Choosing a dedicated server - any suggestions?

I have 5 dedicated machines with HG and every time I talk to friends who use LiquidWeb... I get embarrassed.

If you need a dedicated machine you want plenty of control and great support... and there is more of both with Liquidweb as far as I can tell.

Verify this with some of the Liquidweb users who will no doubt reply, but definitely think hard about it before choosing HG.

Andrew

I think hostgator is good and they also have a very good support. Its my suggestion for dedicated server.

Andrew, can you elaborate on why you're embarrassed? With Liquidweb, it does look like you would get more bang for the buck.

FDC Servers - been with them for 2 years, i push through 15tb per month sometimes and never have a problem

my server has been down probably about 3 times in the 2 years

support is very quick getting back to you


Another that i recommend for their amazing support is

040hosting

Patrick , who runs it has helped me out beyond believe, even for things not related to my hosting

Hostgator is good but there are better options. Before you cna pick a host you should probably consider what is most important to you:
Pricing
Support
UpTime
Features(Cpanel, Joomla)
ect.

once you've made your decision and your budget it'll probalby be easier to find one. Also remember take most reviews with a hint of salt at sometimes many of those reviews can be shilled by affiliates or by the owners themselves.

I've personally experienced this when looking for hosting. When I saw hostdime all I read about was downing reviews until I found a site with honest reviews that were actualyl moderated so I thought to give them a try and I've been very happy with their servic.

Servint, MediaTemple and Rackspace are my favorites.

I always had a briliant dedicated server / colocation experience with Superb Internet (http://superb.net)

They're one of the worlds longest established web hosting companies, yet strangely still relatively unknown by comparison to others. At least, you'd think that way by the number of mentions they get in comparison to other companies which are more aggressive in their advertising such as HostGator, etc.

Anyway, just another one to consider.

First off, go with a REPUTABLE company. Do research on them, find out as much as you can about them. Read hosting forums and find out what people are saying about them. make sure they've been around for more than a year or two.

Then once you've picked a couple companies narrow it down to if they offer MANAGED hosting solutions. This means they monitor, fix, and troubleshoot any problems you have. They will also install any software you need installed.

Again make sure you compare as many companies as you can. Looking around will make sure you're getting the best price. HG is a ripoff and they dont offer any sort of customization.

I suggest looking at the WebHostingTalk.com forums. They have a dedicated server advertisement forum which allows companies to post up their latest specials. It might be intimidating in the beginning, but look around and learn as much as you can.

You can also make a post in the dedicated server chat forum about what you're looking to host. Give them as much info as possible like your sites, the type of sites, traffic, how much space you're using, and the users will probably come up with a spec of dedi you need. Some people might even post you in the direction of a specific company which is best for your needs.


Hope that helps..

For those of you using and recommending Hostgator... they are just a reseller of ThePlanet. The support you get from HG adds some value (especially if you don't know what you're doing) but you're paying way over the odds. If you know what you need and are happy managing your own server then you could go direct to ThePlanet, but I've heard some horror stories and found their CS to be slow.

Personally, Rackspace has always been good to me. Really depends what you want out of your server - make sure you shop around and get expert advise.