Results 1 to 24 of 24
  1. #1

    UK Dedicated Server

    First time post.... I have been advised to ask for some help from the kind people of WHT. I need anther Dedicated server and my head now hurts from looking around so much....

    It is to host a Magento store and probably won't have more than 3k visitors per month, it does have a large catalogue though (around 40k products). I started off with 1and1 (painfully slow) and we then migrated to FastHosts with a Quad i5/12GB/2x1TB server and we pay £59 , I have been happy with their speed but they demand a 12 month contract...

    Its a UK only website so ideally want a provider in the UK, priority is speed of the server/network as magento is not speedy at the best of times

    Hopefully someone has been through the pain I am experiencing now and has come up with a solution.

    Many Thanks

    Steve

  2. #2
    Before you sign up with provider ask for a test IP and go with the best latency, uptime... UK should have plenty of providers who can support such a minimal requirements...

    One more thing... there is no issue of signing a year contract , if you happy with the service you won't go anywhere... who wants to switch form a good provider... look up their reviews, ask for a trial..usually providers ask for that to justify the time they need to configure your custom requirements and or hardware investment.

    Hope that helps.

  3. #3
    Thanks for the info, the silly thing is I will probably be with them for far more than 12 months... but its hard to stomach a £800 commitment in current times.. I do wonder whether they think about how much money a 12 month contract actually costs a company rather than saves, I'm sure it puts off a lot of people who end up staying with a company with a 1 month contract for years! But that is a different subject

    Im really looking for names from people who have been through the same thing/ run the same setup but thanks for taking the time....

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    .ssh
    Posts
    953
    I would prefer looking for a managed VPS service, you don't need a dedicated server for 3k hits per month, no way at all.... go find a solid managed VPS you will save a small bit, wont need to pay 12 months and it should be perfect.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    939
    A dedicated is probably the better option with a 40k catalogue, but a top end VPS would probably work reasonably well if configured properly.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    11,863
    Are there any opt-out options in the 12 month contract if the performance or network quality declines? Since you believe you'd be there longer than 12 months, but I'm assuming your concern is there network or support, then perhaps you can get this written into your agreement that you have the opt-out option should things go sour.

    Just some food for thought, not sure they'll go with it, but you never know.
    Doug
    Finance, Operations, and Business Executive

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by thedediguy View Post
    I would prefer looking for a managed VPS service, you don't need a dedicated server for 3k hits per month, no way at all.... go find a solid managed VPS you will save a small bit, wont need to pay 12 months and it should be perfect.
    We did test a fairly high spec vps and it did seem to struggle (albeit that may be the provider again), its such a minefield I wish I had never started looking at it!

    Quote Originally Posted by twikamltd View Post
    A dedicated is probably the better option with a 40k catalogue, but a top end VPS would probably work reasonably well if configured properly.
    Yep, but to be honest the difference between £30 and £59 was not worth worrying about, advice was to go dedicated and its been fine so will stick with that for the new one..

    Quote Originally Posted by Techy View Post
    Are there any opt-out options in the 12 month contract if the performance or network quality declines?
    Not sure, its a fairly big company FastHosts so Im sure they have everything tied up with there contract..

    Thanks for the help guys..... Am I right in saying that people don't seem to be able to suggest providers on here? Is it against rules?

    Steve

  8. #8
    I have heard of contract but not on yearly term. If would be better if you look around for some other options. 1 year contract seems to be quit large. No one can guarantee about services.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    939
    We can make recommendations, try http://www.ukservers.com/servers.php - run by a very helpful guy in the UK

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Sorting Office
    Posts
    9,530
    Quote Originally Posted by snapper3166 View Post
    Am I right in saying that people don't seem to be able to suggest providers on here? Is it against rules?
    Members can make recommendations based on their own experiences, past or present. Providers cannot recommend themselves.

  11. #11
    I've used rapidswitch, never had any problems with them. Also you might want to look at redstation, their prices are very good, but they do limit email traffic.

    Regards
    www.hostlatch.com
    SDD Hosting - SSD Reseller - Premium VPS
    Premium UK Network - Instant Setup

  12. #12
    Sorry, I had 3 post removed from the thread.....

    RedStation look very competitive for higher end servers, will keep them in mind!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    UK, Cornwall
    Posts
    473
    Quote Originally Posted by snapper3166 View Post
    First time post.... I have been advised to ask for some help from the kind people of WHT. I need anther Dedicated server and my head now hurts from looking around so much....

    It is to host a Magento store and probably won't have more than 3k visitors per month, it does have a large catalogue though (around 40k products). I started off with 1and1 (painfully slow) and we then migrated to FastHosts with a Quad i5/12GB/2x1TB server and we pay £59 , I have been happy with their speed but they demand a 12 month contract...

    Its a UK only website so ideally want a provider in the UK, priority is speed of the server/network as magento is not speedy at the best of times

    Hopefully someone has been through the pain I am experiencing now and has come up with a solution.

