Bitaxe Variants Explained (2026 edition)

Bitaxe Variants Explained

The Bitaxe scene has blown up since the first boards dropped. What started as a single-chip hobby miner is now a full ecosystem of open-source ASIC miners - from 400 GH/s all the way up to 14 TH/s. Whether you're here to learn, build, or mine, there's something for you.

I did this same article some time in 2024 or 2025 - and we've come a long way so I thought it deserved an update.

Quick Reference:

New to this? Start with a Bitaxe Gamma or NerdQAxe++
Want maximum hashrate? NerdEKO-Gamma (14 TH/s)
Just mucking around? NerdMiner V2
On a budget? Bitaxe Ultra or Supra

The Bitaxe Family

All Bitaxe designs are fully open source - hardware files, firmware, the lot. This is the foundation of the whole OSMU (Open Source Miners United) movement - something we fully support and respect!

Key links:

bitaxe.org - main site
GitHub - all the hardware designs
OSMU - Discord, wiki, community

Bitaxe Max (100 Series)

The original. Where it all kicked off.

ASIC: BM1397 (from the Antminer S17)
Hashrate: 250-450 GH/s
Power: ~15W
Efficiency: ~40-60 J/TH
Good for: Beginners, learning, nostalgia

The Max is where the whole open-source mining thing started. It's the most beginner-friendly option - low power, cheap enough, and there's tonnes of community support if you get stuck.

Links:

GitHub - bitaxeMax (Skot9000's original repo)
Build guides on OSMU wiki

Bitaxe Ultra (200 Series)

The sweet spot for most people.

ASIC: BM1366 (from the Antminer S19XP/S19k Pro)
Hashrate: ~500 GH/s
Power: ~15W
Efficiency: ~30 J/TH
Good for: Home miners, first builds

The Ultra - especially the 204 revision - is battle-tested and you'll find them everywhere. It's the goldilocks of Bitaxe. Not too simple, not too complex, just right - and affordable.

Links:

Bitaxe Supra (400 Series)

Next level performance.

ASIC: BM1368 (from the Antminer S21)
Hashrate: 625-775 GH/s
Power: ~12W
Efficiency: ~15-20 J/TH
Good for: Efficient home mining, experienced builders

The Supra brought redesigned power circuitry and better cooling support. The 401 is the main model here - proper performance for a single-chip miner.

Links:

BitaxeGamma (600 Series)

Current flagship / base model(? noting we see less and less Ultra, Supra, and Max's in the wild these days) - a refined OG Bitaxe with more hashing power. A great place to start your home mining journey with substantial home mining oomph.

ASIC: BM1370 (from the Antminer S21 Pro)
Hashrate: 1.0-1.2 TH/s
Power: ~21W
Efficiency: 15 J/TH (industry-leading)
Good for: Maximum single-chip performance

The Gamma is the pinnacle of single-chip mining. All the lessons from the previous generations went into this - optimised for easier assembly and stable at high clock speeds. Fully compatible with AxeOS firmware of course.

Important note: higher power means more heat. Make sure you've got proper cooling sorted - stock fans can suffice in the short term, but for the longevity of the device/chip - get a decent fan or cooling set up.

Links:

Bitaxe Gamma Turbo (GT) - 800 Series

Dual-chip beast.

ASIC: 2x BM1370 (from the Antminer S21 Pro)
Hashrate: ~2.4 TH/s
Power: ~42W
Efficiency: ~17.5 J/TH
Good for: Power users, advanced builders

The GT doubles up with two BM1370 chips on a single board. This one's for experienced builders who want serious hashrate while keeping the Bitaxe form factor.

Links:

GitHub - BitaxeGT
OSMU Discord - get help from other GT builders

Bitaxe Bonanza

Intel chip as your hasher - experimental.

ASIC: Intel BZM2
Status: Experimental/in development
Good for: Bleeding-edge tinkerers, Intel ASIC enthusiasts

This one's a collaboration exploring Intel's Bitcoin mining ASICs in the open-source world. Early days, but exciting if you want to be at the cutting edge.

Links:

GitHub - bitaxeBonanza

Bitaxe BIRDS

Intel Reference Design System.

ASIC: Intel-based
Status: Development
Good for: Research, development, Intel ecosystem

Another Intel-based experimental design pushing what's possible with open-source mining hardware.

Links:

GitHub - bitaxeBIRDS

The NerdMiner Family

The NerdMiner lot extends the Bitaxe philosophy with different form factors, multi-chip designs, and educational tools. Same open-source DNA, different approaches.

NerdMiner V2

The educational gateway drug.

Chip: ESP32 (not ASIC - this is CPU mining)
Hashrate: ~250 KH/s - 1 MH/s
Power: 1-5W
Good for: Learning, lottery mining, desk ornament

Not technically a Bitaxe variant, but this is where a lot of people start. It's basically a lottery ticket that costs bugger all to run and teaches you how mining actually works. Its cheap, looks great, and gets you interested in the mining process.

Links:

NerdQAxe+ (4-chip BM1368)

Quad-chip intro.

ASIC: 4x BM1368 (from the Antminer S21)
Hashrate: ~2.9 TH/s @ 575MHz
Power: ~60-72W
Efficiency: ~20 W/TH
Good for: Stepping up from single-chip miners

The QAxe+ proved that multi-chip home miners can actually be practical. Four chips delivering solid hashrate without needing industrial-level power.

Links:

NerdQAxe++ (4-chip BM1370)

Current multi-chip champion.

ASIC: 4x BM1370 (from the Antminer S21 Pro)
Hashrate: 4.8-6 TH/s (depends on how hard you push it)
Power: 68-100W
Efficiency: 15 J/TH
Display: 1.9" LCD colour (LILYGO T-Display S3)
Firmware: AxeOS
Good for: Serious home miners who want terahash performance

The QAxe++ is where home mining gets real. Revision 6.1 has spring-mounted heatsinks and thicker copper traces for better reliability and overclocking potential.

Links:

NerdOCTAxe (8-chip)

Going big.

ASIC: 8x BM1370 (from the Antminer S21 Pro)
Hashrate: 9.6-12 TH/s (Rev 3.1 hits 12 TH/s)
Power: 150-240W
Efficiency: ~16.67 J/TH
Good for: Enthusiasts who want near-industrial hashrate at home

Eight chips means serious heat and power draw. You'll need advanced cooling and a decent PSU, but this delivers hashrate that starts competing with entry-level industrial miners.

Links:

GitHub - NerdOCTAXE-Gamma
OSMU Discord - essential for build support

NerdEKO-Gamma (12-chip)

The absolute unit.

ASIC: 12x BM1370 (from the Antminer S21 Pro)
Hashrate: ~14 TH/s
Power: ~230W @ 12V
Efficiency: ~16.4 J/TH
PCB: 6-layer, 2oz copper
Power supply: 12V 40A required
Good for: Expert builders who want maximum hashrate

Warning: This is an advanced build. You need proper electronics knowledge, the right tools, and experience. If you muck this up, you can destroy expensive ASICs instantly. Particularly important - never power up the board with Vcore enabled without a proper heatsink fitted. This will kill the ASICs immediately.

Links:

GitHub - NerdEKO-Gamma
Based on NerdOCTAXE
OSMU Wiki
OSMU Discord - seriously, you'll need this

Which One Should You Get?

"I want to learn how Bitcoin mining actually works"
→ NerdMiner V2 or bitaxeMax
Cheap, low power, easy to understand.

"I want my first real ASIC miner"
→ bitaxeUltra 204 or bitaxeGamma
Proven designs, heaps of community support, widely available.

"I want the best efficiency"
→ bitaxeGamma or NerdQAxe++
Industry-leading 15 J/TH from those BM1370 chips.

"I want serious hashrate at home"
→ NerdQAxe++ (4.8-6 TH/s) or NerdOCTAxe (9.6-12 TH/s)
Terahash performance without industrial noise and heat.

"I want maximum hashrate, bugger the cost"
→ NerdEKO-Gamma (14 TH/s)
Expert-level build, but nothing else comes close in the home miner category.

"I want to contribute to open source"
→ Any Bitaxe variant
Join the OSMU Discord, contribute to GitHub, help others with their builds.