Bitaxe miner guide: what a Bitaxe is, how it works and which one suits you

A Bitaxe is a Bitcoin miner in miniature: a Bitmain ASIC on an open board, an ESP32 as the controller, a 40 mm fan, AxeOS in the browser. Technically it does the same as a machine in a data centre – at 15 watts and under 15 dB(A) on your desk. This guide explains how it works, which models exist, how to set it up and who it is meant for. Prices and buying advice are under <a href="/en/buy-bitaxe">Buy a Bitaxe</a>.

Aktualisiert am 22. August 2026

What a Bitaxe is

In 2023 the Bitaxe project did something the mining industry had not wanted for ten years: it put a single ASIC from an Antminer on its own open board and published the firmware for it. An Antminer S21 Pro carries hundreds of these chips, needs 3,500 W and a basement; a Bitaxe carries one chip, needs 15 W and a free spot on the shelf. The computing work is the same – SHA-256 hashes on a block template – only the scale differs.

So the Bitaxe is not a toy and not a “learning device” but a full miner with the hash rate of one chip. Every hash it finds has the same chance of a block as every hash from a farm. What differs is the number: a Gamma computes 1.3 trillion hashes per second, the network around 1,000 quintillion.

How a Bitaxe works

BM1370 ASIC on the board of a Bitaxe Gamma

The ASIC (BM1370) is a chip that can do nothing but compute SHA-256 – but 1.3 trillion times per second at 15 W. In the Gaia it is the newer BM1373 (2.6 TH/s at 25 W), in the Bitaxe 702 six older BM1368.
The ESP32-S3 is the microcontroller next to it: it connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, fetches the block template from the pool, hands it to the ASIC, collects the results, controls fan and voltage and serves the web interface.
AxeOS is that web interface (firmware: ESP-Miner, open source on GitHub). You open the miner’s IP in the browser and see hash rate, temperature, shares and best difficulty; that is where you enter pool and Bitcoin address. No account, no app, no manufacturer server.
The voltage regulator turns 5 V (on the Gamma) into around 1.15 V for the ASIC – it is the component that reaches its limit when overclocking, not the chip.
Fan and heatsink keep the ASIC under 65 °C. A 40 mm fan is enough on the Gamma; from four chips (NerdQaxe) it becomes a 92 mm fan or water.

The sequence in operation: the pool sends a block template, the ASIC tries nonces, every hash below the pool difficulty goes back as a share – proof that the miner is working – and a hash below the network difficulty is a block. Every ten minutes somebody in the world finds one, and the game starts again. What that means for your chance is worked out in Finding a block with a Bitaxe.

The models

The Bitaxe family ranges from one chip to eight. Nerdaxe, NerdQaxe and NerdOctaxe are open developments on the same basis – same chips, same firmware, their own boards with a large display.

Model	ASIC	Hash rate	Power	Noise	Price
Bitaxe Gamma 601	1 × BM1370	~1.3 TH/s	~15 W	under 15 dB(A)	€139.00
Bitaxe Copperzilla	1 × BM1370	~1.5 TH/s	~22 W	under 15 dB(A), copper cooler	€179.00
Nerdaxe Gamma	1 × BM1370	~1.3 TH/s	~15 W	under 15 dB(A), 1.9" display	€159.00
Nerdaxe Gaia	1 × BM1373	~2.6 TH/s	~25 W	quiet, 1.9" display	€249.00
Bitaxe GT	2 × BM1370	2.15 TH/s	43 W	quiet	€229.00
Bitaxe 702	6 × BM1368	~4.2 TH/s	~90 W	audible	€239.00
NerdQaxe++	4 × BM1370	~4.8 TH/s	~80 W	92 mm fan, calm	€349.00
NerdQX	4 × BM1370	~8 TH/s	~140 W	~38 dB, closed case	€429.00
NerdOctaxe	8 × BM1370	~12 TH/s	~200 W	utility room	€699.00

For a first miner the Gamma is the right choice: quiet enough for the living room, €3 of electricity a month, set up in ten minutes. The Nerdaxe Gamma is the same device with a display, the Gaia the most efficient variant (around 10 J/TH). If you want more chance, take the NerdQaxe++ – four times the hash rate, still living-room friendly. The detailed comparison is in Bitaxe or Nerdaxe, all devices with prices and availability in the miner comparison.