    Many Thanks

    Steve
    Hello Steve,

    Have you shortlisted any UK companies, as someone has mentioned as for a test IP, are you looking for a Managed or Un-Managed server? Most providers will get you to have a long term contract in order to offer you the best deal rather than having a rolling month contract.

    you should find some good offers in the offers sections, also ask some hosts if they can offer a custom package for you, it don't hurt to ask these things.

    best of luck with the search.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    304
    Quote Originally Posted by snapper3166 View Post
    First time post.... I have been advised to ask for some help from the kind people of WHT. I need anther Dedicated server and my head now hurts from looking around so much....

    It is to host a Magento store and probably won't have more than 3k visitors per month, it does have a large catalogue though (around 40k products). I started off with 1and1 (painfully slow) and we then migrated to FastHosts with a Quad i5/12GB/2x1TB server and we pay £59 , I have been happy with their speed but they demand a 12 month contract...

    Its a UK only website so ideally want a provider in the UK, priority is speed of the server/network as magento is not speedy at the best of times

    Hopefully someone has been through the pain I am experiencing now and has come up with a solution.

    Many Thanks

    Steve
    Are you looking for a similar configuration to what you currently have?

    Any other requirements besides that?
    eUKhost Ltd: eUK Web Hosting | eUK Dedicated Servers | eNlight Cloud Hosting
    "13 YEARS of Web Hosting Excellence"
    Fully Managed Service with 30 day money back guarantee on all our Services

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by chillipc View Post
    Hello Steve,

    Have you shortlisted any UK companies, as someone has mentioned as for a test IP, are you looking for a Managed or Un-Managed server? Most providers will get you to have a long term contract in order to offer you the best deal rather than having a rolling month contract.

    you should find some good offers in the offers sections, also ask some hosts if they can offer a custom package for you, it don't hurt to ask these things.

    best of luck with the search.
    Yes, int he UK I have found PoundHost and ukservers... The only real issue is when you start comparing them to companies in EU (Like i3D or soyoustart) it looks really expensive and I am now wondering if actually an EU server is fine, I seem to get twice the spec if I am willing to have a EU DC

    Unmanaged

    Quote Originally Posted by EricBrown View Post
    Are you looking for a similar configuration to what you currently have?

    Any other requirements besides that?
    Similar or better.. I think ideally we would move from i5 to Xeon... just because. And may look at SSD if its going to give us any performance improvement.

    We use Debian 7 64 Bit and stick ISPconfig on it - other than that pretty standard...

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    1,312
    I only came here to say try Fasthosts ( Thats who we have most of our kit with )
    However, it looks like you already have something with them.

    I have dealt with their sales staff before and are normally fairly open to deals.. So worth asking for a smaller contract.

    Although. 12 months really isnt much and if your planning on staying around for a year, then why not just go for it?

    FH's dedicated servers are quite good and their network uptime is topnotch ( apart from the odd outage when something terrible happens )

    Eitherway.. Id still be tempted to stick with them simply because their support is ok, the uptime is ok and meh.. its only 12 months...
    Live Chat Support Software for your Business website - IMsupporting.com

  17. #17
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    UK, Cornwall
    Posts
    473
    Hello Steve,

    Yes servers are a lot more expensive in the UK compared to the rest of the world, mainly this is due to the cost of power hence why the prices a lot higher, I have dealt with EU providers in the past but I have prefer to deal with UK companies even if I am paying a little more.

    best of luck with your search Steve.

    Joe

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by snapper3166 View Post
    Yes, int he UK I have found PoundHost and ukservers... The only real issue is when you start comparing them to companies in EU (Like i3D or soyoustart) it looks really expensive and I am now wondering if actually an EU server is fine, I seem to get twice the spec if I am willing to have a EU DC
    I forgot to mention PoundHost in my original post, their support is excellent! I regretted switching away from in that respect, but they are quite pricey for higher end machines.
    www.hostlatch.com
    SDD Hosting - SSD Reseller - Premium VPS
    Premium UK Network - Instant Setup

  19. #19
    Most providers will allow a month to month term but the price may be higher. If you're happy with FastHosts but don't want a year term, see if they will waive the year term requirement if you pay more per month?
    IOFLOOD.com -- We Love Servers
    Phoenix, AZ Dedicated Servers in under an hour
    ★ Ryzen 9: 7950x3D ★ Dual E5-2680v4 Xeon ★
    Contact Us: sales@ioflood.com

  20. #20

    Fasthosts is good

    Quote Originally Posted by snapper3166 View Post
    First time post.... I have been advised to ask for some help from the kind people of WHT. I need anther Dedicated server and my head now hurts from looking around so much....

    It is to host a Magento store and probably won't have more than 3k visitors per month, it does have a large catalogue though (around 40k products). I started off with 1and1 (painfully slow) and we then migrated to FastHosts with a Quad i5/12GB/2x1TB server and we pay £59 , I have been happy with their speed but they demand a 12 month contract...

