We will analyze six major Equihash mining devices. They are Bitmain’s Antminer Z9, Z11, and Z15, as well as Innosilicon’s A9 ZMaster, A9+ ZMaster, and A9++ ZMaster. Let’s take a look at their specs, power consumption, and current profitability.
Contents
- Antminer Z9 Specs
- What to Mine on Antminer Z9
- Antminer Z11 Specs
- What to Mine on Antminer Z11
- Antminer Z15 Specs
- What to Mine on Antminer Z15
- Innosilicon A9 ZMaster Specs
- What to Mine on Innosilicon A9 ZMaster
- Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster Specs
- What to Mine on Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster
- Innosilicon A9++ ZMaster Specs
- Which Cryptocurrencies to Mine on A9++ ZMaster
- Conclusion. Which ASIC to Choose?
Antminer Z9 Specs
Antminer Z9 is a beginner-level ASIC device by Bitmain released in September 2018. Here are Antminer Z9’s main specs.
- Algorithm — Equihash
- Power consumption — 1150 W ± 10%
- Hashrate — 40.8 kh/s ± 5%
- Dimensions — 132 x 226 x 279 mm
- Weight — 5.5 kg
- Noise level — 76 dB
- Fans — 2 pcs, 12 V and 2.4 A each
- Voltage — 11.6-13 V
- Interface — Ethernet
- Operating temperature — 5-45°C (41–113°F)
What to Mine on Antminer Z9
Like with other ASICs that support Equihash, the choice is between Zcash ZEC and Horizen ZEN. There is also Komodo KMD, but its trading volume in the last 24 hours is equivalent to $1.5 million, which is rather low. So KMD owners might run into liquidity shortages if they want to sell a big sum of coins.
Let’s go to 2CryptoCalc and indicate a hashrate for the desired algorithm. The calculator shows that Horizon ZEC is the most profitable coin – mining would bring $0.65 per day (unadjusted for electricity costs).
Miners should calculate their net profit depending on their electricity costs. For example, Antminer Z9’s power is 1150 W, so it consumes 27600 Wh or 27.6 kWh. If you pay $0.08 per kWh, Antminer Z9’s operation will cost you $2.21/day.
So currently, mining on Antminer Z9 makes sense only if your electricity rate is around $0.02/kWh. If you are a fan of this cryptocurrency and ASIC, but your electricity costs are higher than that, it's easier to buy the coin on an exchange.
Antminer Z9 Mining Settings
If you can afford to mine Zcash ZEC, you should use the following settings for Antminer Z9:
URL: stratum+tcp://zec.2miners.com:1010
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Read more about wallets, settings, and other details on the ZEC pool page by 2Miners.
Where to Download Firmware for Antminer Z9
Firmware is an essential part of ASICs used not only to add support for more coins but also to optimize their operation and fix bugs. As of the beginning of September, the latest Antminer Z9 firmware is ANTMINER-Z9-fixed-500M-201905171645.tar.gz from May 21, 2019. It is available on Bitmain’s official website.
You can also find alternative firmware options for Antminer online. For example, this firmware released in August 2018 helps to overclock the device. Keep in mind that you should use such unofficial releases at your own risk.
Antminer Z11 Specs
Antminer Z11 is a more advanced device by Bitmain. The hashrate is higher – 135 kh/s, and so is the power consumption. Here are Antminer Z11’s main specs.
- Algorithm — Equihash
- Power consumption — 1418 W ± 10%
- Hashrate — 135 kh/s ± 5%
- Dimensions — 134 x 228 x 279 mm
- Weight — 5.08 kg
- Noise level — 70 dB
- Fans — 2 pcs
- Voltage — 11.6-13.0 V
- Interface — Ethernet
- Operating temperature — 5-45°C (41–113°F)
What to Mine on Antminer Z11
Z11 hashrate is 3x higher than that of Z9, which also makes Z11 much more profitable. According to 2CryptoCalc, the most profitable coin for Z11 is Zcash ZEC. It can bring $2.16 (unadjusted for electricity costs).
At the consumption of 1418 W and the cost per kWh of $0.08, one day of operation would cost $2.72. So it makes sense to mine ZEN with Antminer Z11 only if your electricity rate is below $0.063.
Antminer Z11 Mining Settings
Below you can see Zcash ZEC mining settings.
URL: stratum+tcp://zec.2miners.com:1010
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Zcash ZEC page on 2Miners pool website is available here.
Antminer Z11 Firmware
Antminer Z11 released the latest firmware ANTMINER-Z11-fixed-718M-201910241109_4392.tar.gz in November 2019. It is available on Bitmain’s official website.
Antminer Z15 Specs
Antminer Z15 has a higher hashrate than the devices mentioned above – 420 kh/s.
Antminer Z15 is also available in two versions: Z15j and Z15e. Both work with Equihash, but their hashrate is 320 kh/s and 200 kh/s respectively.
Here are Antminer Z15 specs.
- Algorithm — Equihash
- Power consumption — 1510 W ± 10%
- Hashrate — 420 kh/s ± 5%
- Dimensions — 133 x 245 x 290 mm
- Weight — 6.6 kg
- Noise level — 72 dB
- Fans — 2 pcs
- Voltage — 12 V
- Interface — Ethernet
- Operating temperature — 5-45°C (41–113°F)
What to Mine on Antminer Z15
As always, let’s go to 2CryptoCalc and indicate the hashrate – 420 kh/s. Zcash ZEC mining would bring $6.72 (unadjusted for electricity costs).
