NerdQaxe++ Hydro | 6 TH/s

Home mining runs into two limits: heat and noise. The NerdQaxe++ Hydro tackles both the same way – with a closed water loop. The same four BM1370 ASICs as in the air-cooled model reach around 6 TH/s instead of 4.8, at a power draw of 100 W. That is also why the board carries no fan of its own: the heat leaves the miner through the loop.

It gets calmer not because there is less heat, but because the noise happens elsewhere – at the radiator instead of directly above the ASIC. The rest is fixed: 100 W come to about €20.20 a month at €0.28/kWh, roughly €4 more than the air-cooled NerdQaxe++, which in turn delivers 1.2 TH/s less. You can check it in the mining calculator.

In solo mining every hash is a ticket in the same draw the large farms take part in – at 6 TH/s you draw a quarter more tickets than with the air-cooled model. If your Hydro finds a valid block, the full 3.125 BTC plus transaction fees go straight to your Bitcoin address, with no contract partner in between. Until then the ticket costs you about €20.20 of electricity a month, and your device helps secure the network. The process is explained in our solo mining guide.

• More hash rate from the same chipset: around 6 TH/s instead of 4.8 TH/s. Water moves heat away faster, so the four ASICs may clock higher without thermal throttling.
• The noise moves to the radiator: no fan works against a small heatsink right above the ASIC. That is why many buyers put the Hydro where they actually spend time.
• Efficiency stays, performance rises: 16.7 J/TH – practically the same value as the air-cooled model. You are buying hash rate and calm, not lower consumption.
• One more system in the house: a loop is additional hardware. If you would rather avoid that, stay with the air-cooled standard model.

All three build on four BM1370 ASICs and AxeOS. Cooling, hash rate, power draw and price differ. How the classes sort out overall is shown in the overview buy a Bitcoin miner.

• Hydro, 100 W, around 6 TH/s: water cooling. The only variant in the range above 4.8 TH/s – and the one most likely to be bearable in a lived-in room.
• NerdQaxe++, 80 W, 4.8 TH/s: air cooling with a 92 mm fan, and the cheaper option. Right when the miner lives in a basement, utility room or workshop.
• NerdQaxe Copper Pro, 80 W, 4.8 TH/s: solid copper and two PWM fans, quoted at roughly 15 J/TH. For tinkerers who overclock themselves – it does not make the device quiet.

The Hydro arrives complete with a 12V/10A power supply, stand and quick start guide. Nothing to fill or assemble before starting – you need a socket, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and a browser. The steps in detail are in the NerdQaxe setup guide.

For everyone who wants to mine in the lived-in part of the home: next to the desk, in the office, on the living room shelf. For homelab operators who care about the noise floor. And for anyone simply after the fastest variant of this range – 6 TH/s is only available here.

It is less suitable if the miner ends up in the basement anyway: there the price per TH/s counts, and the air-cooled NerdQaxe++ wins that comparison. As a first mining device it is also a size too big – buyers describe it as more demanding than a single-chip miner.

Included are the NerdQaxe++ Rev6.1 Hydro miner, the 12V/10A power supply (120 W), a 3D-printed stand and a quick start guide. From you come a socket, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, pool details and your Bitcoin address.

The location rules differ from an air-cooled miner: what matters is a stable, level spot for the loop. A closed cabinet is still off limits – 100 W have to be able to leave the room.

The Hydro needs nothing else to run. The interesting part is the setup around it.

• Mining accessories for power supplies, spare parts and everything that keeps a permanent build tidy.
• Bitcoin nodes if you want your hash rate pointed at your own node and your own pool instead of someone else’s.

The Hydro is for everyone who wants both: the highest hash rate in this range and a miner that is allowed to stand where you live. Around 6 TH/s, open firmware, your own Bitcoin address – for about €20.20 of electricity a month.