Owned Hardware vs. Hashrate Rental — Cost Comparison for Solo Lottery Mining
Side-by-side cost analysis of owning ASIC hardware versus renting hashrate on NiceHash and MiningRigRentals for solo mining. Electricity breakeven, cost per PH/s/day, multi-year TCO, and when each strategy wins.
Solo mining is a lottery: you pay an ongoing cost in exchange for a chance at a full block reward. The core question is always the same — what is the cheapest way to buy lottery tickets?
This guide gives you the numbers to answer that question, comparing the true cost per PH/s/day of three strategies — owning an Antminer S21+, renting from NiceHash, and renting from MiningRigRentals (MRR) — at three common electricity price points. All numbers reflect early 2026 market conditions. Always verify live prices before any meaningful spend — they move with BTC, network difficulty, and seller competition.
1. The Three Strategies
There are three fundamentally different ways to buy SHA-256 lottery tickets for SoloFury.
Owned hardware means buying an ASIC, paying electricity 24/7, and running it continuously. Your cost is fixed and ongoing — you pay whether you mine or not. You also keep a depreciating asset you can resell.
NiceHash hashrate marketplace sells aggregated, anonymous SHA-256 hashrate by the second. You buy hashrate at a price expressed in BTC/PH/s/day, point it at any pool (SoloFury included), and pay only when the order is active. The hashrate comes from many anonymous sellers and quality is variable — actual delivered hashrate can fluctuate ±10–20% from the order target, especially on short auctions.
MiningRigRentals (MRR) rents specific, identifiable rigs by the hour. Each listed rig shows its hashrate, Rig Performance Index (RPI), and price in BTC/TH/day. You see exactly which physical machine you are renting. Rentals run from 3 hours to 1 month. Hashrate delivery is more stable than NiceHash because you are renting a single dedicated rig with a track record.
2. Reference Hardware: Antminer S21+
We use the Antminer S21+ as the reference owned miner throughout this guide. It is the most common high-performance SHA-256 ASIC currently used with SoloFury.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Hashrate | 235 TH/s (0.235 PH/s) |
| Power consumption | 3,877 W |
| Efficiency | 16.5 J/TH |
| Purchase price | ~$2,800 (new, 2026 market) |
| Amortization period | 36 months |
| Monthly depreciation | ~$78/month |
Monthly power consumption: 3.877 kW × 720 hours = 2,791 kWh/month
3. Owned Hardware Cost Breakdown
| Electricity | Monthly kWh cost | + Depreciation | Total/month | Cost/PH/s/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.075/kWh | $209 | +$78 | $287 | $40.7 |
| $0.085/kWh | $237 | +$78 | $315 | $44.7 |
| $0.100/kWh | $279 | +$78 | $357 | $50.6 |
Formula: Cost/PH/s/day = Total monthly cost ÷ (0.235 PH/s × 30 days)
These costs cover electricity and hardware depreciation only. If you use a co-location hosting service, add their fee (typically $0.05–0.08/kWh all-in for mining facilities in the US, already inclusive of power).
4. Multi-Year TCO — How Owned Economics Improve Over Time
Hardware depreciation is the largest non-electricity cost in year 1, but it shrinks dramatically over time. After 36 months at our amortization assumption, the depreciation contribution drops to zero — you are only paying electricity.
The table below shows the effective cost per PH/s/day at $0.085/kWh over a 5-year operating window, assuming the S21+ continues to run and remains profitable post-amortization.
| Operating window | Avg. depreciation contribution | Avg. cost/PH/s/day |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 only | $78/month | $44.7 |
| Years 1–2 average | $78/month | $44.7 |
| Years 1–3 average | $78/month | $44.7 |
| Years 1–4 average | $58.5/month (4 yr spread) | $41.9 |
| Years 1–5 average | $46.8/month (5 yr spread) | $40.2 |
After 5 years of operation, the effective cost per PH/s/day approaches the pure electricity floor of ~$33.6/PH/s/day at $0.085/kWh. If you can keep the machine running longer than the standard 3-year amortization, your owned-hardware economics get materially better than any rental option on the market.
5. NiceHash Rental Cost
NiceHash’s SHA-256 marketplace connects buyers who want hashrate with anonymous sellers who own ASICs. The rental price fluctuates with BTC price, network demand, and time of day.
| Order type | Typical cost per PH/s/day | Reliability | Min order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed price | $50–65 | High — hashrate guaranteed for duration | ~0.005 BTC |
| Standard auction | $42–55 | Variable — can be outbid mid-rental | ~0.001 BTC |
Platform fees: NiceHash charges the buyer a service fee (~3%) plus on-chain network fees for BTC payment. Effective cost ends up roughly 3–5% above the headline rental price.
No upfront capital. No ongoing costs when not renting. This is the key advantage over ownership: you pay only when the order is active.
