I want to host around two or three Minecraft servers at the same time and need the most powerful setup possible for roughly $200. The servers would use only a few mods or plugins—around three or four each—rather than huge modpacks. I'm willing to buy older hardware such as a fourth-generation Intel platform and use DDR3 to keep costs down. I also have a very questionable Adidas shoebox case, so I'd appreciate advice on the CPU, RAM, GPU, storage, and anything else I should consider.
3 Answers
Be careful with the shoebox case. It needs proper airflow, space around the components, and a nonflammable surface; cardboard can block fans or become a fire hazard. A cheap used office PC or an inexpensive metal case would be much safer than building inside a shoe box. You can initially use the integrated graphics from the CPU, so a dedicated GPU is unnecessary unless the machine will also be used for gaming.
The biggest factor is how demanding those mods and plugins are. For a few lightweight additions, an older used Intel system should be fine, but heavy world-generation or view-distance mods can overwhelm even much newer CPUs. Try to identify the exact server software and mods before choosing parts.
For a mostly headless Minecraft server, spend the budget on CPU cores, memory, and an SSD—not a gaming GPU. A used fourth-generation i7 or a similar Xeon with four cores and eight threads, 16 GB of DDR3, and a small SATA SSD would be a reasonable starting point. If you can find 32 GB cheaply, that gives multiple servers more breathing room, but 16 GB may work for a light setup.
Minecraft itself can run on very modest hardware, but running several worlds at once and adding mods is what makes the CPU and RAM requirements climb.
They’re probably only going to use about three or four mods or plugins per server, so this shouldn’t be an especially heavy setup.