Generic Game Server suggestions

[Grimm Spector]

Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some hardware and possibly software/setup suggestions for a generic game server system. The plan is to set it up locally and allow local LAN and outside players who join a VPN setup access to play whatever games are installed onto it.

[mpsparrow]

What types of games are going to be running on this server?

[zombienerd]

Game servers usually don't need much power.  I have a box that's an old Dell GX780 (Core 2 Duo) with 8gb RAM plugged into a 100mbps down 25 up connection.  Runs Xubuntu 16.04.

 

Hosts a Minecraft server, Wurm Server, Star Wars Galaxies EMU server, and whatever game I feel like hosting this week.

 

Never had a single person complain about latency or anything.

[zombienerd]

They've got them for $75 on newegg right now.  Just pick up some more RAM, a few 1-2 TB HDD's to use in a RAID for storage and such, and you're golden.

 

GX780 on Newegg

[Grimm Spector]

Yea, I've always gone with the logic personally that RAM and HDD speed is the key, and the processor is less important except when apps are running things like world generation and such. What not too expensive HDDs would you suggest for RAID setup?

 

[zombienerd]

That really depends on how much storage you need.  I have 3 1tb drives in mine, in a parity config for a 2tb volume that can rebuild if a drive fails.  

 

I think they're Hitachi 7200rpm like these for $40 at Newegg: Hitachi 1tb

 

If you're not running an MMO with a massive database, you could probably just grab a handful of dirt cheap 250gb drives, and make a 1tb array for just a hair more than one single 1tb drive.  White Label 250gb's

[zombienerd]

Another potentially lower cost option is to go with a VPS.  Those have the benefit of a (usually) much faster network connection than you'll have at home, as well as a dedicated IP address and no dicking with your router for port forwarding.  But they have the downside that it's a monthly cost.  If you hit lowendbox.com you can find some really good deals there from time to time.

[Grimm Spector]

2 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

Another potentially lower cost option is to go with a VPS.  Those have the benefit of a (usually) much faster network connection than you'll have at home, as well as a dedicated IP address and no dicking with your router for port forwarding.  But they have the downside that it's a monthly cost.  If you hit lowendbox.com you can find some really good deals there from time to time.

Yea, I've tried that, but the monthly cost is a pain and the performance on them isn't typically great. If I was going to do that I'd probably just make some Amazon EC instances.

 

That newegg find is nice, except that it's in the US, the Canadian version is nearly twice the price!