[Review] Bitmain Antminer S5

[kano]

Hmm, I wonder if the 660W is due to the 110V or a lower quality PSU?
Here in Aus (240V), my S5 is doing a little over 1.1THs on my pool ( https://www.kano.is/ ) but at the wall it's only 600W
(default settings) but I'm using a Seasonic 1200W Platinum

Its got to be the PSU as I am running  mine at Freq 375 getting  1.23+GH and reading 635W at the wall with a RM1000 Corsair 115V.

Also the packing material changed on my batch 2 from foam packing to bubble wrap.

After 28 hours one board dropped and started showing x's, after a reboot that didn't help I  reset the freq back to default of 350 and its seems to be doing fine now. Getting 1155GH with temps at 48/47 fan 3480 and reading 592 watts at the wall. Not sure why that board dropped off at the 375 setting as the temps seemed fine at 50/49?

I've noticed similar behavior in my units (except they fall to 50% hashrate after about 2 days).  I suggested that Bitmain add an auto-restart if hashrate falls below x setting to the firmware, but I'm sure we'll see lots of stability improvements with the next firmware update.

Hmm - had the same happen to me - on the old firmware.
I tried an OS reboot (ssh in then 'reboot') but that didn't ever get back up to full speed.
I've just done a full power cycle and that's not really helping either.
Maybe it's the heat here - it is the middle of summer
I cgminer API stat every miner once every minute ... forever
It shows the temp range (today last 13 hours) from 52.5 to 55.0 (a few readings lower during restarts)
Maybe give it a bit longer - coz you need to see from the pool since the old bitmain cgminer in there doesn't handle it.

[OgNasty]

Clicking the reboot option always fixes it for me. I haven't had to power cycle and my temps are sitting in the mid-low 60s. I'm going to have to try the new firmware.

[aurel57]

Clicking the reboot option always fixes it for me. I haven't had to power cycle and my temps are sitting in the mid-low 60s. I'm going to have to try the new firmware.

I tried both and neither would get the one board running and was only reading half watts at the wall. That is when I put the freq back to default and it started working again. I am pretty sure it was not a temp issue. Since flashing the new firmware it has been running for 5 hours back at the 375 freq and will see what tomorrow brings.

[MrTeal]

I've had an similar issue with one of my boards as well. It just has issues getting going. I'll try a FW upgrade tomorrow.

[kano]

Well mine is finally back up to over 1THs but with higher invalids.
Seems the full power cycle was certainly necessary for me (again, I'm using the original firmware)

[OgNasty]

I just upgraded to the new firmware.  It was a pretty simple process of downloading the file from the Bitmain website and then upgrading using the miner interface.  It's only been running for a few minutes, but so far so good.

[aurel57]

I just upgraded to the new firmware.  It was a pretty simple process of downloading the file from the Bitmain website and then upgrading using the miner interface.  It's only been running for a few minutes, but so far so good.

Same for me. (First time for me to flash a Bitmain miner)

[dissolution]

Any updates on new FW?

any changes or just bug fixes? I'm running good so hesitant to upgrade.

[OgNasty]

Any updates on new FW?

any changes or just bug fixes? I'm running good so hesitant to upgrade.

Seems to be running normal.  I haven't had to restart them yet, but it hasn't been very long either.

[dissolution]

I think I'll maybe wait a few days if theres no change and i have no issues.

Its nice to see at least a change log to know what they did.

or if any new features are added

Someone could request an option to set fan speed or slow it down a slight bit.. My miner runs cool but that fan is so loud


Thanks for the reply though. following thread so i appreciate the updates

[webprods]

Bitmain Antminer S5
Disclaimer: I was given this unit in exchange for my honest review.  P2Pool was used for hashrate testing.



My S5 was delivered by UPS and required a signature.  It was held in place with foam inserts and while it did get the job done, the case on the S5 is made of a thin plastic and only covers the sides leaving some parts exposed, which worried me a bit.  However, no damage was done so I was satisfied with the packing job.



