Cheap dedicated servers: deals and specials from $159 a month

A cheap dedicated server should come with a reason for the price. Here’s where the savings on these deals come from.

• Previous-generation hardware. The $159 build runs an Intel Xeon D-1541 and the $289 build runs two Xeon E5-2670 v2 chips. They’re older Xeon generations, which is why they cost less, but they’re server-grade parts with plenty of cores: 8 cores (16 threads) on the Xeon D and 20 cores (40 threads) across the two E5s.
• In-stock builds. Each special starts from a set build we already have on hand, so there’s nothing to spec or source. In-stock builds are delivered the same day or the next day.
• Month to month. Both order forms default to a month-to-month contract. An annual contract is there if you want it, but you don’t have to sign one.
• No setup fee. The setup fee on both forms is zero, so your first invoice is the monthly price plus any add-ons you pick.

What doesn’t change is the service. Specials get the same 99.5% network SLA, 30-minute ticket response and 2-hour hardware replacement as every other dedicated server, free R1Soft backups with 1 TB of storage on new orders, DDoS protection included and IPMI on a private network. The catch is stock: these are first come, first served.

A low monthly price can hide a lot. Run any cheap dedicated server, ours included, past this list before you order.

1. The exact CPU model. Look up the chip, not just the core count. An older Xeon with more cores can win on parallel work and still lose on single-thread speed. Our specials name the CPU, and the order form lists cores, threads and clock speed.
2. Storage type. SSD or spinning disk? Both specials with an order form ship with a 1 TB enterprise SSD.
3. Bandwidth and port. Is it a monthly transfer allowance or an unmetered port? The $159 Xeon D includes a 1 Gbps unmetered port, and the $289 build includes 50 TB of transfer a month.
4. Setup fees and contract length. A low monthly price with a big setup fee or a 12-month lock-in isn’t cheap. Ours have no setup fee and run month to month.
5. The SLA, in writing. Check the uptime target, the hardware replacement time, the support response and what you get back when they’re missed. Ours are in our SLA, and specials get the same terms as every other server.
6. What happens when a part fails. Who swaps it, and how fast? We replace failed hardware within 2 hours, or 1 hour on a managed plan.
7. Out-of-band access. Can you reach the console when the OS won’t boot? You get IPMI, on a private network by default so it isn’t exposed to the internet.
8. Backups and DDoS protection. Included or extra? Here, R1Soft backups with 1 TB of storage are free on new orders, and DDoS protection is included.
9. Who you’re buying from. A rock-bottom price from a host that’s gone in a year costs more than it saved. We’ve been in business since 1998.

Our standard lineup is the full catalog across Chicago, Los Angeles and Ashburn. Here’s how the specials on this page compare.

Rule of thumb: if a special fits your workload, take it, because you’re getting the same service for less. If you need a newer CPU, more memory than the form offers or a build in a specific city, go to the standard lineup or ask for a custom quote.

These are the numbers on our order forms today. Setup is $0, every plan is month to month, in-stock builds are online the same or next day and custom builds take a week or less.

Specials on this page

Add-ons and upgrades

A standard build has three drive slots. Unmetered ports have no overage at all; the per-GB rate only applies to metered transfer.

Our standard lineup of Xeon E3-1230 v1 and Xeon D-1541 builds is priced per build on the browse page. For how much a dedicated server costs across every location, including 10 Gbps unmetered from $499 a month in Chicago, see the pricing answer on our dedicated servers page.