[comicus]

thanks for the responses so far.

with 50 users currently online, here are my server load averages from vbulletin's admin cp:

1.86 1.20 0.65

here is the other info incase that helps:

Server Type Linux Data Usage 82.85 MB
Web Server Apache v2.0.54 Index Usage 30.58 MB
PHP 5.0.4 Attachment Usage 1.03 MB
PHP Max Post Size 8.00 MB Avatar Usage 3.58 MB
PHP Maximum Upload Size 150.00 MB Profile Picture Usage 347.3 KB PHP Memory Limit 32.00 MB Unique Members Today 202 New Threads Today 8
MySQL Version 4.1.14 New Users Today 5 New Posts Today 118
MySQL Packet Size 150.00 MB

Threads: 7,809, Posts: 100,729, Members: 5,486

if my site is running very slow even with those numbers (which aren't terrible), wouldn't that indicate that my host is most likely to blame? it's a vps so i really don't think it should be *that* slow. I really believe my provider has just gone to heck.

i guess i'd be open to a dedicated server if i could get a good deal on one. we don't currently run any ads and we don't openly ask for donations, but maybe it's time we changed all that lol. if you all agree that a VPS isn't going to help me, can you point me toward a reasonably-priced ($100-$150 maybe) dedicated provider that would be reliable? thanks again.