The world's fastest Bitaxe GT comes from PowerMining

Sure, there were minor tweaks to the Gamma, which have since led to the third revision. But the next major step was a long time coming.

Admittedly, the title is a bit sensationalist. But if you look at the facts in detail, you’ll find that it’s ultimately less exaggerated than it seems at first glance. In this performance class, no one has ever come close to achieving such figures. So we’re doing exactly what we always do: taking a close look at the whole thing - with a healthy dose of PowerMining magic, of course.

I’ve actually been in this bubble for quite a while now - longer than I even realized myself until recently. Looking at the big picture, things have actually been pretty quiet around the Bitaxe project lately. There were a few minor improvements to the Bitaxe Gamma and a few combinations with other gadgets here and there, but nothing that really stood out in the long run.

The Bitaxe GT, on the other hand, had an unusually long development period - almost too long. This makes the question all the more exciting: What can the GT really do? And above all: Is it a genuine upgrade over the Bitaxe Gamma with BM1370 ASICs, or just the next logical intermediate step?

I actually had to look it up myself to see when I tested the Bitaxe Gamma. It was almost exactly a year and a half ago.

A company that was completely unknown to me at the time approached me and asked if I’d be interested in testing a prototype. That’s right - we’re talking about PowerMining. At that time, they were producing just around 50 units in-house. The crazy thing is: that prototype from back then still runs as smoothly for me today as it did on day one - equipped with “The Ötzi,” which also took me on an exciting journey.

Looking back, it’s almost surreal to see the leap PowerMining has made during this time. From a small, unknown player in the home mining bubble to one of the largest and most renowned manufacturers and direct sellers, including in the B2C sector. PowerMining was also the first manufacturer worldwide to bring the NerdQaxe++ into mass production. In doing so, the company gave the Nerd* project an enormous boost - even before the whole thing became really cool.

That was followed by, among other things, the NerdOCTAXE, for which I had the opportunity to design one of the most minimalist and coolest metal stands together with PowerMining. To be honest, PowerMining has always been there for me throughout all this time. We’ve implemented, tested, and refined many exciting projects together - and we’ve done so over an astonishingly long period in a scene that’s still quite young itself.

So, at this point, I just want to say: Thank you for that. I look forward to many more joint projects with the friendly guys and girls from Lithuania.

But now back to the Bitaxe GT, the final version.

Actually, I’d had a Bitaxe GT prototype from PowerMining on my desk for quite some time. I mean, it was the second iteration. It was far from perfect, but it worked. With this device, I was probably able to successfully overclock one of the world’s very first Bitaxe GTs to 4.06 TH/s. This also made it very likely one of the first Bitaxe GTs from PowerMining to successfully pass such a real-world test. And, by the way, this device is still running today.

What was just the beginning with the prototypes back then is now the foundation of the final Bitaxe GT. I really have to say: PowerMining has once again outdone itself here.

Let’s start with the packaging. It actually has a “wow” factor that you’d normally only expect from a certain manufacturer with an apple in its logo.

The feel, product design, packaging, and accessories all seem well-thought-out and cohesive. Everything is included: an aesthetically pleasing case, a power supply with matching plug adapters, a manual, and even a few stickers. That might sound trivial, but it isn’t. Especially in the home mining sector, we’ve been used to just getting a working circuit board shoved into our hands for long enough.

When I think back to the first Bitaxe Gamma units that were shipped, I have to smile today. Over the past year and a half, PowerMining has clearly invested an enormous amount of work - not only in the technology, but also in the overall experience. That’s exactly what I was missing back then: not just a functioning board, but a truly holistic product.

And it is precisely this overall concept that makes the Bitaxe GT feel so cohesive as an additional product.

Compared to the Bitaxe Gamma, the technical architecture of the Bitaxe GT is significantly different.

A major difference is the operating voltage. With the Bitaxe GT, the voltage was switched from 5 volts to 12 volts for the first time. This brings several advantages. On the one hand, the system becomes significantly more stable during operation, and on the other hand, a 12-volt setup is much more convenient in practice, as power supplies, fans, and potential upgrades can be integrated more easily and neatly.

The difference is even greater when it comes to the power connection. The Bitaxe Gamma still used a classic DC connector, which eventually reached its limits in practice. Things became critical especially at around 45 watts at 5 volts - in the worst case, the connector even melted.

