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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    1,219

    Am I living it up?

    Greetings!

    I have a dedicated server for around $300/month and ask myself whether I maybe live like a lord with it because I cannot really judge whether the config is totally oversized. Therefore I would need your advice and hope you can help.

    I run 5 websites while just one is really getting some visitors (no DB, XML based gallery). It has about 4,000 unique visits a day, around 9,000,000 pageviews/month, 50-150 users online all the time, creating around 2 TB of BW/month. This website will surely grow during the next 6 months and I expect that visitors and BW will at least double.
    Same *might* happen to another of the 5 sites (a wordpress blog)

    The server config I have is as follows:
    Intel Core i7 920
    12 GB RAM
    2 x 250 GB SATA 7.200 (Hardware RAID 1)

    I must say that I am a freak somehow and really LOVE the speed of this server. Everything is blazing fast, but (of course) I am not using the given ressources at all. Especially MySQL performance on this server is brilliant.

    Everyday, I read here on WHT that servers like this are recommended for hundreds, if not thousands of sites. So I feel that I am maybe walking too large. Additionally, I do not earn a single penny with my sites. It is just for fun. And I am not a millionaire...

    What would you, as professionals, suggest as server specs for projects like mine? I already mentioned that I am a bit freaky so I would really suffer somehow if the server seems slow.

    I already thought about a VPS, but I am not sure if this is a good idea and I haven't found any provider that offers a managed VPS with a reasonable amount of bandwidth. And if I found something at least interesting, then the price difference was not SO big that I could give myself a shake and give up the beloved dedicated server I have.

    I am really looking forward to your opinions and suggestions!

    Amitz

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    2,253
    got a link to your sites I may have lol? Who are you with currently. And how much of your current resources are you using ? and do you expect your users online to double at any point in time?
    Leader of the new anti sig spamming club.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    1,219
    Server Load is seldom higher that 0.50 (most of the time much lower), RAM usage (as provided by cPanel) around 10-20%, 0 Swap used.

    And yes. I expect users online to double at any point. The site is online for half a year and users doubled every month. So does BW.

    I mean: I KNOW that the server is actually too powerful for my needs. I just ask myself what the right configuration would be, even if I think about future growth.

  4. #4
    Amitz,

    VPS is not at all a solution for you. If you think your business is growing, there is every chance, you will require more resources for you and instead of upgrading the server in a next 3-4 months, it is good to have a higher configuration server and provide stable service to your customers.

    The current clients will be happy and they will bring more clients for you. So I would say, forget about the server specs and concentrate on building up the business.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    2,253
    yes keep what you have and put donations or ads or something else up. If the growth if your sites is really that big you may actualy have to upgrade in a few months time... btw congratz on the sites popularity I could only dream of having a decent sized forum. I had one almost double yours and that took like 7+ years with tons of advertising every day and then it died *sniff*
    Leader of the new anti sig spamming club.

  6. #6
    With that many visitors, I would not recommend downgrading to a VPS. Though I would say that you may have a bit too much RAM. I am confused, in one statement, you say you don't use a database but you mention you mysql performance in another sentence. What is using the database if not the site?
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    2,253
    Quote Originally Posted by zendzipr View Post
    With that many visitors, I would not recommend downgrading to a VPS. Though I would say that you may have a bit too much RAM. I am confused, in one statement, you say you don't use a database but you mention you mysql performance in another sentence. What is using the database if not the site?
    I assume hes running multiple sites some being wordpress * which is what he said* which is why he mention the databse?
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  8. #8
    If you're pushing 2TB of bandwidth per month, you have a great chance if you downgrade to a VPS to be terribly disappointed. Stay with what you got. Upgrade it as needed, don't downgrade to a VPS when your website is THAT busy.

  9. #9
    WIth that many visitors per day I would suggest putting up ads like google adsense.
    With 4000 uniques per day you are bound to get some cash.
    This could help your site pay for itself even if you aren't using all your resources.

    Also you are already using 10-20% of 12 gb ram. I would suggest sticking with the current server and putting up ads.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Miami, Florida
    Posts
    20,777
    Quote Originally Posted by coax View Post
    WIth that many visitors per day I would suggest putting up ads like google adsense.
    With 4000 uniques per day you are bound to get some cash.
    This could help your site pay for itself even if you aren't using all your resources.

    Also you are already using 10-20% of 12 gb ram. I would suggest sticking with the current server and putting up ads.

    Bingo - As long as your site content is approiate then I would move to using AdSense or Affiliate Ads
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  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    125
    If you LOVE the speed of you server, its coping brilliantly with the traffic, and the network & server uptime are excellent, then you should be delighted with what you have.

    You could get a lower spec server cheaper, or you might be able to get the same spec for less, but is it worth the risk?

    You'll have the hassle of moving sites - only once, but still not to be relished - the new server you select may not have enough performance now or in the future. If you move provider they may not be as reliable, have different systems, or be less helpful than your current provider.

    Have you considered that one of the reasons your sites are so busy is because your server is fast and reliable?

    My opinion is that it would be best to stick with what you have if you can afford it. If the cost is becoming an issue then others have made suggestions on how you could make some money from your sites to offset the cost. If you really really like the system you have then if I was you I'd be doing everything I could to keep the server I had rather than look for alternative set ups. If your server really is that good I'd do what I could to keep it and I'd only change it as a last resort when all the alternatives had been explored.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    1,219
    Thank you all for your answers!
    As said, I run five sites on the server while three get practically no visits at all, one is a wordpress site (this is why I know that MySQL performance is great) and the last one is the "biggest" concerning visits but is not database driven.

    However, it seems that most of you would suggest that I keep the server and do not downgrade to any other specs. Master said, Monkey did... I do not like Ads on websites at all, but AdSense might be a non-disturbing possibility to get some of the monthly money back in my pocket. I will see.

    But I would anyway love to come back to the question what the "normal" configuration of a server for my purpose would look like. Could I do the same thing on a Core2Duo or smaller Quadcore? Just out of interest in case I cannot longer afford what I have. Thank you in advance!

  13. #13
    A cheaper quad core will probably work out just as well, and you could probably do with less RAM too.
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