Its a common question, I know...
Currently have 3 servers with 3 different hosts. In the last 30 days or so I've felt that my site / server seemed slow so I've done some testing.
All three servers are roughly the same Quad Core Xeon, CentOS, CPanel. One has 12GB Ram, the others have 8GB RAM.
Its not a scientific test, but here is what I did. I took the 500MP test file (.zip) from here
http://www.securedservers.com/network.php and posted it to my servers, then downloaded and timed it.
I tested on my Comcast Cable at office.
I tested on my CenturyLink / QWest DSL at office.
I tested on Comcast at home.
I tested on AT&T WiFi at Mcdonalds.
Each office test was done using Windows XP / Google Chrome, clearing cache each time. The AT&T and Comcast home testing was done using both a laptop with XP, and another with Win7.
Hosts tested:
http://securedservers.com/ (Phoenix DC)
http://quardranet.com/ (Dallas DC, with 12GB ram)
http://zipservers.com/ (Dallas DC)
In almost all tests Quadranet was fastest to deliver that file. Never was SecureServers fastest from my server, but SecuredServers was faster when I was taking the file from their own test page.
They just seem slow when compared to my other general surfing, and I hear the same from customers.
The truth is that my sites are simple - mostly HTML pages / JPG images, no database action and they "feel" slow when I compare to others. Seems as simple as they are they should be fast to appear in a browser or deliver a 150MB ZIP, but they aren't.
I'm looking for advice for moving TrueBabes. I want it on a faster server/host. I want customers to get the downloads (ZIPs) fast, and not be complaining that server feels slow to them (as it does to me).
So guys, what servers/hosts are blazing fast for this type of site (without getting into multiple server set-ups)?
Its about 2800GB a month total outbound bandwidth.
Thanks in advance.