What “tested” means on a used ASIC

A lot of used boxes get listed as tested. That word is doing too much work.

People still argue over what a real check even is. Some say an S21 Pro hashboard needs a 50A supply. Some say 20A is enough. If the room can’t agree on the rig, a listing that just says tested is not a spec.

What we mean is simpler. We plug it in and run it. A unit we will ship has three good hashboards, good fans, a good PSU, and a good control board. We keep the report. Then it goes out with a 7-day DOA.

Sometimes a thousand-piece lot is already sold through before it hits the floor. We still plug it in and run it. The buyer gets a clean batch and the same 7-day DOA. We know what is shipping. A pass-through does not.

That window covers infant mortality. It does not cover six months of heat and dust. On older fleets, the failure that actually shows up is environment, not a dead chip on day two.

A unit can also run fine and still be wrong for you. Wrong firmware, wrong pool, extra-nonce bugs. It ran. It still doesn’t work on your site.

If you’re buying used, ask three things. What did they run. What counts as a pass (three boards, fans, PSU, controller). Do they keep a record. If they can’t answer that, you’re buying a photo.