Bitcoin - Whatsminer M60 vs Antminer S21

The high-temperature performance of Whatsminer bitcoin miners proves to be far superior to that of the Antminer.

Bitcoin – Whatsminer vs Antminer

Here is a summary of the second test performed by @Wilson_Mining who compared the performance of Bitmain’s Antminer S21 to the MicroBT’s Whatsminer M60 under extreme temperatures.

The video below follows the one comparing the Whatsminer M30S+ with the Antminer S19K Pro. We reported on it in this article: Bitcoin – Antminer vs Whatsminer.

In that video, it was especially revealed that Whatsminers better withstand extreme temperature conditions. According to @Wilson_Mining, it’s the power of the fans and the arrangement of the heat sinks that make the difference:

“The whatsminer’s fans are more powerful. They move more air, which allows for more heat to be dissipated. In addition, there is very little or no space between the heat sinks. The same goes for between the heat sinks and the chassis, which contributes to heat dissipation.”

In this video, @Wilson_Mining reveals that the heat sinks of the Whatsminer indeed have a volume of 310 square millimeters versus 270 square millimeters for the Antminer. That’s a difference of 15%, or even 20% if you take everything into account.

The miner also conducted tests in a sauna to determine at what temperatures the S21 and the M60 cease to function.

S21 vs M60 part 2: The results are in pic.twitter.com/HNDmerqSHQ

— Wilson_Mining (@WilsonMining) April 3, 2024

It turns out that the S21 shuts down at a significantly lower ambient temperature than expected. In contrast, MicroBT’s M60 outperforms expectations.

Bitmain S21 :

Shuts down as soon as the ambient temperature reaches 37/38°C, versus the 45°C announced by Bitmain. At that moment, the miner consumed 4,131 watts for a production of 180 TH/s, which is an efficiency of 23 W/TH.

MicroBT M60 :

Shuts down at 45°C, which is higher than the 35°C announced by MicroBT. At that moment, the miner consumed 3,645 watts for a production of 175 TH/s, marking better efficiency at 21 W/TH.

In conclusion, the Whatsminer M60 operates at higher temperatures than those the Antminer can withstand. Knowing that the S21 is supposed to deliver 200 TH/s against 179 TH/s for the M60, the Whatsminer is thus much closer to what the manufacturer announced.

Not to mention the efficiency of 17.5 W/TH promised by Bitmain, compared to MicroBT’s 19.2 W/TH…

It appears then that the S21 is much less efficient than its competitor M60 when ambient temperature is high. This is an important factor to consider if you are mining bitcoins in a tropical climate.