How to run a dedicated server.

[Jothung]

I'm looking into hosting a dedicated server for myself and a friend or two and I don't intend to pay Nitrado for 20 plus slots when I only need 2 or 3. 5 if I'm lucky. So I was wondering what kind of machine would I need to do that and how much it'd cost? I don't want to use my main pc as I also work from it plus I don't want to leave it on all the time.

So any help on what kind of machine I could get to host a server for just a few people would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply.

[Salty]

The Server I am in is privately owned hardware, it cost our Server Owners about $20,000 in total for all the hardware and services needed to run the cluster.

[Nullpoint]

Run it on a spare pc. There are plenty of “how to” in youtube, going through the steps. Gl

[dagger]

The following link will show rough hardware requirements for a single map with limited players. Each additional player will increase the CPU and RAM requirements. With only 2-5 players the requirements should be minimum.

At a minimum recommended spec for a single map plus covering the operating system you will want 4 core / 8 thread with 16GB (preferably 32GB) of ram spare PC on a SSD / nvme drive.


https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/Dedicated_server_setup

[Vig]

My EX gaming rig lets me run 3-4 island sized maps at present... this will change when the center and larger maps are released... My spec i5.5800 gigabyte mobo, 48Gb gen 4 ram a 1Tb nvme gen4 boot drive and a 2TB nvme gen4 drive for the maps. I turn everything off in bios as much as poss and run lowish onboard graphics. Myself and a m8 play constantle and i have 5-6 guests as well on the server. I get zero lag or rubber banding. I get instantainuous map transfers. i.e. island to scorched, svart, iceage. each map consumes about 9-12gb of memory . windows10 itself requires about 8gb minimum. so i am right on the edge.

[Orv Williams]

If you do not already own or have access to get an old gaming rig, might I suggest you consider taking a look online at used/refurbished workstations instead of ATX form factor rigs.
There are usually good Dual Xeon units available for around $1000 US or less.
Look for between 64-128GB RAM and a decent sized drive.
These will offer some pretty hefty CPU muscle and RAM without breaking the bank.

Good Luck and Happy Gaming,

~Orv