Bitaxe Gamma 601 review
The open-source lottery ticket of Bitcoin mining: 1.2 TH/s at 18 W, built by a community that publishes its schematics.
Bitaxe Gamma 601 specifications
Should you buy the Bitaxe Gamma 601?
The Bitaxe project exists to decentralize Bitcoin mining, and the Gamma 601 is its current flagship design. It is a community effort rather than a product line: full schematics live in public repositories under the bitaxeorg organization on GitHub, no single manufacturer controls it, and the goal is to put a real SHA-256 miner, however small, into as many ordinary homes as possible. Released in 2024, the Gamma 601 is built around one BM1370, the same ASIC chip that powers the Antminer S21 Pro, run singly instead of by the hundred.
The project is honest about earnings, so this page will be too. At 1.2 TH/s against a network hashrate of about 910 EH/s as of August 2026, your slice of the network is roughly one part in 760 million. Most owners therefore mine solo, where finding a block would pay the entire 3.125 BTC subsidy plus fees, and treat the machine like a raffle ticket that never expires: a fresh draw arrives with every block, about 144 times a day, and the average wait is measured in thousands of years. You do not buy one to profit. You buy one to learn how mining works, to hold auditable hardware, and to add one more independent hasher to the network.
The footprint matches the philosophy. The Gamma 601 draws 18 W (15.0 J/TH), stays under 30 dB, and is configured through AxeOS in any browser, where you set the pool, Wi-Fi, frequency, and voltage yourself. Community vendors such as Bitaxe Hardware sell it for $150 to $250 as of August 2026.
Pros and cons
What works
- Fully open hardware: schematics, board files, and AxeOS firmware are public on GitHub under bitaxeorg, so you can audit, repair, or build your own
- Draws 18 W (0.432 kWh per day), so running costs stay around 4 cents a day at $0.10 per kWh
- Under 30 dB with a small or passive fan, quiet enough for a bookshelf
- Browser-based AxeOS control of pool, Wi-Fi, frequency, and voltage, with no vendor account required
- Uses the BM1370, the same ASIC as the Antminer S21 Pro, reaching 15.0 J/TH efficiency
- Every unit adds one independent hasher to the network, which is the project's stated purpose
What to watch
- Expected income is effectively zero: at 1.2 TH/s a solo block is a once-in-millennia event on average, so the $150 to $250 price is never earned back
- No manufacturer warranty or support desk; help comes from community vendors and forums
- Pool mining at 1.2 TH/s pays out dust, so the only compelling way to run it is the solo lottery
- Tinkering is part of the deal: firmware updates and voltage or frequency tuning are on you
How the Bitaxe Gamma 601 compares
Frequently asked questions
How loud is the Bitaxe Gamma 601?
Under 30 dB, quieter than a library reading room and close to a whisper. With passive cooling or a single small fan, it can sit on a desk or shelf without announcing itself, which is exactly where most owners keep it.
What does the Gamma 601 cost to run?
About 4 cents a day at a typical rate. It uses 0.432 kWh per day, so at $0.10 per kWh the math is 0.432 x $0.10 = $0.043 a day, roughly $1.30 a month or $15.77 a year. At double that electricity rate it is still about $2.60 a month.
What are the real odds of finding a block solo at 1.2 TH/s?
About 1 in 760 million per block against the roughly 910 EH/s network as of August 2026. With around 144 blocks a day, the average wait runs to thousands of years, which is why owners call it lottery mining: every block is a new draw and the ticket never expires. If it ever hits, the prize is the full 3.125 BTC subsidy plus fees.
Is the hardware really open source?
Yes, completely. The schematics, board designs, and AxeOS firmware are published under the bitaxeorg organization on GitHub, so you can inspect the design, fix a board, or assemble one from parts instead of buying assembled units from community vendors like Bitaxe Hardware.