Updated October 28, 2026
Start from the workload, not the spec sheet
Write down what the server will do in one sentence: "PostgreSQL primary for a 40 GB database with 300 queries a second", or "cPanel host for 60 small client sites". Every sizing decision below follows from that sentence.
CPU
- Clock speed matters more than core count for PHP, Node.js request handling, single-threaded game servers and most databases under moderate load. High-clock desktop-class parts (Ryzen 9 5950X, Xeon E-2388G) do well here.
- Core count matters for virtualization hosts, CI runners, video encoding, many parallel workers and large analytical queries. EPYC and dual-socket Xeon parts are built for this.
- Look at the CPU generation, not only the model family. A 2017-era 16-core part can be slower per core than a current 6-core part.
Memory
For databases, aim to fit the hot working set (often the indexes plus the most-read tables) in RAM, then add room for the operating system and connections. For PHP or Node application servers, multiply the per-worker memory you observe by the number of workers you need at peak and add 25%. If you do not know these numbers yet, measure them on your current host for a week before buying.
Storage
- NVMe for databases, search indexes and anything with random I/O.
- SATA SSD is fine for web roots, application code and most mail servers.
- Hard disks for backups, archives and media where capacity per dollar matters more than latency.
- Two identical drives let you run RAID 1. RAID protects against a drive failure; it does not replace backups, because it copies deletions and corruption just as faithfully.
Network
A 1 Gbps port moves roughly 300 TB a month at full speed, so for most sites the monthly transfer allowance is the real limit, not the port. Choose 10 Gbps when you serve large files, replicate big databases between servers, or need headroom for traffic bursts.
Rules of thumb
| Workload | Starting point |
|---|---|
| Business site, small WooCommerce store | 6 cores, 16–32 GB, SSD |
| Agency cPanel host, 30–100 sites | 6–8 cores, 64 GB, two SSDs in RAID 1 |
| PostgreSQL/MySQL primary, tens of GB | 8–16 cores, 64–128 GB, NVMe |
| CI runners or build farm | 16 fast cores, 64 GB, NVMe |
| Proxmox or Kubernetes node | 16–24 cores, 128–256 GB |
These are starting points. If you send us current usage graphs with an order request, we will size from real numbers.