Originally published at: https://quickbox.io/blog/choosing-a-dedicated-server-what-to-look-out-for/
Choosing a dedicated server is like trying to choose a pair of choose. There are so many different types, different providers, different specifications and so much to choose from. You may not be able to decipher what it all means and what’s the best option for you. So we’ve got some tips to help you out when choosing a dedicated server.
Note: these are my personal tips and it is ultimately down to your judgement. You do not have to follow these tips at all and you may not agree with them as well. That’s fine as we all have different needs.
Budget
Always stay within your budget. Just because the next server up from what you’re looking has more power, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Your budget must be the first thing you think of. In addition, don’t expect to get a decent dedicated server for around $10. You will be extremely lucky if you do so. I would plan to spend around $50 per month on a dedicated server.
CPU
If you are going to be hosting a media server as well as seeding, then you’ll want a half decent CPU in your server. When I’m shopping for servers, I always look at the CPU benchmark scores. The higher the benchmark, the more power and performance you’re going to get out of the server. Plex has a really good guide benchmark scores and choosing a server so check their guide here.
GPU
Basically for seeding, you don’t need one. If your server comes with it, then fantastic! However, for seeding and running a media server, it is not required and if anything, might hinder your performance.
Storage Space
The general rule of thumb is the larger the better. This means you don’t always have to constantly remove files from your server once it gets full. However, at a minimum, you would want a server that has at least 1TB of storage space. However, this doesn’t mean the end for your Plex server for example.
You can use RClone to host your media files once their downloaded and therefore never have to delete content. Both RuTorrent and Deluge have tools/plug-ins that can delete torrents once they have hit their ratio or certain criteria.
So the key is, do your research and make a judgement call. Always stay within your means, and for storage space, get enough for you to work with, and if possible, get RClone installed and setup to increase your disk storage for your media files.