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Node Specifications & Income Projections

This page provides detailed specifications for all node types, including hardware costs, resource allocations, and income projections based on the slices model.

Price Assumptions
  • Cloud Credits (CC) pegged at 1/1000 gram of gold ≈ $0.128 USD (as of Oct 8, 2024)
  • Hardware costs amortized over 5-year lifespan
  • Revenue share: 80% to farmer, 10% burned, 10% to ThreeFold
  • No CPU oversubscription in current calculations

Non-Certified Nodes​

Non-certified nodes are community-contributed hardware that meets minimum specifications but hasn't gone through the formal certification process.

3Node Home​

Target: Home users, hobbyists, small-scale farmers

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$500
CPU Cores16
Passmark22,000
Memory32 GB
SSD Storage1,000 GB
GPU Memory-
TPS-

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices25
HW Cost/Month (5Y)8 CC
Min Income/Month10.92 CC
Max Income/Month126 CC
Typical Active Slices7

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 2.3 cores
  • Performance: 3,143 Passmark
  • Memory: 4.0 GB
  • Storage: 143 GB
  • Price Range: 1.2 - 12.0 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~3-4 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 6-8 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 12-18 months at 50% utilization

Large TFGrid Node​

Target: Dedicated farmers, data center deployments

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$2,000
CPU Cores36
Passmark20,000
Memory512 GB
SSD Storage4,000 GB
GPU Memory-
TPS-

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices100
HW Cost/Month (5Y)33 CC
Min Income/Month198.12 CC
Max Income/Month2,286 CC
Typical Active Slices20

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 1.8 cores
  • Performance: 1,000 Passmark
  • Memory: 25.4 GB
  • Storage: 200 GB
  • Price Range: 7.6 - 76.2 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~10-12 months at minimum income
  • Best case: 1 month at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 4-6 months at 40% utilization
High Memory Advantage

This node's high memory (512 GB) makes it ideal for memory-heavy slices, commanding premium pricing.

Large TFGrid Node 2​

Target: Budget-conscious farmers, balanced workloads

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$1,200
CPU Cores36
Passmark20,000
Memory128 GB
SSD Storage2,000 GB
GPU Memory-
TPS-

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices100
HW Cost/Month (5Y)20 CC
Min Income/Month48.36 CC
Max Income/Month558 CC
Typical Active Slices20

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 1.8 cores
  • Performance: 1,000 Passmark
  • Memory: 6.2 GB
  • Storage: 100 GB
  • Price Range: 1.9 - 18.6 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~2-3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 2-3 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 8-12 months at 40% utilization

Certified Nodes (New Batch Q4 2025)​

Certified nodes are pre-configured, tested hardware packages from approved vendors, ensuring quality and reliability.

Mini 1​

Target: Entry-level certified farming

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$350
CPU Cores16
Passmark16,000
Memory32 GB
SSD Storage1,000 GB
GPU Memory-
TPS-

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices25
HW Cost/Month (5Y)6 CC
Min Income/Month11 CC
Max Income/Month126 CC
Typical Active Slices7

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 2.3 cores
  • Performance: 2,286 Passmark
  • Memory: 4.0 GB
  • Storage: 143 GB
  • Price Range: 1.2 - 12.0 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 3-4 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 10-14 months at 50% utilization

Mini 2​

Target: Mid-range certified farming, small business

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$800
CPU Cores24
Passmark25,000
Memory64 GB
SSD Storage2,000 GB
GPU Memory-
TPS-

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices25
HW Cost/Month (5Y)13 CC
Min Income/Month23 CC
Max Income/Month270 CC
Typical Active Slices15

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 1.6 cores
  • Performance: 1,667 Passmark
  • Memory: 4.0 GB
  • Storage: 133 GB
  • Price Range: 1.2 - 12.0 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~2.5-3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 3-4 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 10-12 months at 55% utilization

Mini 3​

Target: Serious certified farmers, enterprise edge deployments

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$1,000
CPU Cores24
Passmark25,000
Memory128 GB
SSD Storage4,000 GB
GPU Memory-
TPS-

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices25
HW Cost/Month (5Y)17 CC
Min Income/Month48 CC
Max Income/Month558 CC
Typical Active Slices25

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 1.0 cores
  • Performance: 1,000 Passmark
  • Memory: 5.0 GB
  • Storage: 160 GB
  • Price Range: 1.5 - 14.9 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~1.5-2 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 2 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 6-8 months at 60% utilization
Sweet Spot

Mini 3 offers excellent balance of cost, performance, and storage. Strong ROI potential with good network utilization.

AI-Focused Certified Nodes​

These nodes include dedicated GPU hardware for AI/ML workloads, representing the future growth area of TFGrid.

