Online's standalone servers are relatively cheap, but you get what you pay for. These inexpensive servers usually have average performance and are assembled with second-hand hardware. Additionally, the process of purchasing from Online can be cumbersome, so it is not recommended for beginners.

I was able to grab a 4.99€ standalone server from Online called Start-2-XS-SATA. In this article, I will provide a simple record and evaluation of this server for future reference.

About the Purchase

• Account Registration: Online occasionally releases special offers, so it is recommended to register an account in advance on console.online.net. Otherwise, it may take a while just to register an account and by then, the servers may be out of stock.
• Bill Payment: Newly registered accounts can only pay with a credit card. I successfully used my China Merchants Bank Visa card. It is recommended to have a credit card ready in advance. The initial setup fee for Start-2-XS-SATA is 10€. The billing cycle is monthly, and I paid a total of 11.93€ when placing the order.

Machine Configuration

• CPU: Intel C2350 1.70GHz (Dual-Core)
• RAM: 4GB
• Hard Drive: 500GB
• Bandwidth: 1Gbit/sec

Start-2-XS-SATA offers two data centers to choose from: DC2 in France and AMS1 in the Netherlands. I chose DC2. From the above configuration, it is clear that the CPU is not great and the hardware is second-hand, so don't expect too much.

Basic Testing

Since the data center is located in Europe, the network conditions are not ideal. The following images show the results of the Super Ping Test and a local ping test from Sichuan Telecom.

Super Ping Test:

Local Ping Test from Sichuan Telecom:

The following image shows the benchmark test using the bench.sh script. The average disk I/O is 76.3MB/s. The disk I/O may vary even on the same machine, with some reaching speeds of over 100MB/s and others as low as 20MB/s. If the speed is too slow, you can submit a ticket to the customer service to check if the hard drive can be replaced.

You can use the smartctl -A /dev/sda command to check the disk usage time. In my case, it showed over 19,892 hours.

Disadvantages: Start-2-XS-SATA has low CPU performance and low disk I/O.

Advantages: It has a large hard drive, affordable price, and high bandwidth (1Gbps without data limits).

Conclusion

As of now, Start-2-XS-SATA (4.99€) is sold out. It is uncertain when the next batch of discounted servers will be available, so you need to stay tuned. Based on the simple evaluation above, Start-2-XS-SATA does not have good CPU performance and is not suitable for hosting websites. However, after installing Google BBR, the network speed is still decent.

Kimsufi, a subsidiary of OVH, also offers cheap standalone servers from time to time. If you are interested, you can check them out at kimsufi.com.

Online Official Website: www.online.net