Five of AMD’s BC-250 cryptocurrency-oriented graphics cards, which use PlayStation 5 APUs (codenamed Oberon) instead of regular GPU chips, have appeared on eBay for just $500 each (via VideoCardz). The BC-250 initially starred in one of ASRock’s Mining Rig products in 2022, which was sold for $14,800 and contained 12 BC-250s. At $1,233 per card, then these $500 eBay Listing is, in theory, a good deal. However, even more discounts might be necessary, as now is not a good time to get into cryptocurrency mining.
The BC-250 likely exists for the same reason as AMD’s 4700S: to use PS5 APUs that didn’t come out quite right. Consequently, the specifications of these BC-250 cards are reduced, with only six of the eight CPU cores enabled, and it’s also possible that at least some (or even all) of the graphics cores are also disabled. The BC-250 also comes with only 8 GB of GDDR6, as opposed to the PS5’s 16 GB.
The person listing on eBay also made a Linus Tech Tips forum post detailing other essential specifications. Apparently, it has a functional GPU, unlike the 4700S, with reported core clock speed and memory clock speed of 1,145 MHz and 450 MHz, respectively. The BC-250 consumes around 90 watts of power, indicating that it is significantly faster than the 4700S, which averaged 68 watts in our tests.
The BC-250 is not just a graphics card; thanks to its CPU cores, each BC-250 can be your computer. The user who posted on the forum and the eBay listing says that each card runs Ubuntu on a 32 GB flash drive. This is unique among mining cards, made from graphics chips without CPU cores.
Superficially, $500 each for one of these GPUs seems like a good deal compared to the $14,800 it would cost to buy 12. However, now is not the best time to get into cryptocurrency mining. Cryptocurrency is currently on a decline, and while popular coins such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have recovered since October, the market is still well below its peak at the end of 2021. Additionally, given the volatility of cryptocurrency, this recovery may be short-lived.
Mining has also been affected by Ethereum’s shift from proof of work to proof of stake. Proof of work in Ethereum is mining, but a proof of stake system asks users to stake their coins to receive the rewards that mining used to offer, meaning Ethereum mining is no longer possible. Proof of work is infamous for all the power it wastes, and many cryptocurrencies, like Ethereum, are transitioning to proof of stake to solve this issue.
There’s also the issue of whether you prefer a GPU or an ASIC designed to excel at mining specific coins. The BC-250 is not exactly the best graphics card for mining, especially considering the exclusive inclusion of CPU cores. For $500, it might be better to buy a used RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT.