Bitmain’s hydro miners have caused quite the stir. The use of hydro cooling technology is revolutionising the mining hardware industry for the better, delivering greater cooling capabilities at lower costs to miners everywhere.
The use of hydro mining machines (like the S19 XP Hydro) may be a long way off for home miners. The S19 XP Hydro and other models are better suited to industrial applications and are only accessible with large purchase orders. Yet, the latest cooling rigs are off to a great start, with hopes that hydro models will be available to home miners in the future as standalone, second-hand units.
Of all the hydro models, the Bitmain S19 XP Hydro is the most cutting-edge at present. But, just how efficient is this miner in comparison to other hydro models and traditional air-cooled setups?
The features to expect from the S19 XP Hydro
The S19 XP Hydro boasts an industry-leading hash rate, with miners able to achieve 257Th/s with the right setup. Efficiency is also improved when compared with the S19 Hydro’s 34.5 J/T. With the k0-10 version of the S19 XP Hydro delivering efficiency rates of 20.8 J/T at an optimal temperature of 35°C.
Designed and developed to target the SHA-256 algorithm, the Antminer S19 XP Hydro is particularly versatile. The most profitable coins for the S19 XP Hydro being Bitcoin (BTC), DGB-SHA, and eCash (XEC).
With all this in mind, the S19 XP Hydro represented the most powerful ASIC to date when it was released in March 2022. The S19 XP Hydro is in essence a hybrid of the original miner (the S19 XP), with better efficiency guaranteed thanks to its innovative water-cooled system.
S19 XP Hydro – the ultimate water-cooled system?
We couldn’t mention the many features of the S19 XP Hydro, without delving deeper into its water-cooling capabilities. When compared with immersion mining and traditional air-cooled rigs, the liquid- or water-cooled system is a cut above.
With water readily accessible and cheap, miners can now cool their rigs consistently and conveniently, with minimal mess and additional costs. The non-conductive oil that makes immersion mining possible is after all notoriously expensive, not to mention difficult and unpleasant to handle due to its greasy texture.
Water cooled systems, like the one used by the S19 XP Hydro, provide no such negatives. Its closed system allows water to flow, cooling the necessary components of your mining machine. The S19 XP Hydro’s increased power and lower operational costs has made this new level of efficiency accessible to many miners.
It is however important to note that the S19 XP Hydro requires specialist infrastructure, such as cooling towers, to ensure the advertised efficiency and hash rates can be achieved. As with the Bitmain S19 Hydro, the S19 XP Hydro is also better suited to mining operations based in warmer climates, with miners in colder conditions finding air cooled counterparts ideal fits.
With the mining environment as intense as it is, the noise levels of the S19 XP Hydro represent another feature to celebrate. The S19 XP Hydro delivers reduced noise levels, with its built-in liquid cooled system facilitating better results and more comfortable mining conditions.
More improvements for S19 XP Hydro miners
It’s not just the S19 XP Hydro’s cooling capabilities that put it ahead of others in the mining hardware market. The model’s use of the 5nm chip has led to further advancements, and it is a significant improvement on the 7nm chips generally used throughout the miners in Bitmain’s latest range. The S19 XP Hydro delivers a compressed chip size to make a greater hash rate possible. To put this into context, the S19 XP Hydro is 28% more powerful than the S19 Pro+ Hydro, and also boasts a 25% boost in efficiency!
As with the Antminer S19 Pro+ Hydro, achieving this efficiency and hash rate depends entirely on your set-up, with the use of additional equipment recommended by manufacturer Bitmain. One such recommendation is the Antspace HK3, a container that has been specially designed for the housing of water-cooled technology like the S19 XP Hydro.
For all its perks, the cost of the container represents a significant investment. But, it can house around 200 S19 XP Hydro miners to ensure a competent, industrial-scale operation that excels in terms of efficiency and hash rate.
Alternatives for home mining operations
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the S19 XP Hydro and similar hydro models are only currently accessible to industrial applications. So, where does this leave home miners?
Despite the advancements that miners like the S19 XP Hydro are bringing to the sector, air-cooled rigs are proving popular amongst home mining operations. These devices even enable miners to heat their homes! While it is expected that hydro mining will replace air cooling at some point in the not so distant future – with mining becoming a consideration during home construction and maintenance – their use on a smaller scale remains a long way off.
It is anticipated that S19 XP Hydro miners and other models will become available as second-hand equipment and standalone units as the industry continues to progress.
What’s new for 2024 and the mining world?
Bitmain has already announced details of its next generation mining equipment, with the Antminer S21 Series set to go further than the recently released S19 XP Hydro. Due March 2024, this series will include the Antminer S21 and the Antminer S21 Hydro, with both expected to use the 7nm chips that Bitmain is known for. The result will be industry-leading performance of up to 200Th/s and a power consumption of 3,550 watts for their basic S21 model.
Similar to the S19 XP Hydro and its base model, the S21 Hydro will provide an elevated hash rate, which is said to be as much as 335Th/s! Like the many Bitmain mining hardware fans, we’ll be watching closely for more updates and look forward to finding out more about the performance, efficiency and profitability of Bitmain’s latest incarnations.