6. MiningRigRentals (MRR) Cost
MRR is a marketplace for specific physical rigs. Rather than buying anonymous aggregated hashrate, you rent a particular Antminer/Whatsminer/etc. that an owner has listed.
| Algorithm category | Typical cost per PH/s/day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SHA-256 (standard) | $42–55 | Most common, broad rig selection |
| SHA-256 AsicBoost | $45–60 | ~5–10% premium for AsicBoost-compatible rigs (efficiency gain) |
Platform fees: MRR charges renters a 3% transaction fee on every rental, paid upfront with the rental cost. No additional withdrawal/network fees because BTC is sent directly to the rig owner.
Rental duration: 3 hours minimum, 1 month maximum. The 3-hour minimum is useful for testing short difficulty-window strategies; the 1-month cap means you cannot lock in long contracts (good for flexibility, bad if you want price stability).
Rig Performance Index (RPI): Every listed rig has an RPI score (BEST, GOOD, OK, BAD, or NEW) based on past rental performance. Prefer BEST and GOOD rigs, even at a 5–10% premium, because a BAD rig may deliver 60–70% of advertised hashrate or drop out mid-rental.
7. Head-to-Head Cost per PH/s/day (All Three Strategies)
The table below collapses everything into a single comparison. All rental prices include platform fees.
| Strategy | $0.075/kWh | $0.085/kWh | $0.100/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| S21+ owned (Year 1) | $40.7 | $44.7 | $50.6 |
| S21+ owned (5-yr avg) | $36.7 | $40.2 | $46.6 |
| NiceHash fixed (mid +3%) | ~$59 | ~$59 | ~$59 |
| NiceHash auction (mid +3%) | ~$50 | ~$50 | ~$50 |
| MRR (standard +3%) | ~$50 | ~$50 | ~$50 |
| MRR (AsicBoost +3%) | ~$54 | ~$54 | ~$54 |
Key takeaways:
- Owned hardware at $0.075–0.085/kWh is the cheapest option per PH/s/day, in every category.
- NiceHash auctions and MRR standard rentals are roughly equivalent in price (~$50/PH/s/day including fees), with MRR offering more stable delivery.
- NiceHash fixed price is the most expensive option but the most predictable — useful when you absolutely need guaranteed hashrate for a specific window.
- Above $0.10/kWh, rental becomes more competitive with owned hardware — and at $0.12+/kWh, renting is almost always cheaper than running your own ASIC.
However, cost per PH/s/day is not the whole story for solo lottery mining. Read on.
8. What Cost per PH/s/day Does Not Capture
In a solo lottery, when you mine matters as much as how much it costs. Three factors that pure cost comparison ignores:
Network difficulty timing. SHA-256 difficulty adjusts every ~2 weeks on BTC (every ~144 blocks on BCH). Immediately after a downward difficulty adjustment, every unit of hashrate has better odds of finding a block. A renter can wait for that window and strike with concentrated hashrate. An owned miner pays 24/7 regardless of whether difficulty is favorable.
Burst hashrate. Renting gives you access to hashrate you could never afford to own. For $500 on NiceHash or MRR, you can rent 8–10 PH/s for ~24 hours — giving you the same lottery coverage as 43+ Antminer S21+ machines running simultaneously. The block-finding odds of a single burst at 10 PH/s are dramatically better than 0.235 PH/s running continuously for 42 days, even though the total hashrate-time (PH/s × days) is the same.
Coin-switching agility. Owned hardware can switch between SoloFury’s 5 coins (BTC, BCH, BC2, BCH2, XEC) for free. Rentals can switch too — just change the pool URL on your active order — but you are paying premium rental rates regardless of which coin you target.
9. Monthly Scenario Comparison
Four realistic scenarios at $0.085/kWh electricity. All rental costs include 3% platform fees.
Scenario A — Continuous owned hardware (1× S21+)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity (720h) | $237 |
| Hardware depreciation | $78 |
| Total monthly | $315 |
| Hashrate | 0.235 PH/s continuous |
| Total lottery exposure | 0.235 × 30 = 7.05 PH/s·days |
Scenario B — NiceHash burst rental ($315 monthly budget)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Budget | $315 |
| Rental rate (fixed, w/ fees) | ~$59/PH/s/day |
| Hashrate available | $315 ÷ $59 = ~5.3 PH/s·days |
| Example deployment | 5 PH/s × 1.07 days, or 2 × 12h bursts |
Scenario C — MRR burst rental ($315 monthly budget)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Budget | $315 |
| Rental rate (standard SHA-256, w/ fees) | ~$50/PH/s/day |
| Hashrate available | $315 ÷ $50 = ~6.3 PH/s·days |
| Example deployment | 5 PH/s × 1.26 days, or 3 × 10h bursts on a BEST-rated rig |
Scenario D — Hybrid (owned S21+ + 1 MRR burst/month)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Owned S21+ (base) | $315/month |
| MRR burst: 5 PH/s × 1 day | ~$250 |
| Total monthly | $565 |
| Total lottery exposure | 7.05 + 5 = 12.05 PH/s·days |
10. SoloFury-Specific Example: BCH2 Burst with MRR
BCH2 has the lowest network difficulty of any coin on SoloFury. This makes it the ideal candidate for a rental-burst strategy: you can dominate the network with affordable hashrate for a short window.
