How to Mine BCH2

Not for pool mining. Point your existing SHA-256 ASIC at the Forge Pool stratum address — no special software, firmware or drivers, because BCH2 uses the same SHA-256 algorithm as Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, so your miner works as-is. You do need a BCH2 address to be paid to.

Mining at home with Forge Solo, or in TIDES mode, does mean running software: those build your blocks on a BCH2 node of your own. Forge Solo ships that node with it.

On Forge Pool it is 5 BCH2. A block's reward has to mature for 100 confirmations first — about 16–17 hours — and then your matured balance pays out automatically once it reaches the threshold; below that it accumulates until it does. You never need to request a payout, and you can set a higher threshold for your own address in settings. Check pool.bch2.org for your pending balance.

In TIDES mode there is no minimum and no threshold at all, because the pool never holds your coins — you are paid in the block's coinbase. The same is true of Forge Solo mining solo on your own node. The only floor is dust: under 546 satoshis is carried forward to a later block.

Technically yes, but SHA-256 ASICs are so much more efficient that GPU and CPU mining is not economically viable. ASICs produce 100,000× more hashes per watt than a GPU. Solo mining with a GPU is possible but blocks would be found very rarely given current network hashrate.

PPLNS pays proportionally every time the pool finds a block, based on the recent shares you submitted. Variance is lower — good for steady income, 1% fee. Solo gives you the whole block reward when your own miner finds one, but nothing until that happens — 0.5% fee, worth it only with a meaningful share of network hashrate. Both are the same stratum address: you pick the mode per address in your pool settings, not by changing ports.

TIDES is the third option and pays no fee at all, because the block's coinbase pays you directly. The trade is that you run a BCH2 node yourself, via Forge Solo in TIDES mode or Forge Gateway. If you are willing to run a node, it is the cheapest way to mine BCH2 with pool-like steadiness.

No. BCH2 is a standalone SHA-256 chain with its own independent proof-of-work, and nothing about mining BCH2 earns you BTC or BCH.

BCH2 does act as the parent chain for 1175 (ESF), and Forge Solo merge-mines it on the same shares at no extra hashrate cost, using the 1175 node it installs alongside its BCH2 node. That is opt-in and costs you nothing in BCH2 earnings.