Are you looking for the best socket AM4 mining boards? There aren’t plenty, with Biostar being the only supplier in this niche segment. By presenting the TB350-BTC, Biostar has become the first brand to offer cryptocurrency focussed mining motherboards. The motherboard is based on AM4 socket designed for AMD AM4 CPUs. Cryptocurrency like Ethereum, Zcash, and others have appreciated in value rapidly, giving so much to do for miner communities. Everyone including old and new miners is looking forward to improving their efficiency and performance with power efficiency being the dominant factor. For faster returns on investment, one can utilize more than a single GPU. When Bitcoin was first started, it was only possible to mine through your GPU and CPU. Nowadays, custom hardware allows using more than a single GPU. However, you still have to be careful since using multiple VGA cards would generate the excessive amount of heat and cause operational disruption or even system breakdown.
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With this release, BIOSTAR is the first and probably the only brand to offer a dedicated crypto mining motherboard. Regardless of the type of application or mining, it is the most reliable mining motherboard, at least for now. Note that, for AMD AM4 platform, it is the only professional crypto mining motherboard, specially designed for AMD fans. These motherboards are dedicated to improving crypto mining performance cost-effectively.
Best Socket AM4 Mining Boards
Currently, Biostar has revealed two models only:
1. Biostar TB250-BTC:
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What makes TB350-BTC an ideal mining board?
Biostar TB-350-BTC offers six PCIe slots. It is suitable for people who are looking forward to loading up their mining rig with six graphics cards. It will give a boost to mining speed and hash rate. It helps in enhancing the performance, to further optimize the performance and keep the system stable with these much graphics cards, there are two additional AUX power connectors.
Traditional components are volatile to extreme operating conditions and cause instability. However, TB350-BTC is designed to withstand such conditions. Biostar assures that these motherboards are capable of avoiding such situations and ultimately prevent the downtime and loss.
It supports all AMD AM4 based processors and also AMD A-series APUs. It supports up to 32 GB of DDR4 main memory at 2667 MHz max frequency. The motherboard will have dual channel configuration for RAM. For enhanced network performance, it features Gigabit LAN from Realtek. Realtek network hardware components are known for their speed and performance. With 6x PCIe devices, it can deliver top-notch utilization and best return on investment per system.
Moving to the Input/output connectivity options, you will find following on the rear:
- Legacy PS/2 mouse and keyboard connector
- Single DVI for video output
- Six total USB ports including USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 ports
- Realtek Gigabit LAN port
- Audio input / output ports
Specifications:
Following tables summarizes what currently is known about the TB350 BTC motherboards from the technical point of view:
Chipset | AMD B350 |
CPU Support | All CPUs supporting AM4 socket including AMD A-series APUs Max CPU TDP supported: 95 Watt |
Memory | Dual Channel DDR4 at 1866/2133/2400/2667 2x DDR4 DIMM memory slots Supports up to 32 GB of main memory Each DIMM slot supports Non-ECC and ECC module SR: Single Rank DIMM, 1R x4 or 1R x8 DR: Dual Rank DIMMs, 2R x4 or 2R x8 [Refer to the table below] |
Expansion Slots | 3x PCIe 2.0 x1 slot 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slot Bandwidth is x8 speed when using APU / NPU |
Storage | 4x SATA III connector at 6 GB/s Supports AHCI and RAID 0/1/10 |
USB | 6x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports 6x USB 2.0 ports |
LAN | Realtek RTL 8111H 10/100/1000 MB/s auto negotiation Half / Full Duplex capability |
Codec | ALC887 7.1 Channel high definition audio |
If you are planning to mine Bitcoin, Biostar recommends tweaking the speed to PCIe 1.0 in BIOS settings. Following table represents Memory configuration support for Ryzen CPUs.