Setup:
- Rent 5 PH/s on MRR for 12 hours (high-RPI rig, SHA-256 AsicBoost)
- Point at SoloFury BCH2:
stratum+tcp://bch2.solofury.com:7070(oreu-bch2/asia-bch2for closer region) - Worker username:
<your_BCH2_wallet>.bch2burst1
Cost:
- 5 PH/s × 0.5 day × $54/PH/s/day (MRR AsicBoost w/ fees) = ~$135
Expected outcome:
- BCH2 block reward: check current value at
/halloffame/for the latest tally - During the 12-hour burst, your 5 PH/s represents a meaningful share of the BCH2 network hashrate — substantially improving the probability of finding at least one block compared to background mining
- If you find a block: 99% of the reward goes directly to your wallet (1% SoloFury fee), no withdrawal threshold, no custody
For network hashrate and difficulty data on each SoloFury coin before deploying a burst, check the live /stats/ page and the Block Explorer.
11. When Owning Wins
Owned hardware is the better choice when:
- Your electricity cost is below $0.085/kWh. Below this threshold, owned hardware beats every rental option on cost per PH/s/day.
- You plan to mine continuously for 3+ years. Hardware depreciation drops out of the math after amortization. Years 4–5 onward, you pay only electricity — roughly $30–35/PH/s/day at $0.085/kWh, cheaper than any rental on the market.
- You want 24/7 lottery coverage. Every hour your machine is running, you are buying lottery tickets. Rental has gaps between orders and rate fluctuations.
- You want resale optionality. A used S21+ retains 30–60% of its value after 1–2 years. Hardware is a recoverable asset; rental fees are sunk costs.
- You plan to mine multiple coins. Owned hardware can switch freely between SoloFury coins without any cost change, perfect for following difficulty windows across BTC, BCH, BC2, BCH2, and XEC.
12. When Renting Wins (and Which to Use)
Renting is the better choice when:
- You have no upfront capital. Renting requires no $2,800–$5,000+ hardware investment. You can start with $50.
- Your electricity is above $0.10/kWh. At this cost, owned hardware approaches typical rental rates.
- You want to time difficulty windows. Rent specifically after a downward difficulty adjustment for best odds per dollar.
- You want a high-intensity short burst. Renting 10–50 PH/s for a few hours gives you lottery odds impossible to achieve with 1–2 owned ASICs.
- You want zero ongoing commitment. No machine to manage, no electricity bill, no hardware failure risk.
- You want to test solo mining before committing to hardware ownership.
Use NiceHash when:
- You need large hashrate volumes (>20 PH/s) instantly
- You are comfortable with ±10–20% delivered hashrate variance
- You want the cheapest possible auction prices during low-demand periods
Use MRR when:
- Hashrate stability is critical for your solo mining strategy
- You want to vet rig performance before renting (check RPI score)
- You are running shorter, more targeted bursts (3h–24h)
- You want AsicBoost-compatible hashrate at a small premium
13. The Breakeven Price: When Renting Beats Owning
The table below shows the maximum rental price at which owned hardware is still cheaper, at each electricity cost (Year 1 numbers, including platform fees on rental side).
| Electricity | Owned cost/PH/s/day | Renting wins when rental costs less than… |
|---|---|---|
| $0.075/kWh | $40.7 | $40.7 — owned almost always wins |
| $0.085/kWh | $44.7 | $44.7 — owned beats most fixed orders; competitive with MRR/auctions |
| $0.100/kWh | $50.6 | $50.6 — rental competitive with most options |
| $0.120/kWh | ~$60 | ~$60 — rental usually wins over owned |
If you are in a region where electricity costs $0.10/kWh or above, check live rental prices on both NiceHash and MRR before mining. You may find that renting is cheaper per PH/s/day than running your own machine — especially if amortization is still active in your first 3 years.
14. Summary Decision Framework
Do you have $2,500+ to invest in hardware?
├── No → Rent (MRR for stability, NiceHash for scale or auctions)
└── Yes → Is your electricity under $0.085/kWh?
├── Yes → Own hardware
│ └─ Optional: add MRR/NiceHash bursts during difficulty windows
└── No → Compare live rental prices vs. your owned cost/PH/s/day
├── Rental cheaper → Rent for bursts, consider selling hardware
└── Owned cheaper → Keep hardware, optional rental top-upsWant short controlled bursts? → MRR
Want maximum scale fast? → NiceHash
Want 24/7 coverage at lowest long-term cost? → Owned hardware (3+ year horizon)
Want to test solo mining without commitment? → MRR with a BEST-rated rig, 6–12 hour rental
Next Steps
- Check live SHA-256 prices on NiceHash marketplace and MRR SHA-256 listings and compare to your owned cost/PH/s/day
- Read the NiceHash Solo Mining guide to configure a rental order correctly for SoloFury
- Use the Profitability Calculator to estimate block-finding odds at different hashrate levels before committing a budget
- Check the Block Explorer and Live Stats for current SoloFury coin difficulty data
- Read the Antminer S21+ Setup Guide if you are setting up owned hardware for the first time
- View past blocks won by SoloFury miners on the Hall of Fame