Looking to build a dedicated server computer for ARK

[SpikeyPancake]

I have a few computer parts and I created a list via PCpartpicker of the remaining parts I think would make a decent budget dedicated server for ark, if anyone has any suggestions let me know

I would plan on using Linux OS so I did not inculde an OS in the list

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LnvMdX

[Ruse]

You're going to need more than that. A lot more.

[-=SpAwN=-]

nah ,i bet hes got all the other stuff , monitor , keyboard , mouse . what more would be needed ?

[zero64]

Depends how many players you wanna have, but I think you'd do fine with that. My six-player server runs on far lesser hardware.

And I can't see what you'd need R9 390 for. Just use onboard video or a really cheap video card. Use the money for 16GB of RAM.

I'd also really consider an SSD instead of 1TB HDD. A 120GB SSD will run an Ark server just fine (at least under Windows 10) and it'll load and save way faster.

[xSilver]

How many instances do you plan on running simultaneously? Do you plan on clustering? That CPU will be fine but what's going to kill it is lack of ram.

If you only plan one instance I would get 16GB of ram. If you plan more I would get more.

I have an old R710 with 2x E5645s and 128GB of ram and Ark is hosted on a Windows Server 2016 VM. I have had 6 or 7 instances clustered. I have about 48GB of ram dedicated to it.

[SpikeyPancake]

Originally posted by zero64:

Depends how many players you wanna have, but I think you'd do fine with that. My six-player server runs on far lesser hardware.

And I can't see what you'd need R9 390 for. Just use onboard video or a really cheap video card. Use the money for 16GB of RAM.

I'd also really consider an SSD instead of 1TB HDD. A 120GB SSD will run an Ark server just fine (at least under Windows 10) and it'll load and save way faster.

one server, one map, 10 players max and thats being generous more like 5, I aslo already own the R9 390 from a previous build before upgrading to a 1070 last year in my main gaming rig. As for SSD, dosent ark take like almost 200GB, I checked the properties on the game on my pc and its like +170GB

[zero64]

Originally posted by Spikey Pancake:

Originally posted by zero64:

Depends how many players you wanna have, but I think you'd do fine with that. My six-player server runs on far lesser hardware.

And I can't see what you'd need R9 390 for. Just use onboard video or a really cheap video card. Use the money for 16GB of RAM.

I'd also really consider an SSD instead of 1TB HDD. A 120GB SSD will run an Ark server just fine (at least under Windows 10) and it'll load and save way faster.

one server, one map, 10 players max and thats being generous more like 5, I aslo already own the R9 390 from a previous build before upgrading to a 1070 last year in my main gaming rig. As for SSD, dosent ark take like almost 200GB, I checked the properties on the game on my pc and its like +170GB

Yea, you'll be just fine with that hardware. You could probably even stick with 8GB RAM, but 16 would be better. Ark is a bit of a RAM pig.

In Windows the SteamCMD version of Ark is pretty compact, probably because it only contains the portions that a server needs. I just checked, and my 120GB SSD has 76GB free. If you can't use SteamCMD in Linux then yea, consider something larger. Even a 240GB SSD isn't that expensive anymore.

[SpikeyPancake]

you have point, ill have to do more research before pulling the plug and buying the other hardware

[ntengineer]

Definitely put ARK Server on SSD. You can run the Steamcmd on Linux to build an ark server, and it doesn't use much space. However, the server is poorly optimized and every time it does a "save" your users will experience a ton of lag. Using an SSD minimizes that.

I'm running a cluster of ARK servers but I have them all running on a 4 SSD RAID 10 array using a Hardware RAID controller with write caching. Even then, the save lag is noticeable.

Bret

[johnim]

use ark server manager on windows but each server can take up to 6gb or ram with mods

[WhiskeyJim68]

It may not be a solution that fits everyones needs, but I picked up a refurbished office computer for 150 bucks with windows 10 already on it, and use that for my 7 days and Ark servers. I never have more that a couple people on so I didnt need anything too beefy. To be honest I can host an Ark server for 2 or 3 folks with no isssues from the same machine I play on. A somewhat decent quad core with 8 but preferably 16 gigs of RAM is all ya need in my opinion for small servers. An SSD is a plus for sure.

[hoopathepokemonisstrong]

Could I get the specs for this pc because I’m planning on starting a cluster but don’t know where to start though maybe I’d buff it a little so I can have all the maps

Originally posted by Silverwolf:

How many instances do you plan on running simultaneously? Do you plan on clustering? That CPU will be fine but what's going to kill it is lack of ram.

If you only plan one instance I would get 16GB of ram. If you plan more I would get more.

I have an old R710 with 2x E5645s and 128GB of ram and Ark is hosted on a Windows Server 2016 VM. I have had 6 or 7 instances clustered. I have about 48GB of ram dedicated to it.

