KnCMiner is now offering its 28 nm SHA256-crunching chips, used in its Jupiter mining equipment, for individual sale.
The company says that the chips will be priced at $27 apiece and sold in sets of 200, $5400 per set. The company points out that the pricing is below the original cost for the chips' purchase. Said KnCMiner CEO Sam Cole:
“We understand that not everyone had the desire, or even wherewithal, to purchase new miners in order to keep up with hashing demands. With the release of these chips, it’s possible for miners to configure their boards and see a real-cost of below 15 cents per gigahash per second.”
The offering is branded as "Make your own Bitcoin miners". Additionally, the chips can be purchased as an alternative to replacing entire boards no longer operational.
In selling the chips individually, the company makes disclaimers on their quality level:
"Because of Yield rate, the number of useable cores varies. Statistically, at least 70 percent of production at this level has contained chips with 100 percent usable cores. Up to 90 percent of all chips have 187 or more usable cores, with the rest of the chips varying below that number."
The company did not specify if the chips have been previously used, and if so, how much. The chips may originate from excess stock originally intended for the Jupiter. Worst case, they were already used for mining operations or are being resold from customer refunds.
