Why not just get a 1&1 root server. We run two without any problem.

I had a 1&1 Root Server III and their customer support is absolutely terrible. I switched my RS3 site to the top end VPS at powervps.com for half the cost and never looked back. (This was for a site other than sevenstring.org, which has over a million posts and passes 20 million views a month). Both sites now run on PowerVPS and they are absolutely outstanding. Best host I've had in ~8 years running assorted sires.

1&1 used to be excellent, but I think they either outsourced most of their clients or downsized. If you check around the hosting forums, there are a lot of people who've left them in the last year or so because the service went so far downhill.

.2c

1&1 began to decline when they started their 1 year of free hosting offer 1-2 years back. After that offer, they went downhill quickly, though most will still say they were just as bad before the offer.

I'm as sure as ducks quack, that i wouldn't be capable of all the installation and tweaking necessary. I have some time to learn - until mysql size gets too big, but to be honest I work full time plus study, so the time I would have to read/learn/ask is not as much as I'd need/like. I looked also at this company platinumservermanagement who for $30 look after servers but they only work with cpanel apparently, which 1&1 don't have, haven't found a UK one at all, let alone one as competitively priced.

Having to install mysql and anything else I might need is probably beyond me - to give you an idea, it took me about two months to be confident with using putty to back up /and restore my databases. Imagine how long it would take to learn eveything else. For cheapness I'd prefer to stay with 1&1 but as I said I couldn't find anyone like platinumservermanagement.

Maybe it will be an idea to buy a root server from them and play for a few months.

Though again I'll say that I really, really don't like 1and1, the base servers you get from them will have the majority of the modules you'll need installed already. If you're just looking to run vB, their root servers should (at least they used to) run right out of the box for you.

Edit: If you plan on having any dealings with customer/tech support, even the simplest of issues, I can't stress enough how absolutely abysmal their support is. You'll either need to take a crash course in Linux 101 or pay someone to fix your site for you if you want your issues resolved in even a remotely timely manner. They really are that bad.

you can always get a low end server, and get a server management company such as Platinum Server Management for $30 monthly to manage it all.

You sound really happy with PowerVPS.

I am considering them.

My current hosting company is DATA393

Their VPS packages are as follows:
http://www.data393.com/hosted-solutions/vps/index.html

PowerVPS offers:
http://powervps.com/plesk-vps.php

PowerVPS seems to offer more for less.

Thoughts?

It's so scary moving! I don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Know what I mean?

why dont you just add mysql onto your server, if you want some help pm me, this is what i have done with my vb forum