There is no doubt about the significance of memory. As a component that provides data to the CPU whenever requested, memory stores the data on a short-term basis. As soon as a command is sent, a processor expects to receive the data from the memory. If you have a memory with adequate free capacity and excellent clock speed, you can run multiple applications without any issues. Depending on the nature of your work, you can evaluate the right capacity and speed for memory. In order to understand how much memory does a server need, it is extremely essential to determine the usage. For example, if you perform multitasking with CPU intensive activities, you need a server with more capacity. Insufficient capacity can lead to significant slowdown and lagging.
Understanding server memory
Server memory or RAM is an important part of the hardware that does computing tasks. RAM provides space for your server to read and write information as and when asked by the processor. Server memory has to work in coordination with the processor and storage, ensuring the final output.
When you are answering the question how much memory does a server need, you can determine the capacity according to the functionality or purpose of the server. Capacity is the primary parameter that can help you decide if the memory is adequate. Measured in Gigabytes (GB), it indicates how much data can be stored in the server memory. A higher value of capacity can be useful while dealing with multiple tasks. If you handle many applications at once, you would not run the risk of running out of memory. If it runs low on capacity, you would notice slower processing. It can take time to load applications or to switch from one to another.
Significance of opting for more server memory
Generally, the answer to how much memory does a server need points towards the significance of a higher value. It means that a higher capacity can solve many purposes. If the server has more RAM, the CPU would not have to depend on the hard disk for reading data. Usually, a hard disk or permanent storage has much lesser processing speed as compared to a RAM. Hard disks cannot compete with the processing speed of RAM that runs into the range of 1200-4000MHz. Due to this faster speed, it is ideal to have more than enough server memory. You can ensure that all the applications are loading at a fast speed without any significant delays.
If you have a clear idea of how much traffic is expected on the server, you can get a rough estimate of how much memory does a server need. It is also essential to find the type of applications that are run on the system. You would observe that all the applications do not consume the same type of memory. Some intensive applications such as video editing, image editing, gaming, graphics, and designing tasks may demand more memory. On the other hand, light activities such as web browsing and using Microsoft Word or Excel may demand a lot of memory.
Factors that can influence how much memory does a server need
Depending on the unique activities, intended usage, and a rough idea of necessary applications can help you find out how much memory does a server need.
1. Size of databases
The size of the database in a server can give a rough idea of the maximum capacity of server memory. Usually, if the server database is in the 50-100 GB range, you can go with a memory between 16-64 GB capacity. If you decide to upgrade the server memory due to insufficient capacity, you can trade the used server memory for an excellent cash value.
2. Number of users
Depending on the number of users, you can find an ideal value of server memory. In case if you have more than 15 concurrent users, you can add 1-2 GB RAM for every 5 additional users.
3. Execution packages
In order to ensure faster completion of execution packages, you would require to opt for a higher server memory. Having more RAM in your server is one of the efficient ways for running all the execution packages.
4. Rate of growth
The annual rate of growth of your database can influence how much memory does the server need. Hence, you must consider a rough estimate of the annual growth rate of the database and add it to the analysis. Ensuring more server memory after considering the annual growth rate can give you ample room as and when required in the future.
5. Requirements of the OS
You must reserve 1 GB for the OS. Following this, you can keep 1 GB for every 4 GB between 4-16 GB. Next is to reserve 1 GB for every 8 GB above 16 GB. This means, if a server has 32 GB RAM, it uses 7 GB for the OS and remaining 25 GB for the SQL server.
6. Dedicated vs shared
For shared setup, you must account for any additional software that is operating on your system. It is necessary to count the additional requirement in the server memory. If you would like to upgrade to a higher capacity and accommodate the additional requirement, you can sell your used server memory.
Server function can help you to find the right capacity value. For example- files, websites, and databases require different capacity. Database servers require memory based on the number of users and nature of the database. File servers generally require more storage but less memory. For a website server, the capacity would depend on the type of website, traffic, and caching of the website.
Understanding your usage is the right parameter to determine the server memory. If there is a limit on the server memory, the system may approach a storage drive for data. Due to slow processing speed of the storage, it could prove challenging. With the right value, you can easily load multiple server-based applications.