bitmain testing phase is well known and most often appreciated as it is reflected in the quality of their equipment. Any bad devices would likely be found during testing and not sold. For reference, I've purchased between 300 and 400 btc worth of equipment from them over the last 4 months and have less than 3% failure rate. That is significantly better than any other manufacturer I've dealt with.

[DumDumz]

Where i can buy ANTMiner S3 guys ?
can you help me 

https://bitmaintech.com

payment only use BTC ?
can't use alt payment

If you have alt currency (doge etc) then use exchange,  otherwise I'm afraid direct from bitmain its BTC only.

However! other resellers may take different methods of payment.

I mean, payment of a dollar / local currency.
but there is only available payment via BTC.
S3 is not the same as S2, S2 can be purchased using dollars.

Best option is to buy btc using dollars then pay in btc for S3.

Localbitcoins.com is what I use. very trustworthy site. just dont choose paypal option.

thanks buddy, I'll try to pay using BTC.

[dropt]

What reason do we have to believe that the first batch will be shipped at the beginning of the period they provided us? I can easily see them dragging this off until the 20th since they can mine even more with them.

They already got their $20,000,000 from the sales of the first batch. Now they are just being greedy.

They received nowhere near $20MM on their first batch.  That value was mistakenly derived from their BTC wallet which contained funds from sales as early as Jan 7, 2014.

-> https://blockchain.info/address/1QB8Ds5KbGYBLQa5RyDQ2sVUeSKWf7qgkZ

[ZiG]

What reason do we have to believe that the first batch will be shipped at the beginning of the period they provided us? I can easily see them dragging this off until the 20th since they can mine even more with them.

They already got their $20,000,000 from the sales of the first batch. Now they are just being greedy.

They received nowhere near $20MM on their first batch.  That value was mistakenly derived from their BTC wallet which contained funds from sales as early as Jan 7, 2014.

-> https://blockchain.info/address/1QB8Ds5KbGYBLQa5RyDQ2sVUeSKWf7qgkZ

Of course they DON'T...$20,000,000 / $500 (~Average price ) = 40,000 S3 miners produced...

NO WAY...Batch 1 ...1500 - 2500 S3's ...maybe...

Do some math...before posting BS...

ZiG

[visdude]

Is everyone in agreement that the EVGA 1300 will safely power two S3's overclocked?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438011&cm_re=evga_1300-_-17-438-011-_-Product

It should.  At 80% load (20% headroom), the SuperNOVA 1300 G2 could theoretically support two OC'd S3s up to 520WDC each (1300WDC*80%/2)which equates to 578WAC at the wall at 90% efficiency.  I think two CX750M is a better deal (also currently with a rebate) at the Egg.  It offers additional headroom (14.5% more) and the flexibility of having an independent PSU for each OC'd S3.

I like the idea of two CX750M's for two S3's instead of a single PSU. It removes the PSU as a single point of failure. Also I'm deploying at a data center where we have two power inputs. Having separate power supplies allows me to spread the load.

Amazon has the CX750M for $69.99 (prime), which is a better price than NewEgg. Of course NewEgg accepts BTC now. I haven't been through the process, so I don't know how they compute the price, or if they offer a discount for using BTC.

The CX750M has an 80 Plus Bronze rating compared to the SuperNOVA 1300's gold. Assuming the rating is accurate, that just means that the SuperNova has higher efficiency right?

Does anyone have any negatives to going with two CX750M units?

The trade-off that obviously stands out (I don't consider it a negative since both PSUs have certain trade-offs as already mentioned) is the difference in efficiency as you already stated.  At around 75% load, the CX750M 80 Plus Bronze is approximately 85% efficient while the SuperNOVA 1300 G2 80 Plus Gold is around 90%.  Is the difference in efficiency relatively significant in terms of energy cost?  Let's find out.

Let's assume that an OC'd S3 requires 425WDC from a PSU:

425WDC / 85% = 500WAC (draw at the wall with a CX750M)
425WDC / 90% = 472WAC (draw at the wall with a SuperNOVA 1300 G2)
500WAC - 472WAC = 28WAC (difference in at-the-wall wattage between the two PSUs)

Therefore:

28WAC * 24 hours / 1000 = 0.672kWh (difference in kilowatt-hour in a 24-hour period at this particular OC setting)
0.672kWh * $0.15 = $0.10 (difference in energy consumption cost in a 24-hour period based on $0.15/kWh energy rate at this particular OC setting)

Of course, this would be a moot point if one has free electricity.

Thanks for the detailed analysis. It's very helpful.

In my case I do have free power, but understanding how PSU efficiency affects the draw on the wall lets me more accurately compute the amp load. Fortunately I'm still under budget amp wise and two S3s powered by CX750M's should be fine.

No problem.

