I run a few websites and it's been suggested that I get a dedicated server as two of the sites are ecommerce based. Better security if not shared. What should a dedicated server cost me per month? Host around 10-15 sites. Some dynamice DB driven. Total bandwidth should be under 10gig/mnth Any thoughts on cost or recommendations on who to get it from?
Most likely between $150-300 for a good service. You can get them for less, just make sure you do some research to make sure the service is an good level. Have had a few servers through www.sprintserve.net and was impressed with the service.
Before you go dedicated and spend a couple hundred bucks, consider going with a VPS. You won't need all that power for just 15 sites using 10 gigs a month.
but his cpu usage could be high enough to require a ded. vps "is" better but at the end of the day it is still a shared server and you can still max out your alloted cpu. i have several servers with www.servstra.com , been with them almost a year and don't have a single complaint. They resell layeredtech servers housed at the fort worth savvis datacenter, they are a tier 1 provider (they power wallstreet) as you'll see prices are pretty low really, i have amd bartons, and they are fully managed.
Another vote for VPS. I have mine through www.servint.com, and that was recommended by peeps on webhostingtalk.com. A proper 24 hour support service, phone support and decent specs. I have their base 'essential' package and run around 10 sites on this, with a few of them having mysql DB's with over 2 million records. When sites that size get indexed, you want to make sure you have a decent server, and had no probs. Good support members only forum as well for server tweaks. Edit:Regarding security, a VPS is essentially just the same as a dedicated server, just with shared/burstable resources, so the same kind of server lockdown options can be made and you have full root access.
yes servint is a great company, powervps.com and fluidhosting.com are also top notch companies well known for their vps setup
I third the recommendation for a VPS. Any kind of dedicated server package is overkill if all you've got is mild DB action and 10 GB of bandwidth.
I've been with PowerVPS now for several months and their support is top notch. Email support is answered within 10 minutes in most cases. The VPS is fully managed as well. If you need something done, just shoot them an email and it gets done.