Game Server Spec

[Linken]

Hi guys!

First time building a server so needed some input from some server gurus!

Essentially this server will be hosting an online game a team of us are developing and was not sure of the exact specifications needed - as far as I know the bandwidth is the main requirement when it comes to stuff like this.

We currently are on a 120MB download/20mb Upload line - which should be fine for Alpha/Beta as we don't expect to exceed more than 500 players in this period.

We run a pretty big MYSQL server so I would like to have quite a bit of ram to allocate to MYSQL independently, and at the start we only plan to run one realm but would like the room to upgrade (so perhaps a few HDDs could come in handy)

Just starting out so don't really want to break the bank so much for our first investment but here's what we have so far:

These items have been donated from the team members (spare parts etc) the rest we need to buy.

• Windows 2012 Server Key
• 16 GB RAM
• 1x 128GB SSD
• 5x 500GB HDDs

For the remaining parts that we needed, we came up with the following parts:

• Intel XEON E3-1220 (There are 3 versions of this, wasn't sure which was the best one, v3 is Haswell)
  
• Akasa AK-CC4009EP01 Venom Pico Performance Multi-Platform CPU Cooler
  
• ASRock Z77 PRO4-M S1155 Intel Z77 DDR3 mATX (mATX just because it was slightly cheaper - but will probably find a better ATX board)
  
• Xigmatek Asgard II Midi Tower PC Casing ATX Black
  
• Corsair CS450M Modular 450W ATX PSU

All input & help is appreciated!

 

[Linken]

We are still in early development stages so ideally it would be something starting relatively small that we can upgrade in the future as we grow.

Don't really want to shell out a big amount at this early stage if we can prevent it.

We did just plan it to just be a standalone PC sitting somewhere, but as you say there's not much room for expansion such as dual network connections and two CPUs etc.

 

[Linken]

SQL database is installed on our current server machine which has really poor specs.

But yes I think a basic standalone PC would be the best way for now as well. I don't think we're going to need a 'proper' server just yet.

But getting components that could potentially transfer into the future server machine would be good. Like a Xeon CPU for example instead of just getting an i7 4770k

 

[Linken]

Thanks for the input IHxInfi & disi,

That UPS looks like a great idea - after a bit of research the APC BE700G-UK looks good for approximately £60.

For a GPU I have a spare 260GTX to put into the machine if needed which will be more than enough.

So yeah probably looking at a 600W PSU. And those parts you listed might be still a little over our budget. We're looking to spend about £400 on these components, idea was to get us a starter server which we can continually upgrade as we grow but I think that may be a harder task than I thought!

Case - I'm not sure about, need a normal desktop case that can easily swap around HDDs that has room for at least 3. Don't have to use all 5 HDDs - but would be nice!

 

[Linken]

That's £400 + all the spare parts we have of course!

So, Mobo, Case, CPU, Cooler, PSU for under £400 with room for server expansion. Possible?

 

[Linken]

Will be ordering this soon.

So here we go:

YOUR BASKET
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD316G2133HC11ADC01) £107.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £82.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £61.99
1 x BitFenix Shadow Tower Case - Midnight Black £54.98
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £337.55 (includes shipping : £8.00).



This will be paired with the following spare parts:

3x 500GB HDDs, 1x 128GB SSD, a Xeon E3-1230 v3 (Haswell 1150) and a GTX 260, UPS for backup power and a key of Windows Server 2012.

How's that look for a first server to get us going?

(We opted out of ECC ram for now until we go live, this is more for development for the next 6-12 months really)