I’ve searched far and wide in my quest to find a VPS host that meets all of my needs (which are honestly quite hefty). The VPS hosting I seek needs to have the following features for me to even consider them as a viable option:
- Extremely high core clock CPUs
- NVMe SSDs
- DDoS Protection
- Use KVM virtualization
- Accept Bitcoin
- In business for more than 5 years
This may seem like an odd list of requirements on the surface but let me break them down one by one to help you understand.
High CPU Frequencies
You see, I run a very popular game server – during peak times 1,000+ players can be expected. To sustain this number of players on one game server without any lag and with high tick rates, I would need to have at least a 4Ghz CPU on tap. For CPU frequencies in that range, I essentially need a Gaming VPS.
An NVMe SSD
Okay, I’ll admit it – a normal SSD VPS would most likely suffice, however with the dramatic performance improvements NVMe SSD VPS hold over a more traditional SSD VPS, why wouldn’t I opt for the faster NVMe option… right?
DDoS Protected Hosting
One thing you learn rather quickly when running a successful game server is that other people do not like the fact that you are running a successful game server. I am hit with constant, around the clock DDoS attacks. If I didn’t have a DDoS protected VPS, I’d be pretty screwed.
KVM VPS technology
There is enough measurable data available online that showcases on average a KVM VPS performs better than any other virtualization type. Running my server on OpenVZ just wouldn’t cut it. I’m also not a big fan of Xen so it’s a KVM VPS all the way for me – it’s a must have.
Paying for the VPS with Bitcoin
Cards on the table, I love cryptocurrencies. Any time I have the option to pay for something with Bitcoin instead of traditional fiat currency, I jump at it. My game server runs on donations and a lot of my players opt to donate with Bitcoin. Being able to pay for my VPS with Bitcoin makes things so much more convenient for me. After all, the best VPS is a Bitcoin VPS!
A VPS host with a good long-term reputation
New VPS hosts seemingly pop up every week. Some of them manage to stay in business for 6 months or even a year occasionally. They open up shop, oversell their servers and then disappear. That is absolutely a risk I cannot take when I am selecting a VPS host. So, I always try to find out how long the company has been in business as well as make sure they have an abundance of positive reviews to get some customer feedback before I buy.
The search for my VPS host begins
So, with all that in mind, in essence, I’m looking for a DDoS Protected KVM VPS host with high core clock CPUs, NVMe SSDs, a good reputation and that accepts Bitcoin. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?
It’s quite easy to find hosts that tick all these boxes, on the surface. The problem is, we won’t know until we try, right? Well that is where the problems begin to emerge. Some VPS hosts advertise that they have fast clock speeds and they turn out to be in the 2.5Ghz – 3.2Ghz range. Some of them accept Bitcoin, only after you’ve given them all your personal information, which kind of defeats the purpose. Others claim to have state of the art VPS DDoS protection despite the server crumbling at the first sign of trouble.
It was extremely frustrating to comb through all of these VPS hosts and finding that each one of them had their own unique set of problems.
The search is over
Then…. finally, I found the best VPS host that I’ve ever used – Evolution Host. These guys have been an absolute God-send. Not only do they genuinely meet the criteria I’m looking for, they go above and beyond the call of duty. Any time I’ve reached out to their support, it’s an absolute joy to communicate with them. I’ve experienced such shabby support through the various VPS hosts I’ve encountered, but Evolution Host’s support is fantastic. I actually feel like they care about my server and would help me out with any issue I encounter, despite the issue not being on their end. To be honest, they’re a little bit more expensive than other hosts however you absolutely get more than your money’s worth with them.
For the first time in a number of months, I am able to have 1,000+ players connected to my game server without suffering from DDoS attacks or low tick rates. I can quite confidently say that I know where I will be going any time I need VPS hosting in the future.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my journey to find VPS hosting that suits me as well as my thousands of players and I hope that it saves you some time when you’re looking for your next hosting provider.