What kind of specifications do I need to host gaming servers?

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darylin

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Dec 22, 2012
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I want to know what kind of hardware I would need in a computer for hosting a game server.

The computer would be used for nothing except for hosting the servers. The two games that I am looking at specifically are Minecraft and ARK: Survival Evolved. It would be for less than 25 people.

Any input would be appreciated.
 
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#1: Since this will be running 24/7 you need an Excellent power supply, preferably with 80+ gold or better efficiency
#2: You will need a good amount of ram if you are going to be running two servers at once, 16gb will be good enough
#3: An ethernet connection + good internet provider
#4: CPU doesn't matter As much as the other components but still does matter, I would go with an Athlon 5350 since it has a 25w TDP
#5: Fast storage! You can't run 2 servers at once off of 1 hdd! Personally, i would have 2 NAS drives (not in RAID) 1 for each server + SSD for os
#6 Since this will be used for servers only, save some money and Use Linux


Im no expert in servers btw so my advice might not be accurate, see other peoples advice
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factory100023

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Jun 13, 2015
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#1: Since this will be running 24/7 you need an Excellent power supply, preferably with 80+ gold or better efficiency
#2: You will need a good amount of ram if you are going to be running two servers at once, 16gb will be good enough
#3: An ethernet connection + good internet provider
#4: CPU doesn't matter As much as the other components but still does matter, I would go with an Athlon 5350 since it has a 25w TDP
#5: Fast storage! You can't run 2 servers at once off of 1 hdd! Personally, i would have 2 NAS drives (not in RAID) 1 for each server + SSD for os
#6 Since this will be used for servers only, save some money and Use Linux


Im no expert in servers btw so my advice might not be accurate, see other peoples advice
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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The websites for those games list the requirements for a server. Have you gone there and looked?
 
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darylin

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Dec 22, 2012
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I was just on the Steam page for ARK: Survival Evolved and the website. I don't really see a recommended server specs anywhere. I know there are specs for playing the game. However, I have seen many different suggested specs for a server from different people in the community. If there is an official page with recommended server requirements, that's great! I would love to be pointed in the right direction.

I have seen people say that 8 GB of RAM is "more than enough" and that 16 GB of RAM is "overkill". I have also seen people say that 16 GB is the lowest recommended and 32 GB would be best.

I decided not to rely on my quick Google search and come here because I always get the best answers. When I came here I was also hopeful that I would get insight on the answer as well.
 
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factory100023

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You will need at LEAST 6gb of ram to run the Ark server, the MC server will do excellent with 4GB. so lets say 10Gb for the Ark server and 4gb to the MC server, 14gb of RAM usage the 2GB will be spare/ for the OS.

Ark and MC and many other servers are cpu dependant (because they are server! not video games) I would have chosen a G3258 @ 4.2 ghz to give the server a fast CPU but since you are running two servers on one machine, I would recommend a quad core CPU ( at least) and a 5350 would be alright since it has 4 cores, 25 watt tdp and has decent performance + very cheap

GPU isn't something to worry about, integrated graphics will do great

HDD's is a problem, HDD's are slow even for 1 task and using 1 hdd to feed 2 servers is a bad idea. I would dedicate 1 hdd to 1 server, an alternative is to get a 240 gb SSD and use that but that will fill up fast.

Power consumption will be low, maximum 200 watts but you still need a reliable PSU, If you are on a budget i recommend grabbing an antic 380w earthwartts PSU.

RAM is cheap now, especially ddr3 16gb shouldn't be that pricey and it will satisfy the 2 servers
 
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darylin

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Dec 22, 2012
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I understand the RAM and the PSU. For the processor, is it better to have better ghz or more cores, or both? What is the benefit to having more than 2 cores?

Also, I have been running ARK off of my personal computer and playing it at the same time without any problems. What happens if you use the HDD for 2 servers? Will either of these (ARK or Minecraft) be okay to run on an SSD with 240 GB? Or is that not enough space?


 
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factory100023

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You are running 2 servers.... thats 2 threads minimum right there and an operating system thats another thread there.

If you have 2 cores, those 2 cores will switch between tasks and will cause a huge bottleneck. Ghz aren't created equal and in this case is doesn't matter, the 5350 is clocked at Ghz and isn't too slow + it has a 25w tdp that will save you plenty of money in the long run and it has integrated graphics so no need for a gpu.

The SSD is fast enough to supply both of the servers with data, although MC servers can grow quite large if the players explore the map and make it larger and larger. 240gb should be enough for a while but you will have to do map resets for MC every year or two. or you could place a world limit . but yes the SSD option is good and something that i would choose.
 
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darylin

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Dec 22, 2012
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How big does a SSD have to be to last for a game like ARK? Also, is the 5350 a dual core? Is that enough?

 
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