Mini AI 1​

Target: Entry-level AI workloads, inference, development

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$2,000
CPU Cores32
Passmark50,000
Memory128 GB
SSD Storage4,000 GB
GPU Memory128 GB
TPS20

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices4
HW Cost/Month (5Y)33 CC
Min Income/Month52 CC
Max Income/Month600 CC
Typical Active Slices4

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 8.0 cores
  • Performance: 12,500 Passmark
  • Memory: 31.0 GB
  • Storage: 1,000 GB
  • GPU: Shared access
  • TPS: 5
  • Price Range: 10 - 100 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 3-4 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 8-12 months at 70% utilization

Nvidia 6000 (Single GPU)​

Target: Professional AI training, high-end inference

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$15,000
CPU Cores24
Passmark35,000
Memory128 GB
SSD Storage4,000 GB
GPU Memory96 GB
TPS350

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices1 (dedicated full node)
HW Cost/Month (5Y)250 CC
Min Income/Month390 CC
Max Income/Month4,500 CC
Typical Active Slices1

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 24 cores (full node)
  • Performance: 35,000 Passmark
  • Memory: 124 GB
  • Storage: 4,000 GB
  • GPU: 96 GB dedicated
  • TPS: 350
  • Price Range: 300 - 3,000 CC/month

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 3-4 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 10-14 months at 60% utilization
High-Value Target

These nodes target high-value AI workloads. Even at minimum pricing, they generate significant income if utilized.

Nvidia 6000 (Dual GPU)​

Target: Large-scale AI training, enterprise ML operations

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$30,000
CPU Cores24
Passmark35,000
Memory128 GB
SSD Storage8,000 GB
GPU Memory192 GB (2x 96GB)
TPS700

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices2 (can be sold separately)
HW Cost/Month (5Y)500 CC
Min Income/Month780 CC
Max Income/Month9,000 CC
Typical Active Slices2

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 12 cores
  • Performance: 17,500 Passmark
  • Memory: 62 GB
  • Storage: 4,000 GB
  • GPU: 96 GB dedicated per slice
  • TPS: 350
  • Price Range: 300 - 3,000 CC/month per slice

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 3-4 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 12-16 months at 50% utilization

Tenstorrent 8x​

Target: Cutting-edge AI acceleration, next-gen ML workloads

SpecificationValue
Estimate Cost$30,000
CPU Cores24
Passmark35,000
Memory128 GB
SSD Storage8,000 GB
GPU Memory192 GB
TPS2,000

Slices Economics:

MetricValue
Max Slices2
HW Cost/Month (5Y)500 CC
Min Income/Month780 CC
Max Income/Month9,000 CC
Typical Active Slices2

Per Slice Resources:

  • CPU: 12 cores
  • Performance: 17,500 Passmark
  • Memory: 62 GB
  • Storage: 4,000 GB
  • AI Memory: 96 GB dedicated per slice
  • TPS: 1,000
  • Price Range: 300 - 3,000 CC/month per slice

ROI Analysis:

  • Break-even: ~3 years at minimum income
  • Best case: 3-4 months at maximum utilization
  • Realistic: 12-16 months at 50% utilization
Tenstorrent Advantage

With 2,000 TPS (vs 700 for Nvidia), Tenstorrent offers superior AI performance for specific workloads at the same price point.

Comparison Table: All Nodes​

Node TypeCostMonthly HW CostMin IncomeMax IncomeBreak-Even (Min)Break-Even (Max)
Non-Certified
3Node Home$5008 CC10.92 CC126 CC3-4 years6-8 months
Large TFGrid$2,00033 CC198.12 CC2,286 CC10-12 months1 month
Large TFGrid 2$1,20020 CC48.36 CC558 CC2-3 years2-3 months
Certified Q4 2025
Mini 1$3506 CC11 CC126 CC3 years3-4 months
Mini 2$80013 CC23 CC270 CC2.5-3 years3-4 months
Mini 3$1,00017 CC48 CC558 CC1.5-2 years2 months
AI Nodes
Mini AI 1$2,00033 CC52 CC600 CC3 years3-4 months
Nvidia 6000 1x$15,000250 CC390 CC4,500 CC3 years3-4 months
Nvidia 6000 2x$30,000500 CC780 CC9,000 CC3 years3-4 months
Tenstorrent 8x$30,000500 CC780 CC9,000 CC3 years3-4 months

Key Insights​

For Standard Compute Nodes​

  • 3Node Home / Mini 1: Good for hobbyists, learning the ecosystem
  • Mini 2 / Mini 3: Best balance of cost and ROI for serious farmers
  • Large TFGrid: Premium option for those with high memory workload expectations

For AI-Focused Farming​

  • Mini AI 1: Entry point for AI farming, lower risk
  • Nvidia 6000: Industry-standard, proven demand
  • Tenstorrent 8x: Higher TPS for specific AI workloads, emerging technology

General Observations​

  1. AI nodes have higher upfront costs but command premium pricing
  2. Certified nodes coming Q4 2025 provide quality assurance
  3. Memory-heavy configurations can charge more per slice
  4. Break-even highly dependent on network utilization
  5. 80% revenue share means farmers keep majority of value

Important Notes​

(*) Revenue Distribution: 80% to hoster/farmer, 10% burned, 10% to ThreeFold

No CPU Oversubscription: Current calculations assume no CPU oversubscription. In reality, users will have more CPU available during low-demand periods, and potential oversubscription could increase effective income.

Cloud Credit Conversion: CC can be acquired by converting 2 TFT or by purchasing at fiat equivalent of 1/1000 gram of gold price = ~$0.128 USD (price as of Oct 8, 2024)

Next Steps​

Hardware Planning

Use these specifications to plan your hardware investment based on your budget, risk tolerance, and market expectations.