Cointerra Terraminer IV Review: Cream of the Crop, for NOW

Dedicated Bitcoin mining computers, aka ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit)

Cointerra IV Setup for Bitcoin Mining

The Cointerra IV was launched for public purchase in January of 2014. I recently got my hands on the early January Batch in the end of August. I am reviewing the miner as my experience with it as many people have never seen a miner much less used one. The miner is physically comparable to a desktop, albeit a large, but thin one, and is used in the horizontal position. Setting it up requires some prior planning as it uses an Ethernet cable and requires a 25 amp fuse. This miner is clearly not intended for most home use, as its electrical usage requires a 1600 Watts max. The fuse method could be worked around by using separate power outlets on separate fuses.  25amp * 120V = 3,000 Watts. By using two standard power outlets on separate circuits as opposed to alternative miners, it can be used in most at home, but in my experience it is not recommended. This AISC is one of the first and the best in class, but it is likely to get outdated as competitors will make more efficient bitcoin miners.

Mining Bitcoin with the miner is quite simple once its setup. Simply go to a computer on the same LAN and ping all devices to locate the IP address for the miner. Using the IP address, you can configure the wallet payout address. Payout frequency are dependent on the mining pool.

In this cointerra terraminer iv review, we’ll look at basic operation and what one needs to know before they buy a bitcoin miner:

Cointerra Terraminer IV Review

Mining Bitcoin at Home

Although we initially planned to purchase the Cointerra IV, we didn’t. It is too loud and creates too much heat for use in an apartment. Although the Bitcoin miner mined Bitcoin quite efficiently, it is not ideal for location in a home office or bedroom. It could be used in a basement or cellar when provided with adequate ventilation, but it is not the solution to home Bitcoin mining.

One thing about the Cointerra IV is that it is loud! It sounds like several vacuum cleaners or hair dryers on at the same time. It basically functions as a hair dryer to the untrained eye, because it will heat the room. Additional cooling is recommended in most circumstances.

Author’s Note May 22, 2019: Although I initially reviewed the device in 2017, it was never posted. Bitcoin mining is now considered an industrial endeavor for most. The days of mining Bitcoin at home are numbered. However, many other cryptocurrencies have the potential to be mined at home. Cointerra is now defunct and bankrupt, and the only major manufacturer of dedicated Bitcoin mining equipment is Bitmain with their Antminers S17 Pro, Antminer T17, and Antminer A17. These units generate between 14.5 TH/s and 40 TH/s.