    Its a UK only website so ideally want a provider in the UK, priority is speed of the server/network as magento is not speedy at the best of times

    Hopefully someone has been through the pain I am experiencing now and has come up with a solution.

    Many Thanks

    Steve

    I can recommend Fasthosts. They're not the cheapest or fastest but deffo better then 1and1. They're in the UK for a start (1and1 has lots of database servers if not all in Germany or something which has a different timezone etc.). I think the best in the UK might be Rackspace but it's quite expensive compared to others. I've heard it's the best tho so worth a try maybe?

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Coventry, UK
    Posts
    368
    Anything with 1&1 is going to be in Germany, be it dedicated server or shared webhosting..

    If you look at Fasthosts offerings its only when you start spending £179/Month that you get a Xeon processor, all the others are i series/core2duos. This means you are going to get a desktop motherboard, probably a desktop case and desktop quality hard disks..

    Obviously we can't self promote in this forum but there are loads of providers around such as Poundhost/Rapidswitch etc that are offering quality branded hardware for the same/cheaper pricing than Fasthosts and I am sure would be a better option.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    1,312
    Quote Originally Posted by UK Servers View Post
    Anything with 1&1 is going to be in Germany, be it dedicated server or shared webhosting..

    If you look at Fasthosts offerings its only when you start spending £179/Month that you get a Xeon processor, all the others are i series/core2duos. This means you are going to get a desktop motherboard, probably a desktop case and desktop quality hard disks..

    Obviously we can't self promote in this forum but there are loads of providers around such as Poundhost/Rapidswitch etc that are offering quality branded hardware for the same/cheaper pricing than Fasthosts and I am sure would be a better option.
    The ONLY! reason I use Fasthosts is because I know them. Ive used em for years and in all honesty, they are fairly reliable.

    I do however know as UK Servers above has stated, There ARE! better out there.
    There are cheaper and you get more for your money. So certainly worth looking about.
    Live Chat Support Software for your Business website - IMsupporting.com

  23. #23

    Do not use fasthosts for anything

    How many times have you faced an issue with your hosting provider? I am sure everybody did, but the question is what the level of damage it could cause.
    Fasthosts (fasthosts.co.uk) is trying to impress visitors with hollow promises, but they start playing tricks soon after the visitor becomes their customer. We had signed up for the Ultimate hosting package which has smart SSD webspace 120 GB, in spite the website was very new with very limited audience, the server was responding extremely slow and most of the features on the site we run did not work. The error message “the connection with server had been lost” popped up every single day and slowed down work routine even in admin area. We kept debating with Fasthosts team for days but they just kept blaming Wordpress (publishing tool) or plugins which may effect pages’ speed etc.
    End of the day we’ve been advised by Fasthotsts technical support specialist to hire dedicated server which would definitely improve the website speed. We have booked the migration service to transfer all the data to dedicated server, Fasthosts had ensured migration process is to performed by reliable professional IT guys and guaranteed to be smooth and quick. We have been charged for the service immediately after placing the order but only few days later (huge delay) we were notified the migration was successfully completed. The cancellation of existing host package was scheduled for later in order to allow website to run on new server for a while. On the day the host package was cancelled we found out our site was not operating online and contacted Fasthosts team instantly. The technical support representative informed us over the phone DNS was not alerted and transferred in time, after this simple diversion process the website went online BUT without 90% of its content (more than 1000 published articles), besides we couldn’t access website as an admin, simply, losses suffered were substantial. Fasthost team member told us migration failed and wasn’t completed at all, as a result all database was lost and couldn’t be restored, we were offered a refund (the fees we paid for migration service) which is absolutely nothing comparing to shocking damage we faced.
    We have moved whatever left from the website to another hosting provider and very happy to admit everything works perfectly fine, we are still struggling to recover and gain our audience back but we remain positive and believe in better.
    DO NOT USE FASTHOSTS FOR ANYTHING “all that glitters is not gold”. Don’t put your business in danger by using any of services of Fasthosts! It is absolutely incompetent and unreliable web hosting service, their website is highly promoted on Google pages, its top listed position is totally misleading potential customers, don’t trust their ratings!

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Here Today - Gone to Maui
    Posts
    9,966
    When talking to FastHosts, I'd certainly bring up all the points and opinions and reviews brought up here to hear their response as they appear to be all over the place. Of course, that is if you intend to risk signing an annual commitment.
    ProlimeHost - Dedicated Server Hosting & KVM SSD VPS
    Three Datacenter Locations: Los Angeles, Denver & Singapore
    SuperMicro Hardware | Multiple Bandwidth Providers | 24/7 On-site Engineers

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-11-2013, 01:33 PM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-19-2011, 08:02 AM
  3. Replies: 14
    Last Post: 12-27-2004, 08:19 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •