Biostar Doubles Down On Crypto With New B250 Mining Motherboard
Biostar announced a new cryptocurrency mining motherboard that can accommodate up to eight graphics cards--without the use of additional risers or cables.
The company’s new TB250-BTC D+ motherboard doesn’t conform to a standardized form factor, sporting an elongated ATX-like design that measures in at 19.09 x 7.67". The longer size is for the eight double-spaced PCIe x16 slots, which eliminates the need to use riser cards (and cables) in 6-8 GPU mining rigs. Biostar said this reduces energy costs and the risk of burnout with additional components, and that the board will fit into “a single layer mining chassis often found in larger mining operations,” indicating that the TB250-BTC D+ isn’t intended for home users.
The TB250-BTC D+ is compatible with server and ATX power supplies, and it sports a unique power distribution system The left side features inputs for the PSU and the front of the board sports eight 6-pin ports (that you will need to get adapters for) that can power your graphics cards and reduce cable clutter.
With the focus on riser-free GPU accommodation, the TB250-BTC D+ takes a minimalistic approach to the other features. There’s only one single DDR4 SO-DIMM slot (that supports up to 16GB of RAM) and one SATA 6GB/s connector. USB connectivity is just as drab, with only four USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel and one header for any front-panel I/O your mystery single-layer mining chassis may have. There’s also a gigabit Ethernet port powered by a Realtek RTL8111H networking NIC, and you can connect a display using the single HDMI 2.0 port.
Although the features and lack of an easily identifiable consumer chassis that fits the board means that it isn’t geared for home users, the surprisingly reasonable (especially when you look at other boards in the segment) price of the new TB250-BTC D+ could be appealing to some DIY builders considering making a custom mining rig anyway. The Biostar TB250-BTC D+ has a suggested MSRP of $149, but it’s currently listed on Amazon for about $183.
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Derek Forrest was a contributing freelance writer for Tom's Hardware. He covered hardware news and reviews, focusing on gaming desktops and laptops.
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Zaporro And biostar lands on the list of mongrels who openly support cancer mining, not gonna buy single product from them ever.Reply -
zodiacfml As I miner, I agree that this has little value for home use. The board itself is not reusable as a normal motherboard for a PC in case you need to abandon mining.Reply
It also limits itself to 8 slots where other boards allows for at least 10 non high end GPUs. For high end GPUs, the design might be too cramp for effective cooling.