This is a living guide on ways you could upgrade your Bitaxe.
It gets added to occasionally, but use this as a guide - not as a instruction manual.
What is it all about?
Almost totally about getting you more thermal headroom — reducing heat buildup to improve performance, efficiency, and longevity of your Bitaxe.
Preparation:
Ensure your Bitaxe has been running for at least 30 minutes under typical load.
Log into your Bitaxe Gamma's AxeOS by going to it's IP address via a browser that is on a device connected to the same network as your Bitaxe.
The Bitaxe IP Address will be displayed on your Bitaxe screen.
Record the following details from your AxeOS Dashboard:
- Your Average Hashrate:
- Your Average Efficiency:
- How much Power your unit current uses.
- The ASIC Temperature
Notes:
Heatsink - Chunks of aluminium or copper (copper preferred). Fins increase surface area for airflow. More airflow = better cooling. Higher pressure fans = more effective but noisier. That’s the trade-off.
Radiator - A heatsink with copper heat pipes to rapidly wick heat away from the chip, spreading it across an aluminium fin array for dissipation.
Passive Cooling - Heat dissipation via exposed surfaces — no fan. Relies on ambient airflow.
Active Cooling - Uses a fan to direct air across heatsinks or radiators. Fans must push air onto the cooling surface rather than pull from it, for best efficiency.
Stage 1
Upgrade Active Cooling
While we stock a range of Bitaxe Upgrades, selecting your fan will come down to your climate, choice of Btiaxe Stand or Enclosure, and Personal Aesthetics.
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A straight swap can be done from the stock fan for a Noctua A4 5V PWM
- You can use an A4 to A6 funnel adapter if you want to upgrade to a Noctua A6 5V PWM.
Specifications:
If you are seeking alternative fans that might include a heatsink, a standard Gamma 601 has four mounting holes are M3 in size (3mm - no thread), and have a 58.5mm pitch, suited for a 40x40mm heatsink.\
Ensure it is 5V if you plan to use a Y-Splitter
Most heatsinks won't have the correct pitch - so, don't trust, verify.
Additional Heatsinks
There are key areas on the Gamma board that should be kept a cool as possible.
Using Copper is neglibly more expensive than Aluminium.
Typical Raspberrry Pi 4 Heatsink Kits will help, but aim for 5mm thick bases rather than 2mm.
Thse will typically have a Thermal tape that will adhere the heatsink to the designated location.
For placement, please consult the below map.
[include map & sizing of heatsinks to consider]
Replace the Thermal Paste
- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
Additional Active Cooling
Some cases provide for mounting holes to add additional fans; these are typically driected at the back of the 601 PCB, and typically are spec'd for an Noctua A4 / or other 4040 (40mm x 40mm) sized fan.
Pleae ensure your measure the distance behind your board to ensure your chosen board fits accordingly.
Stage 2
Heatsink to Radiator Upgrade
This gets tricky based on what Radiator you decide upon, which will again come down to your climate, choice of Btiaxe Stand or Enclosure, and Personal Aesthetics.
Popular Choices are:
- 52Pi Low-Profile Plus
- Argon THRML 60mm Cooler
You'll want to use at least 3mm thickness copper shims between the Radiator and your ASIC, along with very good Thermal Paste, as indicated earlier. Get the good stuff.
This will help quicky move heat away from the ASIC to the copper piping, and into the radiator.
Don't overtighten.
Stage 3
Tuning/Clock Tuning
Gradually increase frequency
Monitor for STABILITY.