[Lori37]

holy 2018 necro batman

[Liralen]

Originally posted by hoopathepokemonisstrong:

Could I get the specs for this pc because I’m planning on starting a cluster but don’t know where to start though maybe I’d buff it a little so I can have all the maps

Originally posted by Silverwolf:

How many instances do you plan on running simultaneously? Do you plan on clustering? That CPU will be fine but what's going to kill it is lack of ram.

If you only plan one instance I would get 16GB of ram. If you plan more I would get more.

I have an old R710 with 2x E5645s and 128GB of ram and Ark is hosted on a Windows Server 2016 VM. I have had 6 or 7 instances clustered. I have about 48GB of ram dedicated to it.

The R710 was released in 2009. Odds are that if you're planning on buying equipment, you can buy newer equipment for less. The cost of RAM for legacy equipment can be enough to trigger you to replace your CPU/MB/RAM.

However, most likely you don't really need a separate computer to run dedicated servers in Ark (poorly chosen wording on WC's part - they are creative artists, not engineers).

We used to run Ark dedicated servers on an i7-6700k with 32 GB of RAM, but the number of clustered maps we could run simultaneously decreased overtime because of RAM limitations. I'm guessing that's mostly because of having more stuff (structures, storage, tamed dinos, etc.) Mods will also eat a lot of RAM,

That is, it's very likely that you can already run a dedicated server on the same PC that you are currently playing Ark on.

I can attest that an i7-4790k with 16 GB of RAM was sufficient to run a dedicated server and Ark client on (which was me soloing, testing things out, etc.) but we used the i7-6700k as the main server.

We have since upgraded those machines.

[hoopathepokemonisstrong]

Originally posted by Liralen:

Originally posted by hoopathepokemonisstrong:

Could I get the specs for this pc because I’m planning on starting a cluster but don’t know where to start though maybe I’d buff it a little so I can have all the maps

The R710 was released in 2009. Odds are that if you're planning on buying equipment, you can buy newer equipment for less. The cost of RAM for legacy equipment can be enough to trigger you to replace your CPU/MB/RAM.

However, most likely you don't really need a separate computer to run dedicated servers in Ark (poorly chosen wording on WC's part - they are creative artists, not engineers).

We used to run Ark dedicated servers on an i7-6700k with 32 GB of RAM, but the number of clustered maps we could run simultaneously decreased overtime because of RAM limitations. I'm guessing that's mostly because of having more stuff (structures, storage, tamed dinos, etc.) Mods will also eat a lot of RAM,

That is, it's very likely that you can already run a dedicated server on the same PC that you are currently playing Ark on.

I can attest that an i7-4790k with 16 GB of RAM was sufficient to run a dedicated server and Ark client on (which was me soloing, testing things out, etc.) but we used the i7-6700k as the main server.

We have since upgraded those machines.

i see but id rather not host it on the same machine because i play on a laptop i carry around so having a computer at home running the cluster would just be more convenient and i know it would be a long shot but id like to do all the maps even with light modding im just having a hard time trying to find out the specs id need for all 11 maps if thats even possible but thanks for the advice

[Liralen]

Originally posted by hoopathepokemonisstrong:

i see but id rather not host it on the same machine because i play on a laptop i carry around so having a computer at home running the cluster would just be more convenient and i know it would be a long shot but id like to do all the maps even with light modding im just having a hard time trying to find out the specs id need for all 11 maps if thats even possible but thanks for the advice

Then you're probably better off buying a server type PC, as described by Silverwolf, but something more current. I can't help you with that, because my experience is only building gaming PCs that can only also run servers, which is pretty much overkill for your purpose. Especially considering that my GPU is currently selling on Amazon for double the price I paid for it, which is 5 years old. Bitcoin miners and Covid-related supply issues are probably the cause, but GPU prices are starting to come down. A few months ago, my very old GPU was selling for 3 times what I paid for it.

I can say that RAM and SSDs are most important for Ark servers. The amount of RAM you would need is dependent upon how many servers you want to run simultaneously. The amount of RAM you'd need for each server is dependent on the number of structures, dinos, etc. you have which in turn the number of players you expect to have affects.

I'd budget about 6-8 GB of RAM for each map you want to run simultaneously. That number is based on my experience running Ark servers a few years ago, with an average of about 5 players, each making their own bases, and before cryopods existed. Your mileage will certainly vary.

I also wouldn't advise keeping a map active unless there are other people actually playing it. For example, if it's just you, you don't want to have to feed dinos, have generators wasting fuel, etc., if you are not playing on that map/server.

I'd never buy an SSD nowadays less than 1TB, which should suffice to start out with.

And obviously, I'm biased in favor of gaming PC's as opposed to laptops, which are harder to upgrade. And so before buying a server type PC, I suggest comparing prices to a gaming PC, but without a GPU, but has graphics capability built into the CPU, which most modern CPU's have now. Then when it's time to replace your laptop, you can just buy a GPU instead.