I read on some threads (older), that the maximum server view-distance is at 15 (rings of chunks around you).
I tried 32 and it worked. My client won't render further than 32. Is it still possible to surpass this value, if you increase the server view-distance? On the server side it shouldn't make much of a difference because mobs will despawn after they are 128 blocks away from you. The additional traffic will be caused by sending additional "static" chunks, that won't create much lag as I suppose.
On the client side: Why is there a max of 32? Does that make any sense? In the end, it's the user's fault if he wants more but doesn't have the hardware to do it.
Best Answer
32 is maximum you can get in vanilla minecraft, even if you set it to be more than that.