12-28-2009, 03:03 PM
Well, allow me to help out! 
VPSes are "containers" hosted on very powerful servers, each with guaranteed RAM, along with CPU, disk and bandwidth allocations. If this confuses you, imagine a large chocolate cake - this is the "node", and it's goodness (resources) are "sliced up" and dedicated to users' containers. If you're considering the next step up from a shared hosting plan, then I'd say this is the way to go, unless you think you'll be needing an awful lot of raw computing power right from the start (or if you want to brag!). Dedicated servers are fairly straightforward - you can't "oversell" a dedicated server, and essentially you lease a physical machine, possibly some software licenses, and pay for bandwidth and IP address blocks.
I'm fairly fussy when it comes to network performance, and so I'd say for VPSes your best bet would be with LiquidWeb. I've seen plenty of reviews praising their service, and if you have the funds to finance going with them, then I'd definitely say that it is worthwhile. You may also want to check out ServInt, who also have exceptional service. When purchasing a VPS, please bear in mind the differences between unmanaged (support for the network/hardware issues/licensing/container issues/reinstalls) and managed (everything managed, plus software/OS help) support - if you're not a techie and you're going to be dealing with a Linux system, then a Managed VPS provider such as LiquidWeb or Servint should be considered. The same goes for dedicated servers - just be aware that management for DSes will often set you back a little more money.
For dedicated servers, I'm not the world's biggest SingleHop fan - their staff are nice enough, but they never seemed to be willing to offer me the configurations that I wanted. Their DC is relatively good, and they sport some good connectivity - so if you like their deals, then I'd go for them. However, you'll need to purchase a managed service with them if you want software support, and I believe they only include 3 hours of admin time with their managed (PARAMOUNT) plans, so if you really need the support there, I'd go with LiquidWeb by a mile.
I (personally) am using Gigenet right now - they use eight bandwidth providers, have some good deals and excellent connectivity. As a dedicated provider, their support is certainly very good - I've received responses from them in six minutes, and their sales guys (especially Peter!) are wonderful to deal with. However, you may end up paying a slightly greater premium if you go with them - excluding any management costs...but in my honest opinion, it is a worthwhile additional expense.
If you need any other help, then feel free to post here or PM me and I'll be more than happy to help you out!
VPSes are "containers" hosted on very powerful servers, each with guaranteed RAM, along with CPU, disk and bandwidth allocations. If this confuses you, imagine a large chocolate cake - this is the "node", and it's goodness (resources) are "sliced up" and dedicated to users' containers. If you're considering the next step up from a shared hosting plan, then I'd say this is the way to go, unless you think you'll be needing an awful lot of raw computing power right from the start (or if you want to brag!). Dedicated servers are fairly straightforward - you can't "oversell" a dedicated server, and essentially you lease a physical machine, possibly some software licenses, and pay for bandwidth and IP address blocks.
I'm fairly fussy when it comes to network performance, and so I'd say for VPSes your best bet would be with LiquidWeb. I've seen plenty of reviews praising their service, and if you have the funds to finance going with them, then I'd definitely say that it is worthwhile. You may also want to check out ServInt, who also have exceptional service. When purchasing a VPS, please bear in mind the differences between unmanaged (support for the network/hardware issues/licensing/container issues/reinstalls) and managed (everything managed, plus software/OS help) support - if you're not a techie and you're going to be dealing with a Linux system, then a Managed VPS provider such as LiquidWeb or Servint should be considered. The same goes for dedicated servers - just be aware that management for DSes will often set you back a little more money.
For dedicated servers, I'm not the world's biggest SingleHop fan - their staff are nice enough, but they never seemed to be willing to offer me the configurations that I wanted. Their DC is relatively good, and they sport some good connectivity - so if you like their deals, then I'd go for them. However, you'll need to purchase a managed service with them if you want software support, and I believe they only include 3 hours of admin time with their managed (PARAMOUNT) plans, so if you really need the support there, I'd go with LiquidWeb by a mile.
I (personally) am using Gigenet right now - they use eight bandwidth providers, have some good deals and excellent connectivity. As a dedicated provider, their support is certainly very good - I've received responses from them in six minutes, and their sales guys (especially Peter!) are wonderful to deal with. However, you may end up paying a slightly greater premium if you go with them - excluding any management costs...but in my honest opinion, it is a worthwhile additional expense.
If you need any other help, then feel free to post here or PM me and I'll be more than happy to help you out!
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