Weighing efficiency against upfront cost

[Liabi]

I've noticed that the more efficient miners cost significantly more upfront. For example, a 500 TH/s unit at 11 W/TH can cost nearly double a cheaper 350–400 TH/s machine. I understand the savings on electricity add up, but it seems like ROI could take a lot longer to realize. Do you think efficiency-focused miners are worth it in 2025, or is it better to go with cheaper hardware and expand later?

[Tive]

I ran the math on this exact problem because my electricity rate is around $0.10/kWh. What I saw was that the efficiency machines like Bitmain's S21 XP+ Hyd at 11 W/TH really shine after the first year if you run 24/7, since the power savings start to beat the upfront cost. But if you want to break even faster, cheaper units like the S21+ Hyd or even Canaan's Avalon A1566HA at $5–6k look better. A detailed article I read grouped them into categories like most efficient, most powerful, and best budget, which helped put things in perspective. It specifically noted that the S21 XP+ Hyd is the best ASIC miner 2025 for long-term ROI at higher power prices, while AxionMiner takes the crown if your electricity is cheap. So the answer really depends on your rate: low power cost favors cheaper rigs, high power cost favors efficiency.