Server Pricing
I recently posted some example server pricing on the main page which you can find here. I wanted to review some of these prices with you and explain a little bit more about why they are so expensive.
There are 5 tiers, starting from starter all the way to elite. The majority of people will be able to use the starter, essential, and standard tiers. I actually run a version of the essential tier myself and have been overall happy with my options available.
So what is the difference in the tiers? Well the starter is more or less the equivalent of what many use a Raspberry Pi 4 for in terms of use cases. It does have graphics processing for transcoding to aid Plex and backing up media, but it doesn’t have a GPU for VR/Gaming, AI, or machine learning. It’s purpose would be essentially a NAS for photos/media and streaming. It would still be able to support a firewall if you chose, but it would have limited compute ability to do so.
The other tiers increase in power as the tiers progress, adding the ability to process video feeds, audio, and other data as well as supply graphics to VR headsets or TVs. Here is a list of potential capabilities per tier:
Starter
No AI / ML Tasks
No VR Headsets
Basic RAID Storage (4-8TB)
4C/8T - 6C/12T CPU
8-16GB RAM
Essentials
Basic AI/ML Tasks (1 GPU)
1 VR Headset (2K)
Increased Storage (12-24TB)
More Processing Power (8C+)
More Memory (16-32GB)
Standard
AI/ML Tasks (2 GPU)
1 VR Headset (4K) or
2 VR Headsets (2K)
Increased Storage (24-36TB)
More Processing Power (12C+)
More Memory (32-64GB)
Pro
AI/ML Tasks (2-3 GPU)
2 VR Headsets (4K) or
4 VR Headsets (2K)
Increased Storage (24-48TB)
More Processing Power (16C+)
More Memory (64GB+)
Elite
AI/ML Tasks (4 GPU)
3-4 VR Headsets (4K) or
5-6 VR Headsets (2K)
Increased Storage (36TB+)
More Processing Power (32C+)
Max Memory (128GB+)
As you can see, the major difference in these servers is the ability to do VR for personal use up to whole family use as well as the ability to process advanced automation throughout the house. The higher tiers also have massive amounts of RAM, CPU, and storage. Way beyond what most people will ever need except for difficult machine learning tasks in unique automation scenarios. The Essentials tier is more than enough for the average household.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a reply below.