How much RAM does a GTNH server need?
A GTNH server needs about 12 GB of RAM for five players, 17 GB for ten and 27 GB for twenty by our rule. The GTNH team publishes its own rule on its server setup page: 6 GB plus 0.5 GB for every extra player in the early game, and 6 GB plus 1 GB for every extra player once the group reaches UV. For five players that is 8 GB early on and 10 GB later. We plan 2 GB above the late-game figure, because Java needs memory outside the heap and a GTNH world only gets heavier as the months go by.
| Players | Early game | UV and later |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6.5 GB | 7 GB |
| 5 | 8 GB | 10 GB |
| 10 | 10.5 GB | 15 GB |
| 20 | 15.5 GB | 25 GB |
And this is what our rule gives, with the plan size and the lowest price for it:
| Players online | RAM needed | Plan size | Lowest price for that size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 to 5 | 12 GB | 12 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder, €9.60 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| 6 to 10 | 17 GB | 24 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Crew, €19.20 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
| 11 to 20 | 27 GB | 32 GB | CheapestMinecraftHosting Guild, €25.60 a month in Poland (Warsaw) |
GTNH server requirements: Java 8 or Java 17
A GTNH server runs on Forge for Minecraft 1.7.10 with either Java 8 or Java 17 and newer. The team puts two server builds of every release on its download page, one for each, and strongly recommends the Java 17 build because it runs faster. Pick the build that matches the Java your server starts with. The Java 17 build comes with its own start files, so if your host's panel starts a single server jar, the Java 8 build is the simpler one to run.
The processor matters more than on most packs. Minecraft 1.7.10 works out the whole world on one thread: every GregTech machine, every cable and every Applied Energistics network is calculated there twenty times a second. More cores help with saving and connections, but only a faster core lets one server carry more machines. That is where the reserved Ryzen 9 threads of the Performance lines at Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost pay off.
How to make a GTNH server
A GTNH server takes five steps, because the pack is installed by hand:
- Order a plan with 12 GB or more for up to five players, with Forge as the server software, and set the version to 1.7.10.
- Download the server pack from the GTNH downloads page. The file ending in Server.zip is the Java 8 build; the one with Java_17 in its name is for Java 17 and newer.
- Upload and unzip it in the empty server folder with the file manager. Some panels can fetch the zip by its link, which is faster than an upload from your computer.
- Accept the EULA by setting eula=true in eula.txt, then start the server. The first start takes a few minutes.
- Join with the same release. Players install the same GTNH version with Prism Launcher or MultiMC. A different release gives a mod mismatch at the door.
Astroworld Hosting has a GTNH page of its own that walks through this setup in its panel in eight steps, with the Java 8 build. GTNH is not on CurseForge, Modrinth or Feed The Beast, so the one-click installers at the hosts we compare do not list it.
GTNH server update guide
To update a GTNH server, delete the config, libraries, mods, resources and scripts folders and unpack the new server pack in their place. A new release does not install on top of the old one. Take a backup first, and keep the JourneyMapServer folder from the old config, because it holds your world's ID. On the Java 17 build, also remove the old Java 9 start files listed on the GTNH wiki before you unpack. The world folder, server.properties and the player lists stay where they are. Copy changed settings back by hand rather than the whole old config folder, since every release expects its own defaults.
Why a GTNH server lags
A GTNH server usually lags because of what is loaded, not because of how many players are online. Chunk loaders keep factories running while nobody is near them, and one large base can cost more than several players in a field. Run forge tps in the console to see the tick time per dimension before you pay for more memory. If memory is free and the tick time is still high, the processor is the limit.
Best GTNH server hosting plans
The best GTNH server hosting for five players is a 12 GB plan with a fast, reserved core, since 1.7.10 runs every machine on one thread.
For 2 to 5 players with a modpack of about 200 mods on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Astroworld Hosting Standard Performance: 12 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €23.95 a month when you pay monthly. As a new customer you pay €9.58 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off. The best plans at the other two hosts are Lodehost Standard at €23.95 and CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder at €9.60.
| If you want | Host and plan | Memory | Processor | Location | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €9.60 |
| Balanced | Astroworld Standard Performance | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €23.95 (€20.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €9.58 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off |
| More performance | Astroworld Standard Performance | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €23.95 (€20.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €9.58 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off |
For a GTNH group of up to five, Astroworld Standard Performance gives you 12 GB with reserved Ryzen 9 threads for €23.95 a month, the better choice once your factories grow. On a budget, CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder has 12 GB for €9.60. Other Forge packs are on Forge Minecraft server hosting, and the RAM for other packs on Minecraft modpack server hosting.