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A Review of Affordable Foreign Dedicated Servers I've Bought

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In the past, I couldn't resist impulse buying VPS during sales. Over time, my needs grew, and VPS became insufficient, leading me to focus on dedicated servers (hereinafter referred to as "dedicated servers"). This article reviews the dedicated servers xiaoz has purchased to provide a reference for those considering buying one.

xiaoz has purchased some budget servers, so the hardware configurations are relatively old, but the prices are more affordable. The server price range is between $5 and $30. Listed in order of purchase:

Online

Mainly provides European dedicated servers. Previously called Online, now renamed Scaleway. Customer support is timely, and there is no traffic limit. However, a downside is that they tend to raise prices almost every year, leading netizens to jokingly call it "European Trick Cloud."

I previously had a dedicated server for €4.9/month, but it is no longer in use.

Serverstadium

Official Website: https://serverstadium.com/

Serverstadium's regular pricing offers average value, but they hold 1-2 promotions annually (I forgot the specific holidays). xiaoz currently has a server here for $24/month: Dual L5520 - 48GB DDR3 - 1x1TB SATA (5 IPs).

This US-based dedicated server has very timely customer support and a good attitude. However, it limits traffic to 10TB per month (extra payment required for overage), which is completely insufficient.

Psychz

Official Website: https://www.psychz.net/

This provider is relatively average with no major highlights or significant flaws. They occasionally run promotions. Dedicated servers are available in the US, but the network performance feels average to me.

Kimsufi

Official Website: https://www.kimsufi.com/

A budget dedicated server brand under OVH, offering occasional promotions. Dedicated servers are available in European and Canadian regions.

Pros:

  1. Unlimited traffic
  2. Built-in DDoS protection

Cons:

  1. Customer support is extremely slow; it feels like there is no support. Tickets or emails might take days to get a response, and issues may not be resolved.
  2. Installation fees apply.

Their accounts are split between US and European regions. European accounts are subject to tax, while US accounts are not. Account verification requires an email (not guaranteed). Tutorials for purchasing can be found online.

Wholesale Internet

Official Website: https://www.wholesaleinternet.net/

This provider's dedicated servers are located in Kansas, USA. The hardware is so old that netizens call it the "Kansas Junkyard."

Pros:

  1. No installation fees
  2. Good customer support with timely responses

Cons:

  1. Hardware is extremely old; among the dedicated servers I've used, this has the oldest hardware. I am constantly worried about hard drive failures.

NOCIX

Official Website: https://www.nocix.net/

NOCIX is from the same parent company as Wholesale Internet. Therefore, the pros and cons of NOCIX are identical to those of Wholesale Internet, though NOCIX offers more configuration options.

Advice and Warnings

Although foreign dedicated servers are cheap, the hardware is generally old, and some do not support RAID arrays. Consequently, the risk of hard drive failure is much higher than with VPS. Regular data backup is crucial.

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