When it comes to the cost of a server, there are many aspects you must consider before buying anything.

You may need to ask yourself:

  1. What is this server for?
  2. How much storage space do I need?
  3. What kind of motherboard, RAM and CPU do I need?
  4. What is my budget?  Servers can be very expensive.
  5. What operating system is best?

These are some of the questions that you’ll want to research before buying hardware. When it comes to buying hardware, you’ll need to have an idea of the chassis size (case). Are you building a 1U, 2U, 4U Server, Desktop Tower? The chassis (case) that you decide on will greatly determine the amount of parts you can pack inside.

Your motherboard is an important choice. Some may want features such as IPMI (remote console in case you lose remote access. Supermicro, Dell, and HP are a couple of server-grade hardware vendors. You can also use a desktop motherboard such as a Asus motherboard.

Now that you’ve found a motherboard, you need RAM next. All motherboards accept different kinds of RAM. RAM can get expensive, so knowing what your server is for, initial commitment, and upgrade feasibility also must be considered.

Your CPU is next in your build. Depending on your motherboard, you’ll end up with Intel or AMD in most builds.  Again, determine your use-case when picking processors. Ensuring your motherboard supports the CPU is the most important.

Your power supply. Deciding on this is pretty simple. If you run a basic server, perhaps with one SSD and two mechanical drives, 200 watts or less would be sufficient. If your server has one or more video cards, you may consider 800-1200 watt.

Drives are the last to consider. In most cases, it’s recommended you run a solid state drive (SSD) as your initial boot drive. A second or more drive(s) may be added depending on the size of your chassis (case) and motherboard SATA ports.RAID cards can be added in to support many drives. As you add drives, the size of your power supply, chassis (case) and the possibility of having to add additional cooling to your chassis.

Your operating system (OS) can be made up of a couple popular choices.For this example, we’ll be using Linux (a family of free and open-source software operating systems built around the Linux kernel.) and Windows (a group of several graphical operating system families, all of which are developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft.)

Linux carries no cost and can be used free on any computer. Windows is not free and carries a cost.This price depends on your license-acquisition method.Typically Windows can be ordered online, at many computer retailers, and digitally through various vendors.

Now that we’re done, are you wanting to commit to buying hardware, replacement parts (because things do break!), larger power bill and high speed internet or simply renting hardware from us and worrying about running your business, not maintaining hardware. Visit our Dedicated Servers page for details for our latest pricing.