Maximum Frequencies | DIMMA1 | DIMMB1 |
DDR4 2667 | SR | – |
DDR4 2667 | DR | – |
DDR4 2667 | SR | SR |
DDR4 2400 | DR | DR |
3. TA320-BTC VER 6.x:
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Following are some highlights of this model by Biostar:
Product Overview:
- AMD Ryzen CPU and A-series APU support
- AMD A320 chipset that possesses a single chip architecture
- 2x DIMM 2667-2400 slots, supporting up to 32 GB of main memory
- Supports DVI-D output
- Comes with USB 3.1 Gen1 support
- One 8 channel high definition audio
Expansion:
- SATA3 connectors
- 1x PCIe x16 3.0 slot
- 5x PCIe x1 slots
- 2x PCIe 12V 4 pin connector
Specifications:
The following table summarizes some important specifications and technical details of this motherboard:
Chipset | AMD A320 chipset |
CPU Support | AMD A-series APUs, AMD Ryzen CPUs, AMD APUs All AMD processors supporting socket AM4 Max CPU thermal design power: 95 Watt |
Memory | 2x DDR4 DIMM slots Supports up to 32GB of DDR4 memory Supports non-ECC and ECC unbuffered memory modules [ refer table below for more compatibility details ] |
Expansion Slots | 1x PCIe x16 3.0 slot [x16 for Ryzen CPU only, NPU/APU run at x8 speed] 2x PCIe x1 3.0 slot 3x PCIe x1 2.0 slot |
Storage | 4x SATA3 Connector SATA RAID 0/1/10 support |
USB | 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 support 1x USB 3.1 Gen1 header 2x USB 2.0 port 2x USB 2.0 port [5V power] 2x USB 2.0 header |
LAN | Realtek RTL8111H network controller 10/100/1000 MB/s speed support Super LAN Surge protection support |
Integrated Video | Based on CPU model DirectX 12 and HDCP support included |
Audio | Realtek ALC 887 Audio Coded Eight channel high definition audio |
Rear I/O Interface | PS/2 Mouse PS/2 Keyboard 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports 2x USB 2.0 ports 2x USB 2.0 ports [5V power] DVI-D connector with 1920 x 1200 resolution at 60 Hz RJ-45 Ethernet Port Triple Audio Connectors |
Internal I/O Interfaces | USB 3.1 Gen 1 header 2x USB 2.0 headers 4x SATA 6 GB/s connectors SATA power connector Front audio header Front panel header CPU fan header System fan header Serial header 2x PCIe 12V 4 pin connector [recommended installing for Bitcoin mining] |
H/W Monitoring | CPU and system temperature monitoring System fan monitoring Smart / Manual CPU / system fan control System Voltage Monitoring |
Dimension | ATX Form Factor Dimension: 29.5 x 21 cm (W x L) |
OS Support | Windows 7 / 10 [x64] Compatible |
Bundled Software and Accessories | Bull Guard protection software Smart Speed LAN software for Windows 7 only 2x SATA cables I/O shield DVD driver User manual |
Other Features | 100% solid capacitor support for long life BIOS flasher and Online update support |
Memory Support:
Maximum | DIMMA1 | DIMMB1 |
DDR4 2667 | SR | – |
DDR4 2667 | DR | – |
DDR4 2667 | SR | SR |
DDR4 2400 | DR | DR |
[SR: single rank DIMM, 1R x4 or 1R x8]
[DR: dual rank DIMMs, 2R x4 or 2R x8]
After providing you an overview of all the important specifications and features here is a brief discussion about this motherboard and the features delivered by it:
Audio:
Biostar Audio+ technology is used in this motherboard for delivering HD sound without losing audio fidelity. Audio art Nichicon audio capacitors are used for artistic sound resolution and HD audio amplification effect. Your room will be no less than a DJ house once you pair this motherboard with proper sound peripherals. Nothing wrong in mining and listing to music!
Video:
As far as LCD & LED monitors are considered as a primary output, you should always prefer DVI over VGA output. DVI is a digital output medium, where VGA is an analog one. A DVI connection allows the display to digitize the picture pixel by pixel, ultimately boosting the quality; DVI sends data for every pixel. Thus, the picture generated on display is almost noiseless when compared to the image produced on the graphics device as output.
It supports direct x12 that enhances your GPU performance. It complements in gaming, content-creation and overall graphics performance of the system. It helps the system take most out of your dedicated graphics processing hardware.
Data Transfer:
It is equipped with PCIe Gen 3 that delivers double as bandwidth performance compared to traditional PCIe 2.0. It delivers around 8 GT/s bit rate. Altogether, it delivers great performance without harming compatibility with software and maintains the same interface. Moreover, there is USB 3.0 that guarantees up to 5 GB/s of theoretical internal transfer rate. It is backward compatible with all USB 2.0 components and delivers ten times speed compared to USB 2.0.
Other highlights:
- Moisture proof PCB
- Low resistance design for reducing energy loss, controlling temperature and increasing thermal conductivity
- USB power engine with SATA power interface for handling ultra-high load of USB
- Capable of enduring massive electric current thanks to robust power enhanced protection
- Anti-surge protection against variable voltage
- Super LAN surge protection, ESD protection, Iron Heart protection
- USB Polly switch
- Over current, over voltage, and heat protection
Choosing the right Hardware for your Mining Rig:
Biostar is offering variable platform options with this motherboard, specially designed for crypto mining. It is entirely compatible for complimenting any crypto-mining operations you wish it to, and it is quite impressive at it.
Before you rush and set your mining rig up, there are a lot of aspects to consider. If Biostar is to be believed, they highly recommend starting with graphics cards like AMD like Radeon RX 470 or higher. However, we would personally recommend a Vega 64 GPU instead. Once the graphics card is finalized, you can move to choosing other necessary parts including the PCI-e risers. These are only used if you are planning to use up to six graphics cards. In such condition, you will require two separate power supplies. For enhancing GPU performance, system stability, and power delivery, this motherboard comes with dedicated AUX power connector.
Conclusion:
With the release of these two dedicated mining motherboards; Biostar has set an entirely new and next level stage for cryptocurrency miners. These are the boards which a professional miner should look forward to for best return on their investment of time and money. We are sure that other brands would soon be following this layout and release more similar products. We assure that we will keep you up to date on this.
We hope you like our post on the Best Socket AM4 Mining Boards available on the market. Feedbacks and suggestions are welcome in the comment section below. See you on the next one!
Indrajit
Feedback taken. Tweaked that last line. Cheers!
Ken
Regarding your last statement: "You can get a Snapdragon 835 powered Android device at hal...
Indrajit
6 core 12 threads?