Whats a good cheap server?

[hardtofindinthefuture]

i want a server for tf2 wich is a pretty low demanding game

what would be a good cheap server

 

Intel compute stick clone https://www.amazon.com/Azulle-Quantum-Access-Windows-storage/dp/B00X4O6GRK/ref=sr_1_18?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496446711&sr=1-18&keywords=compute+stick

1st gen Intel compute stick https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Generation-Compute-Processor-BOXSTCK1A8LFC/dp/B00UYHE60Y/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496446448&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=computute+stick

 

i dont want to buy used because craigslist is a landfill in my area

and ebay is just meh for whole computers

 

are my suggestions worth it?

anyone else got any more suggestions?

[jakkuh_t]

Rent a VPS

 

https://buyvm.net/

https://www.ssdnodes.com/containers-preview/

[TheRandomness]

-Thread moved to Servers and NAS.

[Blebekblebek]

Why not just use your laptop?

Those USB Stick computer will get throttle also only wireless

[hardtofindinthefuture]

5 hours ago, Blebekblebek said:

Why not just use your laptop?

Those USB Stick computer will get throttle also only wireless

My laptop will melt, and i need it for normal use

[Blebekblebek]

Just now, v0nn_toaster said:

My laptop will melt, and i need it for normal use

So your laptop with fans and better cooling will melt and you think usb stick will not?

[twizmwazin]

I'm not sure why you are against using ebay. For used server equipment there are some excellent deals. I recently bought a barebones server similar to this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERMICRO-6016T-MR-1U-SERVER-2x-E5504-24GB-NO-HDD-CSE-512-X8DTL-I-/172669033834?hash=item2833e05d6a

That will come with 2 quad core CPUs, 24GB of RAM, and everything else minus a hard drive. If you've got a spare drive from an old laptop or whatever you can add that and have yourself a good server for well under $200, and it even would come with some enterprise grade functionality like ECC memory and multiple NICs, if that matters to you. The only drawback is that the fans can be quite loud, as is typical with compact server hardware, so if you are going to be running this is a main part of the house it might be a slight drawback.

[Alternative 311]

Most of my servers are old workstations, and they all came from ebay! Currently using an HP z820 with two Zeon Quad Core Processors, Hyperthreaded to 16 cores, even came with an Nvidia K4000 video card, that was $500 on ebay. I thought that was a steal with 32 gigs of ECC memory. Previous server which is still running, I gave it to my sister, was a Dell T3500 Workstation. They are less than $200 on ebay now. Just slap you about 5 drives max, and that would be good quality server. Yes, some don't like OEM hardware, but I just want the hardware then, I like to config, even with limitations. Both of these options would provide that server you mentioned, and it would ask for more, pending on the Config that is!

[Mikensan]

Cheapest would be to use your desktop and leave it turned on. The money you save while it's turned off vs on isn't much different than buying a whole new server and leaving it on 24/7 + your normal desktop hours. It also just minimizes and out of the way, not really stopping you from using your desktop... First few dedicated servers I ran were right from my desktop which I used everyday. Also I feel like as soon as your friends stop playing TF2 you'll have some random hardware sitting around. Players come and go.

 

tf2 could run on a toaster, I feel like your upload will give out before any hardware you have would. 

 

If you're really dedicated to spending money, the Dell T20 often goes on sale for $250 if you keep an eye on slickdeals.

Matter of fact, here's the T30 for $199 (expired): https://slickdeals.net/f/10088644-dell-poweredge-t30-6th-gen-dual-core-1tb-server-199-w-free-shipping-dell-business?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

 

So temporarily run it on your desktop, wait until the T20/T30 goes on sale, then buy it.

 

Edit*** 

https://slickdeals.net/f/9889516-hpe-proliant-ml10-gen9-tower-server-i3-6100-4gb-ram-dvdrw-200-free-shipping?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

That's a pretty good deal, processor alone is almost the entire cost of that machine.

[argyle]

Newegg often has off lease/refurbished workstation systems for fairly low prices. I picked up a model similar to this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883286411&cm_re=hp_z420-_-83-286-411-_-Product

6-core Xeon, 8 GB ECC RAM. Can handle a lot more than TF2. If you're interested in virtualization it could host a whole bunch of stuff while you test it out.