Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Help choosing a new host

[Singular]

Hello all,

I posted here a while ago loking for a new host. I got some great advice, but decided to stay with my current host for the remainder of my contract (I paid for 2 years up front). Now my term is set to expire in the middle of February and I am ready to change.

My current host (ixwebhosting) has been ok, but my database driven part of my site (phpbb forums and Copermine gallery) run slower than I want and need. Also, their email restrictions on the amount of emails allowed to be sent monthly are ridiculous.

My community has doubled since my last post and the images in my gallery have almost tripled. I have just under 7,000 members and 23,000 images in the gallery. My site occupies 5.5GB of space and 11.7GB trafic.

I plan on upgrading to the current version of phpBB3 (I have been putting it off) very soon and would like to start fresh with a new and reliable host. I would like to be able to operate the site and receive email using my current host while I move files to the new host. I would like to keep costs down to no more that $15 per month, so I know shared hosting is my only realistic option.

A lot has changed since my last post. Many companies I thought were good a year and a half ago, are not. And there are new companies that have climbed up the charts. Can someone offer me some advice on who would fit my needs.

all the best,
Joe

[sideservers]

Your website seems to have more visitors in the next months , start looking for dedicated server.

[JLHC]

Well your current host seem to oversell massively and that may be one of the reason for your database driven applications to be running slowly. Another possible reason is that their server is optimized for capacity instead of performance.

Your requirements and budget seem reasonable for a quality hosting provider if you do not plan to go with an unlimited provider again.

My advise is for you to avoid those "top 10 sites" as they are normally full of fake reviews and affiliate links. Looks for legitimate reviews of hosting providers around the web as well as in WHT, HostJury, etc and you should be able to find a perfect hosting provider for your needs.

[Singular]

Originally Posted by JLHC

Well your current host seem to oversell massively and that may be one of the reason for your database driven applications to be running slowly. Another possible reason is that their server is optimized for capacity instead of performance.

Your requirements and budget seem reasonable for a quality hosting provider if you do not plan to go with an unlimited provider again.

My advise is for you to avoid those "top 10 sites" as they are normally full of fake reviews and affiliate links. Looks for legitimate reviews of hosting providers around the web as well as in WHT, HostJury, etc and you should be able to find a perfect hosting provider for your needs.

Thanks for your reply. I definitely will not go with another site that oversells and I have absolutely learned to avoid those top 10 sites. I believe that I will get sound advice from this place and that is why I am here.

all the best,
Joe

[njoker555]

Originally Posted by Singular

I have absolutely learned to avoid those top 10 sites.

That's the best thing you can do when looking for a host. Most top10 sites are solely based on who pays more affiliate commission.

As for your email concern, how many do you plan on sending? per hour/month? Most shared hosts would limit that any way due to risk of spam. To set your own limits you have to get at least a VPS. But it does depend on how many emails you actually send out.

But the rest of your requirements would be fine on shared hosting.

[Singular]

Originally Posted by njoker555

As for your email concern, how many do you plan on sending? per hour/month? Most shared hosts would limit that any way due to risk of spam. To set your own limits you have to get at least a VPS. But it does depend on how many emails you actually send out.

Thanks for your reply. It's very hard to say. My forum allows users to subscribe to a thread, as most do. Also, users get email notification when someone comments on one of their images in the gallery. My current host only allows 4,000 emails per month, which is absurd. Not to mention, when I move to phpBB3, I am going to install the email digest mod, which will allow users to get a daily, weekly or monthly email digest. I need a host with no email restrictions within a given day/month.

all the best,
Joe

[njoker555]

Most hosts will limit emails per hour and in turn, you'll get limited per day and per month one way or another. And I don't think any shared host would allow you to send out daily emails to all of your members. Sending to 7000 members in one go can be resource consuming. Weekly and monthly I can see happening but you'll have to find an easy (non-resource consuming) way of sending the emails.

If you want a host with no email restrictions, get a VPS or Dedicated servers, that's the only way you'll be able to control the limits. Otherwise you're stuck with what the host gives you.

[Newwebsite.com]

You can get a VPS for $15/month.

[JLHC]

Originally Posted by Singular

Thanks for your reply. It's very hard to say. My forum allows users to subscribe to a thread, as most do. Also, users get email notification when someone comments on one of their images in the gallery. My current host only allows 4,000 emails per month, which is absurd. Not to mention, when I move to phpBB3, I am going to install the email digest mod, which will allow users to get a daily, weekly or monthly email digest. I need a host with no email restrictions within a given day/month.

all the best,
Joe

Well most hosting provider will have some sort of limit in place.
For cPanel providers, the limit is based on per hour limit while for DirectAdmin I believe it is based on per day limit.

[ChiefObie]

Originally Posted by Singular

(ixwebhosting) has been ok, but my database driven part of my site (phpbb forums and Copermine gallery) run slower than I want and need.

My traffic is not as high as Joe's, but I too found IXhosting to be slower than ideal. They were very nice people to work with though.

[jrianto]

Hi Joe,
We're sorry to see you go. But we're glad to see you succeed with your online objective. I would recommend URLJet.com as they are specialized in forum hosting, mainly vBulletin, but with your requirements, I am sure they will accommodate your needs.

Thanks for choosing IXWebHosting and we wish you the best for your community!

[Newwebsite.com]

Originally Posted by JLHC

Well most hosting provider will have some sort of limit in place.
For cPanel providers, the limit is based on per hour limit while for DirectAdmin I believe it is based on per day limit.

And even with DirectAdmin the host can set it up to be per hour. The host would just set up a cronjob to clear the count every xxx minutes or hours.

[Singular]

Originally Posted by jrianto

Hi Joe,
We're sorry to see you go. But we're glad to see you succeed with your online objective. I would recommend URLJet.com as they are specialized in forum hosting, mainly vBulletin, but with your requirements, I am sure they will accommodate your needs.

Thanks for choosing IXWebHosting and we wish you the best for your community!

Thanks so much. You guys have been a pleasure to deal with. Customer service is always fast and friendly. I just feel as though my needs have changed since I began.

best of luck to you,
Joe

[Singular]

Originally Posted by JLHC

Well most hosting provider will have some sort of limit in place.
For cPanel providers, the limit is based on per hour limit while for DirectAdmin I believe it is based on per day limit.

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

[Singular]

Originally Posted by Newwebsite.com

And even with DirectAdmin the host can set it up to be per hour. The host would just set up a cronjob to clear the count every xxx minutes or hours.

Thanks for your reply also.