Dedicated server technical questions

[Perineum]

I want to rebuild my current dedicated server. I usually play coop LAN with a friend or two, not really used for internet play. I just upgraded my motherboard to the strongest processor it can handle, an Athlon II 640. I didn't see much of a difference. We want to play Warfare, specifically Benny Edition with 2 humans vs. 16 AI. My questions are, will newer processor help run the game smooth? Does a strong dedicated server take all the load off the client computers and allow them to run the game smooth? Right now, the clients run really good at the start, but degrade over time. I assumed it was because the dedicated server wasn't able to keep up with the game and more of the work load was being passed on to the clients. Is that true? Anyone have any recommendations on processors, maybe one with good price to performance ratio?

My second set of question involves RAM. I know that ARMA only uses 2 gigs of RAM and windows XP will allow up to 3.3 gigs of RAM. Does a super dedicated server need more RAM to allow it to run better? Would 8 gigs be better than 4 gigs? Is all the texture memory client side? I am asking because I would hate to drop over $500 on a new setup just to have it perform the same as what I currently have. Could someone who has a super machine give me a little insight?

[NoBrainer]

The server controls ALL AI that's not within a players group.
So if you and your friends have 4 AI under your command, your computer controls them. All other AI in a mission is controlled by server.
So yes, you need a good server if you want to play coop.

A2 needs high Hz. The higher the better. I think (just my opinion) a Intel i5-2600k is what might be the best out of the box. OC it to max (3.7GHz??). The i5 don't have hyperthreading and it's a lot cheaper then the i7.

You don't need 8 GB RAM on a server. It's enough with 4GB.

For faster loading time on the missions, you would like to have SSD or RAMDisk.
Cut's down loading time for clients a lot.
The server first loads the mission, when the server is finished, then you need a faster drive on you pc to shorten the loading time.

But I'm no good at AMD, so I'm not sure if this will be any better than what you got.

[Perineum]

Thanks NoBrainer. I'm not too worried about the load times. Mostly about smoothing the game out. The AI gets pretty stupid when the game is running like crap. My main concern is that making sure that a stronger dedicated server allows the clients to keep running as good as they do at the start. I am wondering if the client performance starts to fall apart because the server is too weak to keep up. Do you think that's the case?

You say 4 gigs is enough for a server? Is all the texture memory handled by the clients?

I was thinking about switching over to Intel (first time in over 10 years) because AMD doesn't have anything anywhere near as fast out, according to some benchmark tests I browsed. http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html