ASRock is selling a new AMD crypto mining rig, but it apparently uses broken PS5 chips instead of the best graphics cards. Spotted by hardware leaker Komachi, the server is equipped with twelve AMD BC-250 APUs, and it’ll set you back around $14,800 USD.
The system is currently listed as a “barebone” mining rig on the Slovenian site Bolha, and the page claims it’s a “quality computer for cryptocurrency mining operations with a guarantee made by a recognized manufacturer ASRock.” The machine’s array of PCIe APUs are accompanied by 16GB RAM and two beefy 1,200W power supplies, but the listing skips on specific CPU specs.
In terms of crypto performance, ASRock’s rig can allegedly churn out 610 MHps when mining Ethereum. For context, an unlocked Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 GPU can reach up to 135 MHps while guzzling 300W. Naturally, this suggests you’ll need approximately five high-end GPUs to match the ASRock server’s abilities, meaning you could save a few pennies by opting for the former.
Increased interest in crypto mining is partly to blame for GPU shortages, but AMD and ASRock’s joint venture could lure miners away from using gaming PC parts. That said, Nvidia and AMD Radeon graphics cards are getting cheaper, so cards with an unlocked hash rate, including the upcoming Intel Arc Alchemist, could still end up whirling away within crypto farms.