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Counter-Strike 1.6 still lives: my $3 host

VPS Hosting by kenji3 24 replies 2.1K views
kenji3

Member OP

#1

I may be wrong, but I believe Counter-Strike 1.6 server still runs well on minimal resources. I have set one up on a $3/month HostHatch plan in Singapore—256MB RAM, single core, 10GB disk. The hlds_linux process uses 180MB with 12 players. Latency to Tokyo is 45ms, to Sydney 89ms. I expected no interest, but perhaps there is still a competitive scene seeking budget hosts? The server is at hosthatch.com if anyone wishes to test.

conbini > datacenter snacks
Chen

Member

☁️ multi-cloud mess

#2

Wah lau eh 1.6 still alive ah. Can. My clan still play every weekend lor. We all on CloudCone now but their routing from los angeles cmi. Can you share what tickrate you running? 100 tick need more cpu I think. Last time I try on arm chip the hlds got problem, x86 better lah.

Carl

Member

Rack & Stack

#3

HLDS is single-threaded and loves clock speed. Your HostHatch plan is probably on Xeon E5 v3 or v4—decent IPC, but a modern Ryzen would push 30% more FPS stability. I just decommissioned twenty Dell R630s; each drew 85W idle. For a CS 1.6 server you're looking at 15W actual if the host isn't overselling. Power draw matters less at $3/month, but at scale it adds up. What's the CPU model?

visit twice: install and decom
armstrongvds

Member

ARM Enjoyer

3 #4

CS 1.6 on 256MB! Insane value! I tried HLDS on Ampere Altra once for kicks—runs circles around x86 on power efficiency, but the GoldSrc engine has weird alignment issues on ARM. Needed box86 translation, latency spiked. Stick to x86 for now. If anyone wants to experiment, I have spare Leaseweb credits—ping me. The Ampere A1 free tier handles CS:GO dedicated fine though, different engine.

one small ping for man...
quinnbizz

Member

#5

What kernel is the hlds_linux running on, 2.6 or newer?

...
olespete

Member

Trust No One

#6

45ms to tokyo on a $3 plan sounds optimistic, I'd want to see mtr

airgapped, encrypted, faraday'd, still worried
FL

Member

#7

Which hlds build, 8308 or the steampipe one

kenji3

Member OP

#8

Chen said:
Can you share what tickrate you running?

100 tick, but I had to renice hlds_linux to -5 to keep it stable during rushes. The HostHatch vCPU reports as Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 @ 2.40GHz. Not spectacular single-thread, but sufficient. I can push 128 tick on an empty server but it stutters with 10+ players. For competitive 5v5, 100 tick is the compromise.

conbini > datacenter snacks
Chen

Member

☁️ multi-cloud mess

2 #9

kenji3 said:
100 tick, but I had to renice

Wah you renice also can ah. I tried before on my old DigitalOcean droplet, hlds just get oom-killed when renice too aggressive. Your 256MB really survive with 12 players? My CloudCone 1GB also struggle when everyone throw smoke same time. Maybe their LA network really cmi, not the RAM problem. I check HostHatch got Singapore datacenter, maybe I migrate over.

Carl

Member

Rack & Stack

#10

kenji3 said:
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4

That confirms my suspicion. Broadwell EP, 3.3GHz max turbo. A 5950X would run circles around it, but you're not buying that for $3. The real question is whether HostHatch is packing these boxes tight. 85W idle on my R630s was with dual E5-2680 v4, for reference. Your single vCPU slice is probably seeing 15-20% of one core sustained.

visit twice: install and decom

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