With the Bitaxe GT, PowerMining therefore relies on the significantly better XT30 connector. This is reverse-polarity protected, more robust, and designed for much higher currents. While the old DC connector on the Gamma quickly became critical under higher loads, this problem is practically a thing of the past with the XT30. At 12 volts, a standard XT30 connector can handle around 180 watts continuously, and even significantly more for short periods. For longer overclocking sessions, this is in a whole different league.

Technically, as the name suggests, the Bitaxe GT operates with two BM1370 ASICs. This essentially delivers twice the hashrate of a Bitaxe Gamma. With the default settings, you can achieve around 2.15 TH/s, and depending on the cooling, significantly more is possible here. Mechanically, the board also feels much more stable than that of the Gamma, not least due to the XT30 connector and the overall more robust design.

Another positive feature worth highlighting is the included power supply. It comes with adapters for virtually all relevant outlet types worldwide - that’s definitely a plus.

More importantly, however, it’s not just a nice touch - it’s also appropriately sized. My tests showed that the 60 watts at 12 volts are not only sufficient for normal operation but even provide enough headroom for moderate overclocking. That’s anything but a given.

But enough about the theory, the packaging, and the technical specs. In the end, what matters isn’t how neatly something is packaged or how impressive a spec sheet sounds, but what the Bitaxe GT actually delivers in everyday use. So let’s take a look at how it performs in practice.

In this article, I’d like to focus primarily on standard operation. With the Bitaxe GT, overclocking needs to be considered separately, as the results depend heavily on various factors, such as cooling, ambient temperature, silicon quality, and, of course, the individual setup. Nevertheless, I’ll touch on the topic at least briefly to show what’s generally possible with the GT.

In addition to the standard cooler that comes with the unit out of the box, PowerMining sent me another cooler. This one features a solid copper plate as its base and has significantly more and finer fins. I was also able to test it, though the results are still somewhat mixed at this point, as I believe the mounting options could still be optimized. For this reason, I don’t want to provide any truly reliable test data on it just yet.

I also had the very first cooler from the prototype phase here, which was originally shipped with two extremely loud 7,200 RPM fans. It’s certainly functional, but far from quiet. In my tests, the results ended up being quite close to those of the cooler currently being shipped.

Of course, I couldn’t resist going completely overboard. A solid-copper cooler weighing 1.5 kilograms? Yes, that works too. Even during the brief test with the prototype, it was clear: technically, this is definitely possible. The only question is whether you really want that.

The tests were conducted with the Bitaxe GT in its out-of-the-box configuration, i.e., without any additional modifications. The standard, adequately sized heatsink was used in combination with a powerful yet pleasantly quiet fan. Both components can be seen in the center of the photo.

The test environment and conditions were set as follows:

• Ambient temperature: 23 °C
• Fan setting: PID/Autofan set to 60 °C
• Power supply: the included PSU

Both the lowest clock frequency and the maximum frequency, which could be set directly via AxeOS, were tested. Additionally, I performed a small load test - also using the standard fan and the included cooler.

What’s particularly encouraging is that the Bitaxe GT easily reached 825 MHz using the stock cooler and fan setup. This is an important point, as it demonstrates that even under warmer conditions - such as in hot climates or during the height of summer - stable operation is possible within the settings provided by AxeOS.

At 825 MHz, however, I personally would no longer use the included standard PSU on a permanent basis. In this range, power consumption already reaches nearly 60 watts, which puts the system right at the power limit of the PSU, which is rated for exactly 60 watts. While this should be self-explanatory, it’s worth mentioning for the sake of completeness.It is also worth noting that a power supply should never be loaded to more than 80% of its capacity.

In addition to the benchmark results, which speak for themselves, it’s important to also examine the thermal distribution. Thermal images are particularly useful for this purpose, as they quickly reveal whether there are any real problem areas - or not.

It’s important to note that this assessment is based on the system’s out-of-the-box configuration, meaning without any additional optimizations or overengineering.

In my view, the PowerMining case meets exactly the expectations one should have for a small home miner. Airflow isn’t unnecessarily obstructed, the design is cleanly executed, and there’s even the option to mount an additional fan on the back to relieve the VREGs even more efficiently via active cooling.

