OFP is more advance then other games in this regard, there is soo much info being sent, this is not CS or BF2 or Soldner where players do not control other AI units
it out puts 1200 kbs in a 9x9 CTI and 2500 kbs in a 15v15 CTI
in the OFP server, each client handles his own AI's thinking, so now he has to output 40-100 kbs to the server just to tell it where his AI is, then the server has to constantly update it self with each player, this means the server now dedicates 1-4 ghz per AI and human,
30 player plus 11 AI each and then 600-1200 RES, the Server must think for the RES soldiers and the civilians, the 4.0 ghz can give 3.3 mhz per AI, its prob a few fractions less when you take into account the game word it self, but once the AI are down to 1 mhz the server will lag, there has never been a client host that can do more then a 4 man CTI with out it crashing or lagging out, there is simply too much going on
In this regard OFP CTI is one of the most single server intensive games on the market. The Large scale of data flow handles not just position of each player and AI, but where they are looking, where there gun is pointing, games like BF2, CS and soldner do not really do this giving the player a feeling he should not have been shot cause the enemy was not looking at him perfectly (we call this CS style game play which most of the Realism players cant stand), this is a lot of data, and in some eyes a terrible strain on the net code
OFP net code is consider shitty at best by most, but they don?t realize the amount of data that is being used, OFP CTF server use about 3-5 times more ban width then CS or BF2, simply because there is more data, and since CTI has thousands of AI units it needs more CPU power to help them think
in CTI you can tell if a server is pushing its limits by the long range fire of the AAA, the guns will miss 0.8 km targets, were a top end server like RNs will shoot down targets 1.5 km away with deadly accuracy, the server simply has more power to target faster and properly where under power server will get to it when they can
here is a CTI formula
9v9 = 18 + (18x11) 198 human AI plus 600-1200+ res = 800-1400AI plus 18 humans
15v15 - 30 =(30x11) 330 human AI plus 600-1200+ res = 930-1530AI
plus you have to use rolling snowball equation for amount of players
a 2 man game or so will have 5-40 kbs, but for each player added the kbs increases due to more information per play so by the time you get up to 30 players with 11 AI each you are into the 80-140 kbs depending what is happing in the game (a snowball rolling down a hill getting larger)
So a single power server is needed, every thing I posted above is reflected in the BI forums with years of research (3 years)
now will OFP2/AA's net code be better? most doubt it, so a dual CPU with OFP/AA binded to the primary CPU (HTs are slower logical "fake CPUs") which rules out linux will all ways be the better servers for OFP server engines unless your playing a 12 man CTF then any server will do
Single CPU servers will not be as fast as duals, so it's a toss up of the 4000+ FX and the 4400+ X2, so the RN's new 4800 x2 and the SWEC's new 4400 x2 look to be the best servers around for CPU intensive CTI servers
and servers are cheap, if you shop right, Mal told me it's only $2000 US split between 20 or so members and a line that cost $88 a month, which means both their divisions needs only $44 a month making RN's server the fastest private game server any where and still cheaper then any ones else, you just need to know how shit works
maybe you should ask him to host your site, between his 5 servers there he has over 10 terabytes monthly lol
beats your 300 gigs