Webserver Build

[Koopax]

Hey guys,

I want to build a webserver. What parts would you suggest for around 500 bucks

Thank you very much

Koopax

[Judahnator]

Depending on the number of users you will have using the server, you could use anything from an Intel Atom to requiring a multiprocessor setup.

 

Also, depending on how processor intensive your code is, how well its written, network speed, ect the requirements may need tweaked.

 

I have a website running on a Pentieum4 with 2GB RAM, but nobody uses it. So its mostly what you need to do with it.

 

In general though,

<100 visits an hour:

Intel Atom/i3

2GB RAM

IDE hard drive

101-500 visits an hour:

Intel Pentium/i5

4GB RAM

SATA 6 HDD

501-1000 visits an hour:

i7/Xeon/Opteron

8GB RAM

SATA 6 HDD

[Joshyy]

If you are only having a tiny amount of visits (5-10-20 an hour) then even look into the Raspberry Pi, it's capable of hosting a small website. 

[Samdb]

Just rent a rack, there is no way that your connection can host a website.

[Koopax]

My website has around 30 visits per hour, however I want it to be a bit future proof, so the server should handle 100 visits per hour.

A Raspberry Pi doesn't seem to be a good alternativ, because it reacts quite slow on an request.

I think my internet connection will be sufficient to host a website. I have 50 Mbit down an 15 Mbit upload.

[Judahnator]

Your internet is fast enough to support that traffic. I would suggest finding something cheap off craigslist.

 

Im using an old DELL Optiplex i got for $100 a few years ago. You could likely do with less though.

 

It all depends on what you are running on it. Something like a forum? Or just straight HTML?

[Koopax]

My website is running on an Linux server running Apache 2. Performance-wise it is comparable to a forum. So there's no plain HTML, but a lot of PHP an SQL Databases.

[WoodenMarker]

@Koopax You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

 

If you don't need mass storage, you could also go with a ssd instead of a hdd. 

[Judahnator]

My website is running on an Linux server running Apache 2. Performance-wise it is comparable to a forum. So there's no plain HTML, but a lot of PHP an SQL Databases.

 

In that case, just something off Craigslist would work.

Also, get a $30 RAID card and throw in two WD Red's in RAID 1 will give you the storage you need.

 

But if you wanted to build it yourself, the AMD fx series is good. and THIS case has worked for me, you may like it.

[Koopax]

@WoodenMarker

Do you think an SSD can handle 24/7 operation. Is there really a noticeable benefit?

[WoodenMarker]

@WoodenMarker

Do you think an SSD can handle 24/7 operation. Is there really a noticeable benefit?

24/7 operation should be fine as long as it's a decent modern ssd. Random seek time would be much faster than a hdd. I'm not sure but I imagine that would benefit the responsiveness of the server.