Dedicated Server - Detailed Hardware Requirements?

discrepantdiscrepant Join Date: 2013-06-22 Member: 185655Members
in Server Discussion
I will be building a system for the sole purpose of hosting a 24-slot dedicated NS2 server out of San Francisco. I would like to know the opinion of the community in regards to the hardware I have selected and how it would affect server performance.

Processor
Intel Core i5-3570K (overclocked to 4.5Ghz)
This shouldn't be an issue. I chose this CPU because it is frequently seen on professional hosted servers and will hopefully pose no issues when being overclocked.

RAM
2x2GB DDR3-1333
Would there be any significant improvement if I were to use DDR3-1600 instead? I understand that the wiki states 2GB of RAM is required, but clock rates are not mentioned. Is this because it doesn't make a difference?

Hard Drive
250GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache
Would there be any significant improvement if I were to use an SSD as opposed to a conventional hard drive? It seems like the only item that this would impact is the server side loading time of maps. Which is a non-issue for me. Am I mistaken?

Internet Connection
30Mbps DOWN - 8Mbps UP
Yeah, not hardware. But want input on it. This seems sufficient for a 24-slot dedicated server to me. But the wiki doesn't cover this information yet. Thoughts?
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Comments

  • ScardyBobScardyBob ScardyBob Join Date: 2009-11-25 Member: 69528Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    That all looks good except for the only 4GB of RAM. Usually, dedicated servers of this nature can handle up to 4 NS2 servers (3 public and 1 private), which makes up a bit for the high cost of the hardware. However, that means having at least 8GB of RAM to meet the 2GB/server requirement.

    As for the connection speeds, here's some benchmarking I did when NS2 was released:
    An update since I have more data (on four full 20 player servers) from release night; average per hour:
    All Four Servers:
    DL Rate = 232 KB/s
    UL Rate = 696 KB/s
    DL Vol = 815 MB/hr
    UL Vol = 2447 MB/hr

    Per Server:
    DL Rate = 58 KB/s
    UL Rate = 174 KB/s
    DL Vol = 204 MB/hr
    UL Vol = 612 MB/hr
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  • unter_hosenunter_hosen Join Date: 2003-01-05 Member: 11858Members, Constellation
    choose your cpu cooler wisely. Remember that cooling an overclocked cpu in a small rackmount case is a bit of a bastard. Might be worth sending a PM to some people who are running i5's overclocked in 1 or 2U cases to find out what they are using.

    Having said that, with the internet connection you have posted, it sounds like this might be run from home anyway, so case size might not be an issue
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  • discrepantdiscrepant Join Date: 2013-06-22 Member: 185655Members
    Yep, this box will house a single dedicated NS2 server from my home. It will be built in your average ATX mid tower case. Thank you all for your input.
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  • ScardyBobScardyBob ScardyBob Join Date: 2009-11-25 Member: 69528Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    discrepant wrote: »
    Yep, this box will house a single dedicated NS2 server from my home. It will be built in your average ATX mid tower case. Thank you all for your input.
    While you can certainly host only one server, its typically better to do at least three. NS2 servers owners are in a bit of bind due to the CPU heavy nature of NS2 servers. You typically need the fastest single-threaded CPU to get the best performance, which limits you to quadcore Sandy/Ivy Bridge/Haswell i5's/i7's when you really only need a fast dual-core at the most.
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  • discrepantdiscrepant Join Date: 2013-06-22 Member: 185655Members
    I just wanted to mention I finished building this server today. Within the first hour, the 24 slot server was populated to at max with tons of new players that took advantage of the sale. Tick rate has been at a solid 30 and players have had no issues thus far with performance.
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  • mbrickmbrick Join Date: 2013-01-24 Member: 181869Members
    edited August 2013
    discrepant wrote: »
    I just wanted to mention I finished building this server today. Within the first hour, the 24 slot server was populated to at max with tons of new players that took advantage of the sale. Tick rate has been at a solid 30 and players have had no issues thus far with performance.

    Awesome! I too built a server to run at home and it's nice to see when it is full and people are playing.

    Are you just running one instance, or more?

    I think ScardyBob's bandwidth usage above is accurate.
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