The Truth About VPS Performance: RAKsmart vs. the “Big Clouds”
If you’ve been shopping for a Virtual Private Server (VPS), you’ve probably seen the same names pop up over and over again: DigitalOcean, Vultr, Contabo. They all promise “high performance” and “99.9% uptime.”
But if you look closer at the fine print — or worse, if you actually run benchmark tests — you’ll quickly realize that not all 4GB RAM VPS plans are created equal.
I ran a comparison to see how a specialized provider like RAKsmart stacks up against both the “Big Cloud” platforms and the “Budget Kings.” The results might make you rethink who you trust with your data.
The Competitors
Competitor A – The “Big Cloud”
Well-known for polished dashboards and developer tools, but often criticized for expensive bandwidth and strict transfer limits.
Competitor B – The “Budget Host”
Attractive prices and large spec numbers on paper, but frequently affected by overselling, noisy neighbors, and inconsistent performance.
The Challenger – RAKsmart
A performance-focused provider that prioritizes premium routing (CN2), unmetered bandwidth, and stability over flashy marketing.
1. Compute Power: The “Noisy Neighbor” Problem
One of the biggest secrets in the VPS industry is CPU Steal.
When you buy a “2 vCPU” plan from a budget provider, those cores are usually shared with dozens of other customers. If someone on the same node starts mining crypto or encoding video, your performance drops instantly.
Budget Hosts:
In testing, many low-cost providers show high CPU steal time. You pay for 4 cores, but real-world performance often feels closer to 1.
RAKsmart:
Because their servers aren’t aggressively oversold, compute resources feel close to dedicated. Scripts execute immediately, and performance remains stable even under sustained load.
2. Network Speed & Routing: The “Asia” Factor
This is where the difference becomes impossible to ignore.
Most US and European VPS providers rely on commodity bandwidth — cheap routes that bounce traffic through congested networks before reaching Asia or South America.
Big Cloud Providers:
Excellent reliability within the US and EU, but latency often exceeds 200ms when accessed from Asia.
RAKsmart:
Offers CN2 GIA (China Telecom Next Generation Carrier Network) routes — effectively a VIP lane for international traffic.
Result:
If your users are in Malaysia, China, or Singapore, a RAKsmart server in the US can feel faster than a standard provider’s server physically located in Asia but using poor routing.
3. Port Speed & Bandwidth Caps
This is where many VPS users get burned.
Industry Standard:
Most providers cap you at 1–2TB of transfer. Go over, and you either get throttled to unusable speeds or hit with expensive overage fees.
RAKsmart:
Known for unmetered bandwidth options and high port speeds (1Gbps and even 10Gbps). You don’t have to panic when traffic spikes or a post goes viral.
Summary Comparison Table
| Feature | “Budget” Providers (e.g., Contabo) | “Big Cloud” (e.g., DigitalOcean) | RAKsmart |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Performance | Often oversold (high steal) | Good but shared | Dedicated feel, high stability |
| Storage | Standard SSD | SSD / NVMe | High-speed NVMe |
| Network Routing | Congested commodity routes | Standard premium | CN2 GIA optimized |
| Bandwidth | Limited / throttled | 1–2TB cap (expensive) | Unmetered / high caps |
| Best For | Hobby projects | Dev & testing | Production & Asia traffic |
The Verdict
The Verdict
If you are just learning to code and budget is your only concern, a cheap $4 VPS is fine.
But if you are running a business, a game server, or a high-traffic blog, stability is king. RAKsmart offers that rare combination of enterprise-grade hardware (NVMe + Premium Network) without the enterprise price tag.
Don’t let your host be the bottleneck. [Check out RAKsmart’s RAKSmart – High-Performance VPS: Blazing-Fast, Stable Virtualization Solutions.]
LPC2018 – Who stole my CPU? Steal time mitigation at Digital Ocean LPC2018 – Who stole my CPU?
This video is a technical deep dive from DigitalOcean engineers explaining “CPU Steal,” which helps you understand exactly why cheap shared hosting often feels sluggish compared to optimized providers like RAKsmart.