Help me build good Server computer

[sumik]

I wanna build a comp for running server only, the cheapest u can get but to actually get it to work good. I wanna host probably like 2 or 3 Counter-strike servers and want it to work good. Probably like 20 ppl a server maximum.
I dont know what are the requirements for good server machine, also i dunno if I can run it on simple high speed internet.
Help me out here

What my provider says
Speed
Enjoy our fastest residential service available. Modem set-up of up to 6.0 Mbps download and 800 Kbps upload.

 

[mrjack]

I don't know if you can host multiple Counter-Strike servers on a single computer. Sure, you might be able to do it but you won't get the best performance.

 

[Beyond]

Modem set-up of up to 6.0 Mbps download and 800 Kbps upload.

i wish an option for that high of an upload speed were available in my area! the max upload i can get is 128Kbps!!

 

[mrjack]

And usually Counter-Strike servers with support for 20 players have 100Mbps (or so they say) connections.

 

[fade2green514]

i wish an option for that high of an upload speed were available in my area! the max upload i can get is 128Kbps!!

yea, but thats not a server internet connection.
i get like 1/4 upload bandwidth than i do download bandwidth, its a home computer connection.
you'll definitely want dual core, and i'd suggest 2gb of ram in dual channel...
i'd say get the Athlon 64 X2 4400+
2x1gb ram
buy a couple of lan cards if you plan on doing lan parties with it
you may also want to setup a RAID array, maybe 0+1 if you can afford all the drives...
make sure the motherboard supports raid 0, raid 1, and raid 0+1 if you plan on doing raid... all of those types of arrays can be very useful for a good server.
duno what raid is?
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/raid/index.htm
that explains it.
raid 1 is basically just two identical hard drives... (one fails and another is still there to get the files)
raid 0 is just small parts of the files striped onto each hard drive consecutively... basically it increases read + write time by 1.5-2x normal speed. (2x7200 rpm)

i think newegg is selling 80gb WD's for like $45... 8mb cache and sata2 compatible, that'd be a nice array for under $100..

btw two 80gb's in raid 0 would be 160gb, two 80gb's in raid 1 is still 80gb though, they have their drawbacks...
if one of the raid 0 drives fails though, that means all the data is gone
thats why they have raid 0+1 2 striped hard drives along with two identical striped hard drives (4 drives)

whats your budget? this subject has actually interested me, i've been looking into it for awhile now...
im me: fade2green514 (for AIM)

 

[sumik]

Well i'm trying to figure put what's gonna b more worth it, for like a year of hosting. Renting like 2 servers or actually building a computer and doing it myself

 

[spraybottle]

To honestly tell you the truth, I don't see the point of hosting a server. Why waste money so that others play on your server? I see no reason why you would do that unless someone is willing to pay money for your server or something...