Electricity rate, climate and cooling, uptime record and shipping: what differs between hosting sites and where to see each figure.
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The same machine gives different results at different sites. A site is a place with a power supply, a climate, a team and a border to cross. This guide lists what differs between sites, why it matters, and where to read each figure before you choose. It does not tell you which site to pick.
The Sites page has one card per site and a Side by side table that compares them all. Each machine page in the Shop also has a table, Where to host, that shows that machine at each site.
| What differs | Label on the Sites page | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity rate | Per kWh | Electricity is the main running cost of a machine |
| Uptime record | Uptime | A machine earns only while it runs |
| Cooling | Cooling | Not every machine can run at every site |
| Import cost | Import duty | It is part of what the machine costs you once installed |
| Spare parts on hand | Backup PSU | It affects how fast a failed machine is back |
| Strengths and limits | What is good, What is not | Each site says plainly what it is weak at |
The rate per kWh is the figure most owners look at first, and for good reason: it is paid every day the machine runs, for as long as you own it. A lower rate leaves more of what the machine mines. The rate shown on the Sites page is the current one. Read it there, not in an old message or a screenshot.
The Sites page shows each site's measured uptime over the last 30 days. Grid quality differs from country to country. A low rate at a site with frequent stops can give less than a higher rate at a site that rarely stops. Look at the two figures together. For the current state of each site, see the public status page.
Good to know: A 30-day figure is a recent record, not a promise. Uptime moves with weather, the grid and maintenance.
Machines turn almost all the electricity they use into heat, and that heat has to leave. Sites do it in three ways:
A machine is built for one type of cooling, and a site runs only some of them. If the shop asks you to pick another site for a machine, that is why.
A machine has to travel from the manufacturer to the site and clear customs. Both the time and the cost differ by country. The Sites page shows Import duty for each site. It does not list a shipping time, because that changes with each shipment: once you order, My miners counts your machines on the way and shows the expected date for each. A machine earns nothing until it is installed, so a longer trip is a real cost.
A machine can be moved later, but a move means shipping, customs and weeks without mining. It is better to choose carefully once. If you are unsure between two sites, write to hello@firsthandbitcoin.com and we will tell you what we see at each.
Careful: Mining output depends on bitcoin's price, network difficulty and uptime, and is not guaranteed. Nothing here is investment advice.