Setting up this miner was pretty easy.  While there is no url link to find the miner's ip like with Spondoolies, I did notice that the S5 accepts any pcie cable, and not just pcie cables with a centered clip on the back (the SP20 wouldn't take my 6+2pin pcie cables because the clip on the back isn't centered).  After your cables are plugged in, you power it on and hear the fan spin up and down a few times before it is ready to go.  The miner starts up fairly loud and doesn't have an adjustable fan setting, which may not make it ideal for home miners.  The interface gets the job done and once I got familiar with all the settings I was more than satisfied with it.  I wanted to get settings near what you would expect from an SP20 for this test, so I decided to test it at stock levels.  It should be noted that the S5 is easily underclocked and has the ability to beat the SP20 on efficiency with the proper settings.

Using the default frequency of 350M my S5 was able to get 1.13TH/s while using 661 watts (0.58W/GH) and exhausting 122 degree heat.  A frequency setting of 325M yielded 1.05TH/s while using 563 watts (0.53W/GH).



Overall I would say this is a great miner and definitely competitive.  It's lower price tag than the SP20 makes it a good option for large scale mining operations, the budget miner that can deal with noise, or someone who wants to tinker with it and optimize the sound/efficiency levels.  The interface gets the job done and is simple enough that I think anyone could figure it out without needing a guide.

In conclusion, the Antminer S5 is a top tier miner.  It's cheaper & cooler than it's closest counterpart (SP20) and is available to ship from stock for as low as $480 on amazon.com.  I am definitely grateful to Bitmain for the opportunity to review this product and I will keep my eye on their offerings in the future.  If you are searching for a cheap, competitive mining product with lots of customization opportunities, you can't go wrong with the S5 from Bitmain.  I even purchased an additional unit for my mining operation at retail price and was happy to do so.

Hm...How loud is this monsta???I'm worry about that..

[OgNasty]

Hm...How loud is this monsta???I'm worry about that..

It's definitely loud.  You can replace the fans to make it quieter if you need to.

[fr4nkthetank]

Hm...How loud is this monsta???I'm worry about that..

It's definitely loud.  You can replace the fans to make it quieter if you need to.

Its so loud, that if i open my garage up i can hear it from the other side of the street.  its really, really, really, really, you will not be able to live with this near you loud.  I'm biased though - i have an s3+ right beside it lol.

[goxed]

The following mod can control the fan noise on the S5, until a new firmware with fan speed is available.

[huffdaddy5]

The 660W is certainly due to the 80 Plus Bronze PSU. I've got 2 S5 and each were only using 580W at the wall using a EVGA 1300W Supernova 80 Plus Gold  PSU. I've now combined 2 S5 to 1 controller card and the 2 combined only pull 1170W at the wall, both running on the EVGA PSU.

Twin S5 using same controller. Modded Delta fans. 120CFM and 148CFM. The temps are 5C cooler with the box fan blowing on them, which also helps circulate the air in my crawl space. Combined the twin S5's are getting 0.508W/GH.
http://www.411px.com/twinS5-withFan.jpg

http://www.411px.com/miners1.jpg
http://www.411px.com/miners2.jpg

The 2 SP20 are running on a Rosewill 1300W 80 Plus Gold. They get about 0.54W/GH

[MyRig]

@Goxed & huffdaddy5,

 Thanks for the picture!!

[pokeyjones]

The 660W is certainly due to the 80 Plus Bronze PSU. I've got 2 S5 and each were only using 580W at the wall using a EVGA 1300W Supernova 80 Plus Gold  PSU. I've now combined 2 S5 to 1 controller card and the 2 combined only pull 1170W at the wall, both running on the EVGA PSU.

Twin S5 using same controller. Modded Delta fans. 120CFM and 148CFM. The temps are 5C cooler with the box fan blowing on them, which also helps circulate the air in my crawl space. Combined the twin S5's are getting 0.508W/GH.
http://www.411px.com/twinS5-withFan.jpg

http://www.411px.com/miners1.jpg
http://www.411px.com/miners2.jpg

The 2 SP20 are running on a Rosewill 1300W 80 Plus Gold. They get about 0.54W/GH

In your shoes I'd get a piece of plywood or similar about 16"x16". Place the on the big miner then stand your S5's up. I've read they can be stacked that way but it does negatively affect cooling.

You may want to look for stainless steel racks as they are open and usually adjustable. If you separated all that gear the airflow from your fan would be more efficient.

[OgNasty]

Mine is still running rock solid.

[f4t4l]

how much  i can mine with this miner? ( Daily)

[pj40]

Any number of calculators are out there to use, for example: http://www.coinwarz.com/calculators/bitcoin-mining-calculator