The CX750M is more than fine, I think.  Again, it provides 14.5% more headroom and an independent power source for each OC'd S3 (eliminating a single point of failure as is the case when using a single PSU to power two or more S3s).  Also, the wire fan grill on the CX750M is a lot quieter and more efficient than the stamped concentric circles on the SuperNOVA 1300 G2; philipma1957 has already attested that it is indeed a bit noisy.


 

[BITMAIN]

FAQ: Are you mining with S3 now?

Yes, we have been mining with one S3 testing sample on our engineer's desk. But we have not been able to do a large mining farm with S3 yet. We have been using S2 machine to deploy a mining farm, and that is how we own the hash rate.

The bulk PCB will be arriving tonight, and we will start first batch production tomorrow. First batch usually takes a longer time than later. We may ship the S3 -B1 on or before 14th.

[vulgartrendkill]

FAQ: Are you mining with S3 now?

Yes, we have been mining with one S3 testing sample on our engineer's desk. But we have not been able to do a large mining farm with S3 yet. We have been using S2 machine to deploy a mining farm, and that is how we own the hash rate.

The bulk PCB will be arriving tonight, and we will start first batch production tomorrow. First batch usually takes a longer time than later. We may ship the S3 -B1 on or before 14th.

So the units are not even built yet???

why did you open sales when not even having them in production?

Surely you knew the demand these would create and also that time is money in the mining community.

Whilst I know you guys are a legit company, that does seem a little sloppy.......

[kpitti]

FAQ: Are you mining with S3 now?

Yes, we have been mining with one S3 testing sample on our engineer's desk. But we have not been able to do a large mining farm with S3 yet. We have been using S2 machine to deploy a mining farm, and that is how we own the hash rate.

The bulk PCB will be arriving tonight, and we will start first batch production tomorrow. First batch usually takes a longer time than later. We may ship the S3 -B1 on or before 14th.

This does not keep me happy. Now I realize that I jump in preorder stuff (. Based on my past experience with you I believe that you are strong to keep what you promised.
I am looking for reasonable customs classification and price declaration to diminish a hit.
Can you post a S3 Manual as well?

Thank you

[contactlight]

FAQ: Are you mining with S3 now?

Yes, we have been mining with one S3 testing sample on our engineer's desk. But we have not been able to do a large mining farm with S3 yet. We have been using S2 machine to deploy a mining farm, and that is how we own the hash rate.

The bulk PCB will be arriving tonight, and we will start first batch production tomorrow. First batch usually takes a longer time than later. We may ship the S3 -B1 on or before 14th.

This doesn't make me happy. Not only does this mean you haven't started manufacturing them yet, but it also means that the recent difficulty increase wasn't due to you guys mining with them. This means we will get a significant bump in difficulty when they are shipped.

[vulgartrendkill]

I feel like I've been lied too a little bit.  Why were we not told this was effectively a "preorder".

Disheartened and dissapointed. 

[Collider]

I feel like I've been lied too a little bit.  Why were we not told this was effectively a "preorder".

Disheartened and dissapointed.  

It is made to order. (Otherwise you are also preordering freshly squeezed orange juice as it doesn´t exist at the time of ordering)
Bitmain has a working prototype and chips in hand, it is therefore not a preorder.

Seriously, are you complaining that Bitmain will ship within their promised timeframe?

Isn´t getting a newly built unit better than having a used one delivered?

The complaints were always "mimimi, my unit already has dust on it and has been used for two months".

[vulgartrendkill]

I feel like I've been lied too a little bit.  Why were we not told this was effectively a "preorder".

Disheartened and dissapointed.  

It isn´t a preorder, it is made to order.

Seriously, are you complaining that Bitmain will ship within their promised timeframe?

Isn´t getting a newly built unit better than having a used one delivered?

The complaints were always "mimimi, my unit already has dust on it and has been used for two months".

I'm just saying that maybe they could have said 'we have 2000 units getting ready to be built and are batch 1. delivery will start on x date.'

If it was mentioned they were 'built to order' that would be fine because we would know where we stood.

But as far as I can see, they did not state that.

[vulgartrendkill]

as far as I'm concerned its about the transparency of the process.

[Collider]

as far as I'm concerned its about the transparency of the process.

Big and / or Chinese companies aren´t exactly known for their transparency.

Bitmain has never lied to a customer and there is a reason why delivery timeframes are given.

They are also much more transparent than many other companies in the bitcoin mining sector.

[vulgartrendkill]

as far as I'm concerned its about the transparency of the process.

Big and / or Chinese companies aren´t exactly known for their transparency.

Bitmain has never lied to a customer and there is a reason why delivery timeframes are given.

They are also much more transparent than many other companies in the bitcoin mining sector.

Absolutely they are and I agree.  Which is why I am surprised the 'built to order' part of the process went unmentioned.

But still.  They are incredibly dependable given their company track record, I'm sure they will keep to their timscale (which by my reckoning has slipped from 10th july to latest 14th july) 

[oskuro]

Well lets just wait, keep calm