The encrypted cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dash can be mined with ASIC miners. However, due to different algorithm settings, some currencies such as Ethereum and ZEC need to be mined with GPU miners currently.
Nowadays, AMD and Nvidia are the two types of graphics cards which are most commonly used for mining. The miner with 8 AMD graphics cards to be introduced today is Antminer G2 produced by BITMAIN, the well-known cryptocurrency ASIC miner manufacturer. Now, let’s have a look at the performance of Antminer G2!
Product Parameters
| Brand | Antminer G2 |
| Algorithm | GPU miner, ETH, Zcash and XMR are supported. |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX570 x 8 |
| ETH Hash Rate | 220MHash ±10% |
| Operating System | CentOS 7.0 (Linux) |
| Pre-installed Mining Software | claymore9.7 |
| CPU | Inter Skylake-s G3900-LGA1151, PCH-B150 |
| Memory | 8GB UDIMM, DDR4 -2133 |
| HDD | 1 x 2.5inch Sata 128G SSD |
| Miner Size | 545mm x 612mm 100mm |
Unpacking Photos
Antminer G2 is packed in five-layer industrial carton with complete logistics warehousing label, product barcode and the logo of Antminer G2, its size is almost the same to the conventional computer mainframe.
Open the box we can find both ends of the miner are protected by EPE foams to prevent accidents during transportation. There’s a small carton inside containing the user’s manual, power cord and spare parts for miner delivery.
External Appearance and Quality
The appearance of G2 is metallic silver and it looks very elegant.
The air inlet is on the front side of Antminer G2 where the QC label is also attached. Three fans are installed for heat dissipation for the graphics cards. Another small fan is used to dissipate heat for the motherboard. In addition, power interface is also located on this side.
On the rear side of Antminer G2, there are three fans and multiple interfaces, such as LAN, HDMI and two USB ports. In addition, the power switch and reset switch are also there.
Installation and Setting-up
The installation and setting-up of Antminer G2 is complicated, please refer to Tutorial: Antminer G2 Ethereum Miner of AMD RX570 GPU Miner
Performance Test
The noise of Antminer G2 is relatively big. The measured noise about 10cm away from the miner is about 90dB while about one meter away the noise is still 80dB.
12-Hour Hashrate Curve of Antminer G2
Power Consumption of Antminer G2 in Stable Operation
The nominal hashrate of Antminer G2 is 220M. According to the actual 12-hour test, the hashrate is maintained at about 230M in stable operation, which is slightly higher than the nominal value. The nominal power consumption is 1200W and the actual tested value is 1222W, which is also a little higher than the nominal value. The ratio of power consumption and hashrate per M is 5.31W/M.
Summary
The GPU Antminer G2 runs stably and the actual values of hashrate and power consumption are higher than the nominal ones. The only flaw is the noise which can be heard even the door has been closed.
Ethereum is very promising. In 2017, the price increased quickly and it’s very profitable to mine Ethereum with Antminer G2. Those who want to buy GPU miners can take Antminer G2 into consideration.