Russian-based startup Comino has invented a cryptocurrency miner that leverages the heat it generates from stacking Ethereum (ETH/USD) to heat the house. Mix - a tech writer based in Amsterdam - has tested the device at its office for a month, The Next Web reported.
Comino is among the first miners specifically aimed at regular consumers – and not strictly hardcore crypto-enthusiasts. Comino co-founder Anatoliy Knyazev says they aim to be “the Apple of crypto-miners.”
“We want to make a product that is easy for everyone to use. Ideally, you won’t even need to read through the documentation, you just plug it in and it starts working,” he said.
Comino, which runs a customized version of Ubuntu, can easily be modified for tasks other than mining. It often gets enquiries from researchers, involved with high-intensity computing tasks, who are interested in re-purposing the machine for other uses.
Unlike home-made miners, which tend to be rather bulky in size and often make very loud noises, the Comino was designed to be much more discrete and accommodating, another co-founder Evgeny Vlasov explains.
Vlasov and Knyazev say the device is equipped with proprietary water-cooling system that will keep the machine alive for years.
The Comino N1 boasts eight ASUS P106-100 6G graphic cards mounted on an ASUS PRIME Z270-A Motherboard, as well as 3 NOCTUA NF-A14 PPC-2000 PWM fans, a customized Black Ice NEMESIS GTX420 radiator and 2 Chieftech PROTON BDF-750C 750W power supply units.
Comino stands 63.5cm tall, with a length of 45.9cm and a width of 17.5cm, which means one can easily fit it in an idle corner of your room and forget about it.
Mix claim the device has mined over 1.2 ETH since being installed in the office on November 16. This equals to roughly 1 ETH per month.
Comino costs $5,000, but it keeps the temperature high enough to save some energy on heating bills.