When should a host upgrade a server?
 

Three years ago I got a spec'd out Dual Xeon 16 Cores Server with 128 GB RAM and a bunch of HDD Drives. I am still paying top dollar for somewhat out-of-date hardware. Especially since Ryzens and NVMes offer an insane increase in performance.

So my question is, at what point should a host upgrade a server? What's the industry standard? What should I expect from my host?

If they offer better for the same amount of money, you should ask them to either update you to the newer hardware they offer for the same price, or reduce your bill. Often hosts will lease hardware for 2-3 years and pay it off using your bill so after 3 years it's probably paid off, leaving them only bandwidth/electric/labor costs. Moving websites is a pain in the ass - sometimes things break during the move, and if you don't actually NEED the faster hardware there's no sense.

Have you perhaps contacted the host, & asked if they would consider giving you a discount, before you yourself consider moving to another host with better specs?

Or, if its not about the price, but the updated specs you could always look around and move?

not sure about the industry standard but after 3 years being with the same hardware I think it could be the right time to ask for an upgrade (if you need better specs) or a discount (if the hardware is fine for your needs).

Hi Daviking,

A little knowledge will go a long way. Do this: Login to your server via Terminal, and run the HTOP command. This will show you how busy your server is. Run it at various times of the day to get a good average. If you don't know how or don't want to, ask tech support to do it for you.

If you see that your server is never maxed-out, then don't upgrade it. Switching to a faster server won't give you any kind of performance boost in this case.

Instead, ask your hosting provider for a discount instead. Even though reputable hosting providers upgrade their servers from time to time, servers are made to have very long lifespans.

If you find that your server is running out of resources, you can ask them to upgrade your server for you. It it is a virtual machine, upgrades take only a few minutes, and your server does not even go down during the upgrade process. Double check the price to make sure its affordable if it isn't free.

If you need more information feel free to PM me. I don't sell hosting services nor am I affiliated with any, but I can help you navigate this maze if needed.

Good luck!

What we saw that it is best to change servers after 3 year if you have your own server.
Than the new ones use less energy and the new server pays itself back in 3/4 years.

Adding to this as Mark didn't make it clear what constitutes "maxed out". Run 'uptime' via SSH.
You will see something like "load average: 3.08, 3.04, 3.00":

It's a 1, 5 and 15 minute average. 1.00 per core is 100% cpu usage. So if you have 32 cores, 32.00 is 100% usage. Also check things like iostat to see if harddrive is your bottleneck.

If you have 32 cores and your load is like 1 or 2 you need less server, not more.