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Bitcoin miners, Bitaxe miners 4,8

Setup in ten minutes

Plug in the power supply (5 V / 6 A on the Gamma, included). Display and fan start after two seconds.
With your phone, join the Wi-Fi Bitaxe_XXXX, open http://192.168.4.1, enter your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, save. The miner reboots and shows its IP on the display.
Open the IP in the browser – that is AxeOS. Under Pool Settings: host pool.opensourceminers.de, port 3333, user = your Bitcoin address, password x. The pool configurator provides the values ready to copy.
Save, restart. After one to two minutes the shares rise and the ASIC temperature settles below 65 °C. Done.

The guide with pictures: Bitaxe setup, for the Nerd devices Nerdaxe and NerdQaxe. If something does not work, the troubleshooter gets you to the cause in three clicks. What every readout in AxeOS means is in AxeOS explained.

Solo or pool?

A Bitaxe can do both; solo is the sensible choice: in a regular pool a Gamma earns around 4 cents a day – less than its 10 cents of electricity. In solo mode it instead plays in every draw for the entire block (3.125 BTC plus fees), with a chance of about 1 in 15,000 per year. Our solo pool pool.opensourceminers.de takes no fee for that and pays a find straight to your address. Background and figures: Solo mining.

Who a Bitaxe is meant for

For anyone who wants not just to hold Bitcoin but to understand it and take part: your own hash rate on the network, a device whose firmware you can read, a ticket in every draw – for the electricity cost of an LED lamp. For tinkerers who want to overclock, swap coolers and connect the miner to their own node. And for beginners who want a working miner in ten minutes, without Linux, without a soldering iron.

It is not meant for anyone expecting a return: in expected value a Bitaxe earns less than it costs in electricity. If you want to make money with it you need a warehouse, not a desk. And it is not a black box: if you want a device you plug in and never look at again, the Avalon Nano 3S serves you better.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Bitaxe a real ASIC miner?

Yes. The Bitaxe Gamma runs the same BM1370 ASIC as an Antminer S21 Pro – just one instead of hundreds. It computes real SHA-256 hashes on real block templates and can find a real block.

Can you mine at home with a Bitaxe?

That is what it is made for: 15 W, under 15 dB(A), 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, setup through the browser. A Gamma costs around €3 of electricity a month and sits on the desk.

Is a Bitaxe suitable for beginners?

Yes. The setup consists of entering Wi-Fi and four pool values in AxeOS – ten minutes, no computer knowledge needed. The guide with pictures and the pool configurator take you by the hand.

Can you solo mine with a Bitaxe?

Yes, and that is the sensible mode: host pool.opensourceminers.de, port 3333, your Bitcoin address as the user. A find goes entirely to you; a Gamma’s chance is around 1 in 15,000 per year.

Do you need a computer for a Bitaxe?

Only for the setup, and a smartphone is enough for that: AxeOS is a web page on your home network. A PC is only needed if you want to update the firmware over USB via the web flasher – the dashboard update works without one.

Is a Bitaxe worth it financially?

As an investment, no: a Gamma’s expected value is a good 21,000 satoshis a year for about €37 of electricity. A Bitaxe is a ticket for the entire block plus your own hash rate on the network – that is the reason to run it.

Is a Bitaxe loud?

The Gamma sits under 15 dB(A) – quieter than a fridge. It becomes audible from four chips: the NerdQaxe++ with its 92 mm fan is unobtrusive in a study, the NerdQX sits at 38 dB, the NerdOctaxe belongs in a utility room.

Do you need a lot of technical knowledge?

No. Anyone who can type an IP address into a browser can set up a Bitaxe. You only need prior knowledge if you want to overclock or run your own node – both are optional and described step by step in our guides.