Twitter’s Komachi observed a completely “approved and tested” $14,800 ASRock cryptomining server created in partnership between ASRock and AMD. The system also has twelve AMD BC-250 APUs, which boost the system’s performance to a stunning 610 MH/s. What exactly are APUs? They could be PS5 “Oberon” CPU leftovers, according to the Twitter report, and we’ve heard the same tale from a source acquainted with the situation. This means that, in addition to the AMD 4700S we tested, AMD has seemingly discovered another purpose for their problematic PS5 hardware.
Along with Biostar, ASRock is one of the most cryptomining-friendly PC and component manufacturers. You can find crypto-purposed motherboards as part of its BTC+ series, as well as handy accessories and advice to getting started in cryptomining, by browsing its website. It does, however, manufacture crypto mining servers and sells both barebones and fully filled servers to its most loyal customers.
Komachi highlighted one of ASRock’s mining rigs for sale in Slovenia. Described as an “ASRock Mining Rig Barebone 610 Mhs 12x AMD BC-250,” the system is listed at €13,499, or approximately $14,800. The advert says that what is up for sale is a “quality computer for cryptocurrency mining operations with a guarantee made by a recognized manufacturer ASRock.” It goes on to claim that the certified and tested system is the result of “cooperation between AMD and ASRock.The ASRock mining rig listing depicts the system from several perspectives. Twelve PCI cards are lined up in a top-down view with no evident branding. “12 x AMD BC-250 mining APU passive design,” according to the listing, implying that each board has a PS5 APU. There’s also 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, five cooling fans, and two 1200W power supply in the server.
You’ll see that the system CPU isn’t shown. One of the PS5 APUs, however, may include operational CPU cores for general processing and housekeeping. This notion is supported by the Sony PlayStation 5’s 16GB of GDDR6 RAM configuration.
Another feature of this ready-to-use cryptomining machine is that it can mine Ethereum at a rate of around 610 MH/s (ETH). The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, for example, can mine ETH at around 120 MH/s while consuming 300W. (Along with the newly released GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, it’s the only GPU from Nvidia that isn’t limited by the LHR limiter these days.)
A quick look via US retailers reveals RTX 3090 cards for $2,200. To match the ASRock server’s performance, you’ll need approximately five of these cards ($11,000), as well as other components such as strong GPUs that can handle 1500 watts on their own.
The AMD BC-250 appears to be a well-known cryptomining processor. A single BC-250, for example, is listed as capable of little over 50 MH/s on an ETH mining profitability calculator site in Norway, which matches the ASRock server advertisement (12 x 50 MH/s = 600 MH/s). It goes on to say that mining with one of these APUs will earn you around $3 per day, depending on your electricity costs and the ever-changing value of ETH.
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