Just wondering. . .

what would it take(hardware wise) and about how much would it could it cost(hardware,software,internet connections) to set up a good unix based web server?

Well first you want a minimum of a Dual Pentium II 450 with at least 256 ram. Cost depends on parts. At least two 20 gigs drives and a minimum of a T-3 connection. You dont want a T-1 connection because most likely any connection you lease will be shared in order to keep their cost to you lower....so you want at least a T-3 in that case. T-1's to servers are like the old 56K's are to PC's.....easy to bog down....and a T-3 to a server is like a cable modem to a PC. The cost on shared T-3's vary also.

Those are the firsat things you wanna look for and judge by price after that. You want to LEASE a server, not buy one...but have it built to your specs. If you lease rather than buy, you dont have to worry about the cost of hardware failures.