Hi alpha_one_x86,
Here are some benchmark tests that I usually run to test the performance of a server...
General Benchmark (CPU, RAM, Network Speed, Disk Speed)
wget freevps.us/downloads/bench.sh -O - -o /dev/null|bash
Disk Speed Detailed Benchmark (/dev/sda may differ from the way your partitions are set)
hdparm -tT /dev/sda
CPU Detailed Information
cat /proc/cpuinfo
Network Port Detailed Information (mii-tool might not work for some, and eth0 may differ depending on which interface you are truly using)
mii-tool
ethtool eth0
Current RAM Usage
free -m
Current Processes with CPU/RAM/Disk Load
top