Dedicated servers · Databases
A SQL dedicated server is one physical machine that runs only your database. You choose the drives, the array and the memory, then install SQL Server on Windows Server, or MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL on Linux, with root access and month-to-month billing.
No hypervisor sits between the engine and the disks, and no other customer competes for the same I/O queue. What you measure in a benchmark is what production gets.
Read from the order catalogue
Each row is one machine with the drives, array and memory a database needs, and the monthly price of exactly that build. Change any part in the configurator and it prices the new build before you pay.
| Build and processor | Memory and storage | Cities | Per month | Windows Server Standard | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two NVMe drives, mirroredIntel Xeon E3-1585L v5 Quad Core 3.00 Ghz | 64 GB DDR4 · 2 × NVMe-SSD 480 GB (RAID 1)Software RAID · 1 Gbps port | New York, Bucharest, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Miami | $98.37+ $29 setup, once | $20.79Windows Server 2022 Standard | Configure Intel Xeon E3-1585L v5 Quad Core 3.00 Ghz |
| Four SSDs in RAID 10AMD Opteron 6366 HE Hexadeca Core 1.80 GHz | 64 GB DDR3 · 4 × SATA-SSD 480 GB (RAID 10)RAID controller, 6 bays · 500 Mbps port | New York, Bucharest, Miami | $148.36+ $29 setup, once | $41.44Windows Server 2025 Standard | Configure AMD Opteron 6366 HE Hexadeca Core 1.80 GHz |
| 256 GB of memoryIntel Xeon E5-2630L Hex Core 2.00 GHz | 256 GB DDR3 · 4 × SATA-SSD 960 GB (RAID 10)RAID controller, 6 bays · 500 Mbps port | New York, Bucharest, Miami | $248.72+ $29 setup, once | $20.79Windows Server 2025 Standard | Configure Intel Xeon E5-2630L Hex Core 2.00 GHz |
Prices are estimates from the same catalogue the configurator reads, which quotes the exact total. A configured build is a custom order and pays its setup fee once. The Windows Server licence is optional and costs the same each month whatever billing cycle you choose; the server itself costs 5%, 10% or 15% less on a 3, 6 or 12 month cycle.
Storage
A database lives on random writes and fsync latency. The array decides both, so choose it before the processor.
Not sure NVMe is worth it for your workload? NVMe vs SSD vs HDD puts numbers on the difference, and NVMe dedicated servers lists the machines.
Engines and licences
The machine does not care which engine you run. The licence does. Here is what each one costs you on our hardware.
Microsoft
We install Windows Server and bill its licence on the server invoice. You bring the SQL Server licence; the configurator does not sell one.
Open source
MySQL or MariaDB on a Linux image we install, with nothing to license. You tune the buffer pool to the memory you bought.
Open source
PostgreSQL on the same Linux images. For one small database, a Cloud VPS arrives with PostgreSQL already installed and is the cheaper answer.
SQL Server edition limits are Microsoft's, from its SQL Server 2025 editions page: Express is free and caps each database at 50 GB, one socket or four cores, and about 1.4 GB of buffer pool. The Developer editions are licensed for development and test only, not production.
Memory
A query served from RAM never touches the array. Size memory to the part of the data your queries touch every day, then size storage to the rest.
2 TB
The most memory one of our x86 machines takes.
256 GB
The buffer pool SQL Server 2025 Standard can use per instance. Past that, Enterprise.
64 GB DDR4
Memory in the mirrored NVMe build, for a working set that fits.
24
Drive bays on the largest RAID controller we fit.
With every server
Want faster hardware response and monitoring on a production database? The support tiers add both.
Answers
It is a physical server that runs only your database. All of its processors, memory and drives serve your queries, nothing else shares its disks, and you control the operating system, the engine and its configuration.
Our build with four SSDs in RAID 10 is $148.36 a month plus $29 setup once. Windows Server 2025 Standard adds $41.44 a month on that build. The SQL Server licence is yours to bring, or use SQL Server Express, which is free.
No. We install and bill Windows Server, and you license SQL Server yourself. SQL Server Express costs nothing and handles databases up to 50 GB each. The Developer editions are free for development and test, not for production.
RAID 10 for most databases: it survives a failed drive and has no parity penalty on writes. RAID 1 on two NVMe drives suits a smaller database that needs the lowest latency. RAID 5 or 6 gives more space for databases that mostly read.
Enough to hold the data your queries read every day, plus the operating system. Our machines take up to 2 TB. SQL Server 2025 Standard uses at most 256 GB of buffer pool per instance, so memory past that helps only Enterprise or a second instance.
Yes. Pick a Linux image, such as one of AlmaLinux 10, Ubuntu 26.04, Debian 13, and install MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL with root access. There is no licence to pay.
Memory large enough for the working set, low-latency drives in an array that does not punish writes, and no neighbours on the same hardware. A dedicated server with NVMe or SSDs in RAID 10 gives you all three.
Add a backup plan from your control panel. Backup Advanced and Premium take application-consistent Windows backups through VSS, so SQL Server data is captured cleanly. A software RAID array cannot be backed up by our agent yet, so keep your own dumps on the NVMe build.
A configured build takes 4 to 24 hours. A ready server ordered as it stands is online about 30 minutes after your payment is approved.
Start a live chat at any hour. Our AI answers in seconds and can check your account and your server. Ask for a person and one takes over the conversation.
Elsewhere on Server Room
The configurator shows the full monthly price, Windows licence included, before you pay.