$140 for a second gen i5 and 8GB of ram is pretty reasonable.
A $20 VPS is only for pet projects. For a startup it's worth it to invest in a/some dedicated server(s). Having some redundant firepower of dedicated servers so that you don't have to worry about the upgrades for a while presents a sweet spot between saving cost and scalability.
A $20 VPS is only for pet projects. For a startup it's worth it to invest in a/some dedicated server(s). Having some redundant firepower of dedicated servers so that you don't have to worry about the upgrades for a while presents a sweet spot between saving cost and scalability.