At the same time, Z15 power consumption is only a little higher than that of Z11. It seems like you can make a profit from mining on Z15 today.
Here’s the proof. At the consumption of 1510 W and the cost per kWh of $0.08, the electricity cost is $2.90/day. So you can use Antminer Z15 to mine not only ZEC but also ZEN.
Where to Mine Cryptocurrency on Antminer Z15
ZEN mining settings for Antminer Z15 are identical to those of the devices mentioned above.
URL: stratum+tcp://zen.2miners.com:3030
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Where to Download Firmware for Antminer Z15
The firmware is available on Bitmain’s official website. It was released on July 15, 2020, under the name of ANTMINER-Z15-user-800M-202007031139_6134.tar.gz – the most recent of all devices mentioned above.
Innosilicon A9 ZMaster Specs
A9 ZMaster is part of Innosilicon’s basic lineup of Equihash mining devices. Here are the main specs.
- Algorithm — Equihash
- Power consumption — 620 W ± 5%
- Hashrate — 50 kh/s ± 6%
- Dimensions — 125 x 155 x 360 mm
- Weight — 5.92 kg
- Noise level — 70 dB
- Fans — 2 pcs
- Voltage — 12 V
- Interface — Ethernet
- Operating temperature — 5-45°C (41–113°F)
What to Mine on Innosilicon A9 ZMaster
By indicating the hashrate of 50 kh/s in 2CryptoCalc, we can see that the miner brings $0.80 (unadjusted for electricity costs).
It costs $1.23/day to keep A9 ZMaster running. So if you pay $0.08 per kWh, there’s no point in mining ZEN and ZEC. To run the miner at a cost, the price per kWh should be $0.053.
Where to Mine Zcash ZEC on Innosilicon A9 ZMaster
If your price per kWh is low enough, connect to the 2Miners pool with the following settings.
URL: stratum+tcp://zec.2miners.com:1010
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Use the following settings to mine ZEN.
URL: stratum+tcp://zen.2miners.com:3030
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Where to Download Firmware for Innosilicon A9 ZMaster
You can find the latest A9 ZMaster firmware on Innosilicon’s support page. Indicate the desired model in the table before downloading.
Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster Specs
A9 ZMaster ASIC is also available in pro versions, as you can tell by the “+” sign in their name. Here are Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster specs.
- Algorithm — Equihash
- Power consumption — 1550 W ± 10%
- Hashrate — 120 kh/s ± 5%
- Dimensions — 155 x 250 x 360 mm
- Weight — 11 kg
- Noise level — 75 dB
- Fans — 4 pcs
- Voltage — 12 V
- Interface — Ethernet
- Operating temperature — 5-40°C (41–104°F)
What to Mine on Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster
A9+ ZMaster hashrate is 120 kh/s, and it brings $1.92 for ZEC mining (unadjusted for electricity costs).
Under the current market conditions, ZEN mining is not profitable, if we consider the power consumption of 1.55 kW, the price per kWh of $0.08, and a resulting electricity cost of $2.98.
Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster Mining Settings
If your situation with electricity expenses is better, start mining Horizen with the following settings.
URL: stratum+tcp://zen.2miners.com:3030
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Where to Download Firmware for Innosilicon A9+ ZMaster
You can find the firmware on Innosilicon’s website under the name of a9+_20200611_105955.swu.
Innosilicon A9++ ZMaster Specs
As you may guess by the name, A9++ ZMaster is an upgraded version of the two previous models. It has a slightly higher hashrate and power consumption at the level of A9+. A9++ was released four months after A9+.
Here are the main specs.
- Algorithm — Equihash
- Power consumption — 1550 W ± 10%
- Hashrate — 140 kh/s ± 5%
- Dimensions — 155 x 250 x 360 mm
- Weight — 11 kg
- Noise level — 75 dB
- Fans — 4 pcs
- Voltage — 12 V
- Interface — Ethernet
- Operating temperature — 5-45°C (41–113°F)
Which Cryptocurrencies to Mine on A9++ ZMaster
A9++ ZMaster hashrate on Equihash is 140 kh/s, and it brings $2.24 for Zcash ZEC mining. ZEN’s profitability is almost the same.
Electricity expenses are identical to those of A9+ ZMaster, given that their power consumption is the same. So at the price per kWh of $0.08, cryptocurrency mining is not profitable.
Where to Mine Cryptocurrency on A9++ ZMaster
If your situation with electricity expenses is better, you can mine ZEC with the following settings.
URL: stratum+tcp://zec.2miners.com:1010
Worker: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS.ASIC_ID
Password: x
Where to Download Firmware for A9++ ZMaster
The firmware under the name of a9++_20200611_110012.swu is available on the official website. You need to indicate the desired model in the table to find the firmware.
Conclusion. Which ASIC to Choose?
Check the fast answer using the 2CryptoCalc ASICs page. Remember that it doesn’t take into account the electricity prices.
First of all, Bitmain devices on Equihash are more energy efficient than those of Innosilicon – considering the power consumption, their hashrate is much more compelling. Second, today most models don’t show a profit at the price per kWh of $0.08.
And third, it’s true that high-end ASICs are more expensive to maintain, but thanks to their advanced performance they show a profit even under bear market conditions. It gives you a strong competitive advantage and allows you to get a better ROI on your device.
Plus, one thing is clear: if you have a good electricity rate, you will always be able to make a profit from cryptocurrency mining. Say, if you pay $0.02 per kWh, you wouldn't care so much about the device specs or cryptocurrency exchange rates.
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