Which pool is better to mine at?

[monsterblitz]

Which pool is more profitable to mine at and why?
1) a pool with more people and thus higher cumulative hash power
OR
2) a pool with less people and thus less cumulative hash power?

#2 is because your Contribution % will be larger for each block found.  For every calculation of your split on a block found you lose less due to rounding.  Slower miners(low hashrate) will see this effect more.

Also, in larger pools you will not get any cut if it's solved too quickly.  No share submitted.. no cut.

[John (John K.)]

I should think that you should mine at a pool with hashrates proportional to your own hashrates for stable income and upside down for huge but unstable income. Correct me if I'm wrong 

[feelz]

i would like to now this as well. Since i just started a little late but it okay better late then never.
Currently i get a little over 380Mhash/s with my 5850.

[Duffman]

Which pool is more profitable to mine at and why?
1) a pool with more people and thus higher cumulative hash power
OR
2) a pool with less people and thus less cumulative hash power?

I don't think either is in the long term.  with option 1, I'd get ~.2BTC erryday. and with option 2 I'd get 1BTC every ~5 days.  about the same ratio.  There is this:

Also, in larger pools you will not get any cut if it's solved too quickly.  No share submitted.. no cut.

but you'd have to be pretty unlucky to have the pool frequently solving easy ones in like 5 seconds each leaving your miner w/o a contribution.

[macboy80]

So... just to summarize. It seems there is no consensus on pool recommendations for lower hash-power "recreational miners" (< 500 MH/s). I will share my observations on this subject, limited as they may be (17 days mining).

Initially I was using a R 5750. After one week, I brought a R 6870 online in addition.

I started on Eligius US, 200-300 GH/s , and it seemed to be paying in the .02 BTC per block on 5750. When I added the 6870 to the 5750, it went up to .06 BTC per block. I believe the payout was proportional (correct me if I am wrong), so with good luck, this was my best case scenario. When they changed to maximum pay per share, my payout per block went down. I'm told this system averages out luck over time, however with good luck, it pays in the .009-.01 BTC per block range combined. Long blocks do seem to pay proportionally well under this system.

My other venture has been BTC Guild, 2500 GH/s. These blocks are solved fast compared to the above, however the pay is low, in the .002 BTC per block for the 5750 and .006 BTC per block combined.

Eligius solves blocks in a wide range of times, minutes to hours to even a day, while BTC Guild solves better than a block every 30 min on average (maybe even faster). It seems that Eligius (lower hash-rate) on the proportional system, with luck was best for me, followed by BTC Guild (higher hash-rate) with blocks solved very fast was next, and the new Eligius with MPPS takes up the rear, although with very consistent earnings (in fact they seem linear).

These conclusions bring me to what I think is the topic of pool hopping, and I would like some help here. It seems logical those of us with lower hash-rate would be best served to find the best luck with proportional payout and low overall hash-rate, and when that luck runs out, move to something more stable. I wonder... Is that the definition of pool hopping? If it is, then it seems to eliminate the best option for the little guy.

Thank you for reading the long post. I hope this can help some people. Please go easy on me. I tried to formulate a logical argument and only wish to further the discussion.

[Duffman]

I'm not really sure, but I assumed pool hopping was when people got on a pool hoping wishing to contribute to a block that wasn't very difficult.  if they try to contribute only 1 share (or very few shares) per block, then, they'd have an incentive to find blocks with less shares needed (as more total shares lower their return). and also an incentive to 'hop' pool to pool.

edit: hoping to close to hopping

[V2-V3]

Check out Bitclockers http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=10127.0

good payouts best site around and next to no fees

[nipsy]

I'm still annoyed that all of the big pools still seem to want to short you the smaller denominations in your account.  Is anyone even running such old clients that this is an issue still?

And don't tell me to email them to get the remaining balance because I did, and one person never responded and the other told me that the limitation was on his end.  I don't really know if I believe that entirely.  And yes, I realize that it seems like a trivial sum of money.  But it is suppose to be my money after all at this point.  And for the foreseeable future, it won't ever be, especially for pools on which I don't mine anymore.

[Duffman]

I'm still annoyed that all of the big pools still seem to want to short you the smaller denominations in your account.  Is anyone even running such old clients that this is an issue still?

And don't tell me to email them to get the remaining balance because I did, and one person never responded and the other told me that the limitation was on his end.  I don't really know if I believe that entirely.  And yes, I realize that it seems like a trivial sum of money.  But it is suppose to be my money after all at this point.  And for the foreseeable future, it won't ever be, especially for pools on which I don't mine anymore.

I also am annoyed.  I am trying to get to the 5 posts to ask on the slush pool thread if someone can transfer the milliBits I never got to a different account, even to some charity, just 'cause I don't want them to stay there forever.

[nipsy]

I am trying to get to the 5 posts to ask on the slush pool thread if someone can transfer the milliBits I never got to a different account, even to some charity, just 'cause I don't want them to stay there forever.

Good luck with that.  slush was the person who told me it was a limitation on his end.  He did respond to my email at least.

[PandaMiner]

Which pool is more profitable to mine at and why?
1) a pool with more people and thus higher cumulative hash power
OR
2) a pool with less people and thus less cumulative hash power?

To answer your question: 2.

But that's not the full answer.  When you're first starting out, find a pool that's just started, and see if they have any perks for mining with them because they are so new.

I tried TripleMining 2 days ago because I was looking for just a pool like that. And guess what, I got the itty bitty jackpot of ½ BTC on the 2nd day. (Yesterday)  But, I am staying because i love the front end, and the owner MrSam, is making changes daily to our benefit.

I also tried Bloodys' pool.  It's way too low (~2.5 GH/s) and thus harder to crack a block, but after only mining there 3 days, I have ~3 BTC in my "estimated" area.  That is, once they solve their first block.

So it's up to you. Shop around.

[Duffman]

Good luck with that.  slush was the person who told me it was a limitation on his end.  He did respond to my email at least.

oh well.  I thought an advantage of bitcoins was that it was even more divisible than dollars, but when slush is only paying Bitcents at a time, pennies are more precise.  I don't think anyone sells things with more precision than a Bitcent so far, anyway, so w/e.

[Spacy]

I am mining with BTC guild, used multipool for some time but unfortunately it is down now

[PandaMiner]

I don't think anyone sells things with more precision than a Bitcent so far, anyway, so w/e.

Meh, I don't think that's the point.  I should be able to "close" an account at any given time, and get what's mine. (fully funded balance, not "estimated" ones)