Help building a server?

[RangerLunis]

Hey, I was looking into building my first server. The server itself would be used mostly for gaming, mostly hosting for Ark: Survival Evolved and Starbound. I was also considering using a raid to store personal files safely.

The most hardware extensive game I'll be hosting will most likely be Ark, I've read in a steam discussion where the developer says ark requires 4gb of memory per instance of the game, I don't need to host many players, no more than ten. 5 players would be fine, so I'm settling on 32gb memory. If anyone could point out some cheap, reliable memory, it would be much appreciated. Also, my budget is at maximum $1000, but of course that's just the maximum, I don't need a overkill machine, just one that can meet the games requirements well and host a few players.

 

My main problem is a cpu, I've never really looked into xeon chips before and i'm not totally sure which would be best for my needs, and do they require any form of cooling? It's my plan to have the server in a rack mounted case.

Depending on what xeon cpu and its chipset, could someone recommend a good mobo? I personally prefer Asrock and Asus.

Next, would onboard raid be fine, or would I need to purchase a seperate raid card?

 

One last question would be if someone could explain server racks? I see them labeled differently with numbers such as 8u or 4u with their cases, can someone help me better understand this system so I can better choose?

 

[Streetguru]

3 hours ago, RangerLunis said:

 

Bad idea to virtualize your NAS, best off building a secondary machine later, you won't need a hardware raid controller with freeNAS, just preferably ECC memory

 

far as the main serer goes, what are the recommended hardware requirements for an ark server? Is it just a ton of single threaded performance? You aren't going to need a Xeon as you probably don't need to bother with ECC for a game server.

[RangerLunis]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/346110/discussions/0/613957600548879671/

 

Here is an official statement from the developer, those are the requirements as best as I know.

 

http://ark.gamepedia.com/Dedicated_Server_Setup

 

Here is some more information that might be helpful.

 

[Streetguru]

3 hours ago, RangerLunis said:

 

Kinda sounds like it only uses like 2 threads, so I'd imagine you'd want an i5 just for additional headroom, though you might want to look into that more, as an i7 6700 might be a better option if it uses more than 4 threads

 

They probably run CPUs with tons of threads so they can just virutalize the servers though

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rFLkvK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rFLkvK/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($54.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Mushkin ECO3 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case  ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $570.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-06 14:00 EDT-0400

 

 

[Lurick]

Server racks use what are called Rack Units or RU to denote the amount of space available and can range from a few RU to 45+ RU. So if you get a 12RU server rack and the case you buy is 4RU then you will have 8 RU remaining.

[RangerLunis]

Thanks for the help, I'll keep all these options in mind, i'm not really totally sure how i'd cool the i5 in a rackmounted case but i'll keep looking at my options.

[Lurick]

4 minutes ago, RangerLunis said:

Thanks for the help, I'll keep all these options in mind, i'm not really totally sure how i'd cool the i5 in a rackmounted case but i'll keep looking at my options.

There are a lot of low profile CPU coolers out there, I've got one running in a 2RU server.

[RangerLunis]

Sounds awesome, if you've got any links to them i'd love to see

[Streetguru]

9 minutes ago, RangerLunis said:

Thanks for the help, I'll keep all these options in mind, i'm not really totally sure how i'd cool the i5 in a rackmounted case but i'll keep looking at my options.

You probably don't need to bother paying for a rack mount set up for a single game server, probably just go ITX and throw it somewhere with an elite 110 case

[RangerLunis]

Probably, but I will eventually consider a nas and many other projects so it may just be best to invest in one, i'll consider all my options

 

[Lurick]

6 minutes ago, RangerLunis said:

Sounds awesome, if you've got any links to them i'd love to see

I use one of these in my 2RU server and it's been great:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9PV3Y61170

[RangerLunis]

Super love noctua, besides their weird color scheme anyways but yeah that'd super work great. Thanks!

[Lurick]

Just now, RangerLunis said:

Super love noctua, besides their weird color scheme anyways but yeah that'd super work great. Thanks!

One more question, I saw you mentioned you might be expanding and adding more servers which is always great to go for a rack mounted solution in that case but where are you planning to put everything? Do you have a dedicated room or something for it all or just a closet in your bedroom because depending on the final location for everything I can provide suggestions for cooling, noise dampening, etc.

[RangerLunis]

I have my own computer room with a rather roomy closet, dunno if thats the best solution but yeah.

[Streetguru]

29 minutes ago, RangerLunis said:

Probably, but I will eventually consider a nas and many other projects so it may just be best to invest in one, i'll consider all my options

 

Things are going to get very expensive, very quickly

 

You could always look into the HAF stacker cases potentially, least then it's all pretty standard stuff, especially if you get the front mounted PSU models

 

 

[RangerLunis]

I understand the expense but its fine with me, haf stackers might actually be cool, ill consider them too

 

[RangerLunis]

http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=105&cp_id=10516&cs_id=1051606&p_id=10657&seq=1&format=2

 

So I wanted to hear your guy's thoughts on this, it's pretty cheap considering and I could fit a 2u server and a 1u nas easily and mount it to the wall in my closet keeping the noise safely inside. I thought it might be a good cheap solution, it seems pretty solid.