The thermal images clearly show that heat is already distributed quite effectively via the copper traces on the PCB. In particular, the larger copper areas on the top of the Bitaxe GT offer even more potential for optimization here - for example, by using thermal pads between the PCB and the heatsink to lower temperatures even further.

As expected, some additional heat is also generated in the area of the XT30 power connector. However, this is not critical at all. At 25.3 °C, this area remains within an absolutely unproblematic range.

The rear side presents a similar picture. As is known from many previous tests, the VREGs are also the hottest spot in the system here. At this point, I would definitely recommend small heatsinks, though it’s almost secondary whether they’re made of aluminum or copper. The key is that some are installed at all.

Installing a small fan on the back can make cooling in this area even more efficient. Conveniently, the included PowerMining case already has suitable mounting holes for this.

But here, too, one thing is clear: during normal operation - that is, without overclocking - none of this is a concern at all. 44.3 °C on the VREGs is actually an exceptionally good reading. With the Bitaxe Gamma, we’ve measured significantly higher temperatures at this point.

The 3D renderings of the copper traces clearly show just how generously the Bitaxe GT is equipped with copper in its PCB layout. This not only makes good electrical sense but also has a direct positive impact on the thermal performance of the entire system.

The available copper areas prevent the generated waste heat from concentrating locally at individual hotspots and distribute it much more effectively across the entire board. This is precisely what contributes to the Bitaxe GT already making a very clean and unproblematic thermal impression right out of the box.

So, is the Bitaxe GT worth recommending? Absolutely: yes.

In my opinion, it’s the first truly accessible entry point into the world of multi-ASIC home miners. That’s exactly what makes it so exciting. On a small scale, it demonstrates very well how systems with multiple ASICs work, how performance, power supply, and cooling compare to a classic single-ASIC miner, and why this approach has been the standard in professional mining for years.
Compared to the Bitaxe Gamma, the Bitaxe GT is therefore not just a minor update, but a genuine step forward in development. You get practically double the hashrate in a very small space and an overall significantly more modern and future-proof platform. Above all, the switch to 12 volts and the transition to the XT30 power connector are clear improvements that pay off immediately in everyday use as well as during overclocking.

It’s particularly pleasing that the Bitaxe GT already makes a very clean impression right out of the box. The cooler and fan design works well, thermal distribution is balanced, problematic hotspots are not detectable, and even 825 MHz was easily achievable with the standard setup. This clearly demonstrates that the GT doesn’t just look good on paper but also performs flawlessly in practice. The only area where I wouldn’t recommend running at the limit long-term is the power supply, since at just under 60 watts, you’re already very close to the specifications of the included power supply.

There’s a simple reason why I mentioned the “fastest Bitaxe GT from PowerMining” at the beginning: I was able to test the prototype - directly, unfiltered, and without any marketing fluff. It became clear very early on just how much potential this platform holds. Based on everything I’ve seen so far, no one else has achieved these performance figures. For that reason alone, the first documented “world record” in terms of hashrate should very clearly go to PowerMining.

However, what PowerMining has done with it is at least just as important.
Because in the end, it’s not just a fast prototype that counts, but a compelling overall product. And that’s exactly what they’ve achieved here. The packaging is exceptionally good, the included components are well-chosen, and the technical implementation is well-thought-out. Visually, too, the Bitaxe GT impresses with its 3D-printed housing combined with the metal stand. The device doesn’t look like a DIY project, but like a fully developed product.

At the same time, the Bitaxe GT remains appealing to enthusiasts. The overclocking potential is definitely there, as my brief tests have already shown. So for those who don’t just want to set up a small miner but also want to experiment, optimize, and explore, this device offers a very exciting platform.

And that is perhaps one of its biggest advantages of all: you don’t buy the Bitaxe GT from just any random reseller, but directly from the manufacturer. This is beneficial in many ways. PowerMining manufactures these devices itself and doesn’t just sell them. This eliminates unnecessary middleman markups, and if needed, you have a direct line to the team. That’s worth its weight in gold when it comes to support, questions, or technical issues.

The bottom line is that the Bitaxe GT from PowerMining is not only a successful upgrade of the Bitaxe Gamma, but currently one of the most exciting miners for anyone looking to get into multi-ASIC home mining.