I want to start a CSS server but....

[Luke oX]

I've been told that running a dedicated CSS sever is bad to do on the same computer and home network. What should I do to run a proper CSS server from home?

[Arjen]

http://forums.srcds.com/viewtopic/9982

[loopyman]

If you have nice Dual core or better and 2 - 4GB of ram you should be fine to run your game server on the same PC.

You can also run it on the same network just fine... Keep in mind that you might have trouble keeping a consistent latency depending on your internet connection.

Ultimately you would want to build your own home server. Dual core is a must... 2GB of ram should be fine and a lightweight OS such as Server 2003 x86 or Debian x86 should be fine. The orangebox game servers are huge CPU whores, but its just relative to whats available for the consumer PC market...

If you have another PC laying around you might be able to use it, the 2.8GHz+ HT's should work fine, anything before that would be pointless. ( Unless you run 1.6 )

The CS:S game server market is a pain because everybody wants low pings, high FPS, and lag free game servers. Some people will have trouble providing that with a game server located at home. If you really want your game server to be popular you need it professionally hosted by a provider or on a dedicated server.