I rent server as well as do co-location in same facility, you just need to figure out what is cheaper in long run.
E.g. If i need a low end server that costs around 100$ per month if i rent it, then i'll go for rent because my facility charges minimum 90$ to 1U colocation.
But now in another case i needed a high end server
Dual Opteron 6272
256 GB RAM
10x1TB SSD with RAID Controller
Unmetered Gigabit Port
IPMI
MB
Chasis etc....
Now since i'm from India it's not possible for me build server and then ship it to US, so i contacted my NOC Partner and asked them for how much can they buy hardware for me with above configuration
They gave me a quote of around 7000USD and now if rent this same server from them it would cost me about 1000USD Per month so in this case i decided to go for co-location and i'm just paying them 299$ USD per month now for co-location
So you just need to find out what's best for your business and/or cost effective
E.g. If i need a low end server that costs around 100$ per month if i rent it, then i'll go for rent because my facility charges minimum 90$ to 1U colocation.
But now in another case i needed a high end server
Dual Opteron 6272
256 GB RAM
10x1TB SSD with RAID Controller
Unmetered Gigabit Port
IPMI
MB
Chasis etc....
Now since i'm from India it's not possible for me build server and then ship it to US, so i contacted my NOC Partner and asked them for how much can they buy hardware for me with above configuration
They gave me a quote of around 7000USD and now if rent this same server from them it would cost me about 1000USD Per month so in this case i decided to go for co-location and i'm just paying them 299$ USD per month now for co-location
So you just need to find out what's best for your business and/or cost effective