MicroBt Whatsminer M20s (64Th/s) Review

In May 2019, MicroBt launched their well known Whatsminer M20 series. Seen as the ultimate win-win, successful reproduction of the Whatsminer M10 series's earlier models, the M20 series consisted of the M20, M21, M21b, M20s, and M21s. All miners come with Samsung's 8nm chip, which enables productivity and efficiency.

Founded in 2016, Shenzhen Bit Microelectronics Technology (Also Known as MicroBt) is one of the leading Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) producers. The company is into the production and design of high-end 28nm/16nm/7nm working chips and provides developments/assistance in blockchain technology, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

The MicroBT company has independent intellectual property rights over its dedicated chips and ancillary products. They are one of the biggest ASIC miner manufacturing companies. 

They started their flagship Whatsminer, a Plug and Play Bitcoin Mining Hardware equipment, allowing end-users to start mining coins on the SHA-256 algorithm immediately and join the digital currency gold rush. What made this popular was the ease of usage for even first time miners.

Specifications

Out of all the M20 series, this model has the highest hash rate. The power consumption ratio is 48W/T. With a power consumption of 3200W, it is a bit on the high side, which reduces profitability. It uses the SHA-256 algorithm to work and can mine around 40 coins. But the most profitable coins are Bitcoin(BTC) and Bitcoin Cash(BCH).

It is equipped with one 16A 3×1.5mm power cord (Note: the power plug is specifically for 16A jack, the miner power plug is also only for 16A power cord interface) and adopts a classic single tube design. It has a size of 390x158x240mm and a weight of 11.4kg. 

Fan and Air Circulation

Air inlets are set on the side of the control board and power interface with a metal shield. The fans at the air outlets do not have protective shields. Both Whatsminer M20 and M10 models adopt the same control boards with identical interfaces. M20s comes with a new power supply unit, P20-12-3350-V1, to provide 12V 265A and 12V 12A DC output with a peak power consumption of 3360W. 

It makes use of high-quality materials, which shows the manufacturers paid attention to detail. Its transformer uses the traditional dual voltage mode Whatsminer is famous for, and it is divided into the upper and lower part. With a two-stage low pass, two PFC enable voltage rise, and two LLC cause voltage drop. LLC has higher efficiency for voltage drop with fewer losses.

Power Supply

It also functions with a programming interface to control voltage. Although its two inductors and transformers cause higher costs, they provide a stable power supply. One of the 12V 1.5A cooling fans is at the back of the power supply for successful heat emission through proper ventilation. To prevent oxidation and moisture intrusion, it uses an air exhaustion method. The power supply case is suitable for heat dissipation.

It has three hash rate boards with aluminum heat sinks on both sides. The aluminum heat sink has a high density, and the two heat sinks have 26 spring screws. The temperature on the side of the miner of 45.3℃ and the cooling fan bearing is 66.5℃. 

Noise Level

This device's noise about one meter away is 75dB, which is pretty standard, as most miners have a noise level of 60-80dB. To better understand this, a noise level of 75 dB is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner's noise emission. The Whatsminer M20s is used for mining at home as the noise level is optimal, but mining farms are more suitable. The noise is expected because of the two fans set for cooling. 

Profitability

The Whatsminer M20s will profit depending on the electricity rates in your area and existing market conditions. When the market favors these coins, miners get high profitability.