Farming Requirements
This information was updated on March 3, 2026.
Proof Solving Times
After a sufficiently high-quality Quality String is found, the solver reconstructs the full 128 x-values for network verification. Solve time depends on the maximum plot strength in the farm. The Pi5 solves a k=28 proof in under 8 seconds at strengths up to +4.
| Strength | Raspberry Pi 5 | M3 Pro | Ryzen 9 9950X |
|---|---|---|---|
| base | ~4.3 s | ~340 ms | ~220 ms |
| +1 | ~4.5 s | ~370 ms | ~240 ms |
| +2 | ~4.9 s | ~450 ms | ~280 ms |
| +3 | ~5.7 s | ~660 ms | ~400 ms |
| +4 | ~7.3 s | ~1.1 s | ~615 ms |
| +5 | ~10 s | ~1.9 s | ~1.1 s |
| +6 | ~17 s | ~3.7 s | ~1.9 s |
| +7 | ~30 s | ~7.3 s | ~3.7 s |
| +8 | — | ~14.5 s | ~7.3 s |
| +n | — | ~2^(n−8) × 14.5 s | ~2^(n−8) × 7.3 s |
Strengths +5 and above are capped at effective plot filter 8192 until the scheduled filter adjustments take effect.
See the reference code for benchmarking your own system on the Solver.
HDD Activity
HDD activity depends on plot grouping, plot strength, and disk capacity. The table below assumes 10 ms random access and 250 MB/s sequential read. Higher plot strength increases the Effective Plot Filter proportionally, reducing average load.
| Disk Capacity | Strength (eff. plot filter) | Group Size | Max load/challenge | Avg load | Bandwidth/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 TB | base (512) | 1 | ~4.48% | ~2.09% | ~42 MB |
| 5 TB | base (512) | 16 | ~0.85% | ~0.13% | ~42 MB |
| 5 TB | +1 (1024) | 16 | ~0.64% | ~0.07% | ~21 MB |
| 5 TB | +2 (2048) | 16 | ~0.43% | ~0.03% | ~10 MB |
| 5 TB | +3 (4096) | 16 | ~0.21% | ~0.01% | ~5 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 1 | ~12.4% | ~8.4% | ~170 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 2 | ~7.4% | ~4.2% | ~170 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 16 | ~2.2% | ~0.52% | ~170 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 32 | ~1.31% | ~0.27% | ~170 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 64 | ~0.89% | ~0.14% | ~170 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 100 | ~0.69% | ~0.09% | ~170 MB |
| 20 TB | base (512) | 1000 | ~0.47% | ~0.01% | ~170 MB |
| 100 TB | base (512) | 32 | ~3.42% | ~1.32% | ~850 MB |
| 100 TB | base (512) | 64 | ~2.15% | ~0.65% | ~850 MB |
| 100 TB | base (512) | 100 | ~1.85% | ~0.46% | ~850 MB |
| 100 TB | base (512) | 1000 | ~0.47% | ~0.05% | ~850 MB |
Plots in a group can be assigned a meta_group (up to 256). The effective plot filter guarantees that grouped plots with different meta groups never pass the same challenge, reducing peak load toward the average. For example, 202 meta groups × 100 grouped plots = 20,200 plots, where peak load converges to ~0.09%.
Total daily bandwidth is low, so even large group counts can be read well within the challenge response window.
Harvester Farm Size Support
Chaining Proof Fragments at challenge time is the primary CPU cost. The table below shows single-thread Pi5 limits (conservative, since the Pi5 has 4 threads and other harvester tasks are comparatively light).
| CPU | Avg Plot Strength | Supported Farm Size (PiB) |
|---|---|---|
| Pi5 single-thread | base | 1.2 |
| Pi5 single-thread | +1 | 2.4 |
| Pi5 single-thread | +2 | 4.8 |
| Pi5 single-thread | +3 | 9.6 |
| Pi5 single-thread | +4 | 19.2 |
| Pi5 single-thread | +n | 1.2 × 2^n (capped by effective plot filter at +4) |