Hostwinds Dedicated Hosting Review

Hostwinds has proven itself to be a versatile hosting provider, offering an impressive range of features across all its products. The dedicated server hosting, in particular, stands out due to its high-spec servers, competitive pricing, and consistently reliable performance. This comprehensive review will delve into the specifics of Hostwinds' dedicated hosting, outlining its key strengths and potential drawbacks.

Server Specifications and Pricing

Starting at a reasonable $106 per month, Hostwinds' dedicated server range offers a plethora of features that are often premium extras with other providers. Even the most basic plan boasts high-grade specifications, including 1Gbps ports, which is a significant step up from the standard 100Mbps offered by some competitors.

Server Management and Support

All servers are fully managed, relieving customers of basic maintenance tasks such as running operating system updates. Furthermore, Hostwinds offers proactive server monitoring to swiftly detect and rectify issues. The automatic nightly backups provide a safety net, ensuring quick recovery from potential data losses.

Storage and Customization

Hostwinds offers highly configurable storage options. Servers can be equipped with a mix of 1TB to 3TB SATA drives, or 120GB to 1TB SSDs. This level of flexibility significantly outshines providers like IONOS, where fixed configurations are common. Further enhancing its customization options, Hostwinds provides a choice of operating systems including CentOS, Debian, Fedora, or Ubuntu for Linux users, and Windows 2008, 2012, or 2016 Server for Windows users.

Limitations

Despite its impressive offerings, Hostwinds does have some limitations. It does not include a control panel as standard, which may be an inconvenience for some users. Furthermore, the absence of phone support could make problem-solving more time-consuming.

Helpful Support Website

An asset to Hostwinds is its resourceful support website, filled with informative articles that can guide users through common issues and queries.

Conclusion

Hostwinds dedicated server hosting impresses with its high specifications, fair pricing, and extensive customization options. Although certain limitations exist, they are balanced out by the company's commitment to quality service and user flexibility. It's a worthy choice for anyone seeking a high-performing, highly specified server at a competitive price.