Is it a good idea to build a dedicated server?

Submitted by Jamesthedumbass t3_1003tgi in gaming

I have an old amd tomahawk motherboard and a fan, I was wondering how difficult/expensive it would be to build a PC specifically designed to run dedicated servers for games like valheim, Minecraft, terraria?

Would I need a graphics card? Or would I want a specific CPU? Obviously I’d need a lot of ram, but maybe one 1tb SSD? Could I reduce costs anywhere? Would I need a new motherboard?

I’ve looked it up online and I haven’t found anything concrete about how much it would cost and more importantly if it’s a good idea. I have some experience networking and server hosting.

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bisen2 t1_j2fhct1 wrote

I have an old PC that I have been running as a server for around 5 years now and it has been a really fun project to work on in my free time.

To answer your specific questions:

  • No, you generally would not need a gpu (other than initially getting things set up if your cpu doesn't have integrated graphics)
  • You don't need a specific CPU, but if you are planning on running multiple servers simulatenoesly, then a higher core count would certainly be helpful
  • The size of storage you need will be super dependent on which servers you want to run, so it would be a good idea to look up the server install sizes for the games you want to run. That being said, it is generally pretty easy to add more drives later if needed

For some general things to think about:

  • You may want to look into running a hypervisor (an OS designed to host other OSes in containers or virtual machines). If you are going to be running a number of servers, having them hosted separately on a hypervisor can make it a lot easier to take some up/down without impacting the others. Personally, I run proxmox as my hypervisor, but there are a bunch of options out there
  • It is also important to consider the energy costs of running a server. It might surprise you how quickly an atound the clock server can eat up power, so just keep in mind that you might see some changes on power bills

Hope this helps! It's a fun hobby, and I hope you enjoy it.

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Jamesthedumbass OP t1_j2fivan wrote

Hello! Thank you for the info. Very helpful.

Can you tell me more about hypervisor? Would that be different from say using Lenox made for gaming servers?

And the energy costs? Are we thinking a few hundred extra a year or month?

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bisen2 t1_j2fr8l3 wrote

A hypervisor is (generally) a Linux OS that comes with tools set up to make it easy to host other operating systems within it. So if you were to take that approach, you would probably have a separate container or virtual machine for each server that you wanted to run, then access the hypervisor (usually through a web ui) to configure and start/stop the game servers.

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bobkalonger t1_j2feol1 wrote

I actually just set this up for myself about 2 months ago. This year I built myself a new gaming PC, and the entirety of my old PC was just lying around. I had a mobo and processor, 16 GB RAM, a 500 GB SSD and the case and PSU. I wanted a dedicated Minecraft server that I could run a modpack on so my brother and I wouldn't have to pay (most server hosting doesn't even go up to 16 GB RAM). I wiped the SSD and installed Ubuntu server (didn't want to pay for Windows license) on it which I had to completely learn how to use, and ultimately I was successful. During the build, I just used the integrated graphics (Intel processor) but now I don't even have an HDMI cord plugged in...I just SSH into the server from my gaming PC or phone to reboot or whatever. Since I already had the components, it was completely free besides the time it took to learn how, and so far I've loaded like 4 different modpacks on it trying to find a good one and each one gets easier to configure than the last. I've only saved money since I put it together.

tl;dr I HIGHLY recommend setting up a personal server. It has a learning curve but it is beyond worth it. I don't think you even need 1TB and if you use Ubuntu server you only need integrated graphics because it's command line only. I do recommend a beefy amount of RAM for sure.

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Jamesthedumbass OP t1_j2fewxw wrote

SSH? Can you explain that?

Do you think you could run multiple game servers at once?

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bobkalonger t1_j2ff6yc wrote

I don't really know much but SSH is essentially just dialing in remotely. I use putty for Windows to dial in. You need the server IP and your credentials.

I don't know about multiple games at once, I never tried to set that up.

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Jamesthedumbass OP t1_j2ffcgb wrote

Okok. See I was thinking about something like SSH but I never knew it was an actual thing. Thank you

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LMWBXR t1_j2fc0r8 wrote

It depends on what kind of server - and what games you want to host. You can host old fps games like quake 3 on literally ANY functioning windows PC. Servers are basically DOS boxes. Newer games might be another story.

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Jamesthedumbass OP t1_j2fcp70 wrote

See that’s what I’m saying. I was thinking about just buying a super cheap AMD CPU. Maybe one meant for server hosting. But would I need a GPU?

Then just a super cheap chasis. Some spare fans. Some RAM and I should be good yea? I’m not hosting arma or anything just a bunch of small games like terraria and valheim… Minecraft.

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LMWBXR t1_j2fek0q wrote

As far as I know GPUs are not necessary for a dedicated server. Servers function without them and they are not used to process graphics. My experience with hosting is all older fps games. 1 machine I used had a basic Nvidia card in it, and currently, I am using a cheap small form factor refurbished dell to host servers with no problem.

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