Suitable Hardware for Hosting and VPS Server Sales: ESXi, vCenter, and Hardware Selection Guide

For a company providing web hosting, VPS, and VDS services, the most critical element is choosing the right server hardware. In this article, we list the most suitable devices for businesses looking to offer server hosting services, along with their technical specifications in detail. We also provide guidance on how to configure with virtualization solutions like ESXi and vCenter, and offer industry-specific recommendations.

Hardware Criteria Required for Server Hosting

Processor (CPU): Multi-core and high-frequency processors are critical for virtualization performance.
RAM: A minimum of 64 GB is recommended. 128-512 GB of RAM should be planned according to the number of VPS/VDS.
Disk: NVMe SSD should be preferred. A redundant and high-speed structure is established with RAID 10.
Network Port: At least 1 Gbps, preferably 2.5 Gbps or 10 Gbps connection is required.
IPMI/DRAC/iLO: IP KVM support should be available for remote management.

Hardware Examples and Recommendations (10 Each)

⚙️ 1. Entry Level (For Small-Scale VPS Hosting)

Model	CPU	RAM	Disk	Usage
Dell R210 II	Xeon E3-1240 v2	32 GB	2x480GB SSD	Microsite, test
HP DL120 G8	Xeon E3-1270 v3	32 GB	2x240GB SSD	Single VPS
Lenovo TS150	Xeon E3-1225 v5	32 GB	1TB SSD	Web panel test
Supermicro X9SCM	Xeon E3-1230 v2	16 GB	2x500GB HDD	Mail server
Fujitsu RX100 S8	Xeon E3-1270 v2	32 GB	2x240GB SSD	Single site
Dell T30	Xeon E3-1225 v5	32 GB	512GB SSD	VPN server
HP MicroServer Gen8	Celeron G1610T	16 GB	2x1TB HDD	Backup
Dell R220	Xeon E3-1220 v3	32 GB	256GB SSD	Cloud panel
Intel NUC MiniServer	i5-8250U	16 GB	1TB SSD	Edge node
Shuttle XPC Server	i3-10110U	16 GB	512GB NVMe	Single application

2. Mid-Level (For Corporate VPS/VDS Hosting)

Model	CPU	RAM	Disk	Usage
Dell R630	2x Xeon E5-2630 v4	128 GB	2x1TB NVMe	Multiple VPS
HP DL380 Gen9	2x Xeon E5-2667 v3	128 GB	4x480GB SSD RAID	Web + DB
Lenovo SR650	2x Xeon Silver 4114	192 GB	4x960GB SSD RAID	Hosting node
Supermicro SYS-6029	2x Xeon Scalable 4110	256 GB	2TB NVMe + 2TB HDD	Hybrid structure
Dell R740xd	2x Xeon Silver 4214	192 GB	6x960GB SSD RAID	Proxmox
HP DL360 Gen10	2x Xeon Silver 4110	128 GB	2x1TB SSD	vCenter node
Fujitsu RX2540 M4	2x Xeon Silver 4116	192 GB	4x960GB SSD RAID	API VPS
Dell C6420	2x Xeon Gold 5218	256 GB	NVMe cluster	HPC & VPS
Lenovo SR530	2x Xeon Silver 4208	128 GB	2x960GB SSD	Mail + Panel
Supermicro TwinPro	2 node / 2x Xeon 4210	2x128 GB	Shared storage	Virtual node

3. High-End (Ideal for Cloud, Cluster, vCenter)

Model	CPU	RAM	Disk	Usage
Dell R7525	2x AMD EPYC 7452	512 GB	8x1TB NVMe RAID	OpenStack, Kubernetes
HP DL385 Gen10	2x AMD EPYC 7402	512 GB	4TB NVMe + 4TB HDD	vCenter Cluster
Lenovo SR665	2x AMD EPYC 7542	768 GB	4TB SSD	Cloud Projects
Supermicro BigTwin	4 node / EPYC 7313	4x256 GB	Shared disk system	High Density
Dell R960	4x Xeon Platinum 8260	1TB	NVMe + SAS hybrid	Big data
HPE Apollo 4200	2x Xeon Scalable 6248	512 GB	12x SSD	Clustered DB
Dell XR12 Rugged	2x Xeon D-2700	128 GB	2x NVMe	Field use
Lenovo HX3520	Nutanix NX-8170 based	512 GB	HCI supported	vSAN/ESXi
Dell VRTX	Blade server + SAN	1TB	25x SSD supported	Multi-tenant cluster
Fujitsu PRIMEQUEST	4x Xeon Scalable 8280	1.5 TB	PCIe SSD	High processing

Things to Consider in Virtualization Architecture with ESXi & vCenter

Hardware Compatibility: ESXi HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) should be checked
RAID Structure: RAID 10 is ideal for performance and security
Network: 10G uplink + VLAN configuration is recommended
Datastore: SSD/NVMe Datastore + separate storage area for backup should be planned
vCenter: Mandatory for managing multiple ESXi nodes, HA, and DRS

Comparison of Proxmox, ESXi, and Other Platforms

Feature	ESXi	Proxmox	Hyper-V
License	Paid	Free	With Windows Server
Interface	Web + vSphere	Web GUI + CLI	GUI + PowerShell
Virtualization	Not KVM supported	KVM based	Hypervisor
Cluster	With vCenter	Built-in	Failover Cluster
Backup	Veeam, Nakivo	PBS integrated	External software required

Additional Notes and Tips

RAID cache and write limit should be considered on servers for SSD lifespan
Allocate a minimum of 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM per VPS/VDS
Plan IPv4 subnet for IP address management, don't forget IPv6 support
"Hot swap" disk support should be preferred in hardware
It is recommended to establish a redundant structure (HA, vMotion) with vCenter

Conclusion: Choosing the right server is vital for hosting companies in terms of service continuity, customer satisfaction, and profit margin. This guide provides a strong start with 30 different hardware recommendations from entry-level to enterprise level. Carefully setting up ESXi, vCenter, and RAID structures during the configuration phase makes a big difference in terms of performance.