Two, does this pool allow the S9 variants to use the ASICBoost(LPM) firmware to be utilized? It has dropped my power consumption noticeably - I'd hate to have my power use ramp back up if not supported.
Yes. This pool was the first one to support version-rolling (AsicBoost). But whether Bitmain's implementation works properly, if at all, is another story.
ANy recommended wallets? I have a Ledger Nano S. I also use Coinbase (Pro). I have been mining on Nicehash for a while - they have an instant transfer to Coinbase with no transfer fee (not even a mining fee) and then I convert to $ through Coinbase Pro (GDAX) and transfer to my bank - all no fee's other than NiceHash's 2% on the mining. Anyway, if I get ckpool - I'd get one payout per block found - so I'd think either would work - even the Ledger that doesn't suggest receiving mining payouts to their wallet - due to too large of transaction logs tied to the transfers.
Thanks!
I recommend using
Bitcoin Core as your hot wallet and your Ledger Nano S as your cold wallet.
Here are five reasons why. Most importantly, using a full node as your hot wallet
contributes to Bitcoin's economic strength.
If you are unable or unwilling to store the entire Bitcoin blockchain, you may run Bitcoin Core with pruning enabled, using the
-prune= command-line argument. (The Ledger Live app may also not work properly with payments from coinbase transactions, which is how this pool pays its miners. There is currently no documentation from Ledger regarding this.)
I also recommend using
Bisq instead of Coinbase Pro or any other centralized exchange, and then tethering Bisq's built-in bitcoin wallet to your Bitcoin Core full node (this happens automatically if both Bisq and your Bitcoin Core full node are running on the same computer).