Buying a dedicated server is a significant infrastructure decision. Get it right, and you have a reliable, high-performance foundation for years. Get it wrong, and you spend months dealing with performance issues or unexpected costs. This checklist walks you through every factor to consider.
1. Define Your Workload First
Before comparing specs, be clear on what you are running:
- Web hosting: CPU and RAM matter more than storage speed
- Databases: RAM and NVMe SSD storage are critical
- Game servers: High single-core CPU speed and low-latency network
- Machine learning / AI: Look for high core counts and RAM
- Private cloud (Proxmox / VMware): Max RAM and multi-core CPUs
Your workload defines which specs matter most.
2. CPU: Cores, Clock Speed, and Generation
Dedicated servers typically use Intel Xeon, AMD EPYC, AMD Ryzen, or Intel Core processors. Consider:
- Core count: More cores help with parallel workloads (databases, virtualisation)
- Clock speed: Higher GHz helps with single-threaded tasks (game servers, some web apps)
- Generation: Newer generations (v3, v4, v6) offer better performance per watt and support newer instruction sets
At OVHSAS, options range from quad-core Intel i3 to 64-core AMD Threadripper 3990X configurations.
3. RAM: How Much Do You Need?
A common rule of thumb:
| Use Case | Minimum RAM |
|---|---|
| Small website / blog | 4–8GB |
| Medium web application | 16–32GB |
| Database server | 32–128GB |
| Virtualisation host | 64GB+ |
| Machine learning | 128GB+ |
Always choose ECC RAM for database and virtualisation workloads — it detects and corrects memory errors automatically.
4. Storage: HDD vs SSD vs NVMe
| Storage Type | Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| HDD (SATA) | ~150 MB/s | Large file storage, backups |
| SSD (SATA) | ~500 MB/s | General purpose, web hosting |
| NVMe | 2,000–7,000 MB/s | Databases, high-IOPS workloads |
For most modern workloads, NVMe SSD is the right choice. OVHSAS offers servers with pure NVMe, hybrid NVMe + HDD, and large HDD configurations.
5. Bandwidth and Network
Check these network specs carefully:
- Port speed: 1Gbit is standard; 10Gbit available for high-throughput needs
- Metered vs unmetered: OVHSAS includes 1Gbit unmetered bandwidth on all plans — no per-GB charges
- IPv4 addresses: How many usable IPs are included? OVHSAS includes 5 usable IPv4 addresses on most plans
- IPv6: All OVHSAS servers include a /64 IPv6 block
6. Uptime SLA
Look for at minimum 99.9% uptime. OVHSAS guarantees a 99.99% uptime SLA backed by triple-redundant power infrastructure.
Calculate what downtime means for your business:
- 99.9% = up to 8.7 hours of downtime per year
- 99.99% = up to 52 minutes downtime per year
- 99.999% = up to 5 minutes downtime per year
7. Location / Data Centre
Choose a data centre close to your primary users to reduce latency. OVHSAS has servers in:
- Derby, UK
- Leeds, UK
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Riga, Latvia
8. Support Quality
When something goes wrong at 2am, support matters enormously. Ask:
- Is support available 24/7?
- What are the response time SLAs?
- Is support via ticket, phone, or live chat?
Digitalberg is known for ITIL-framework support with responsive SLAs, as confirmed by customers who have been with us for multiple years.
9. Provisioning Speed
Some providers take 24–72 hours to provision a server. OVHSAS offers instant provisioning — your server is online in minutes for pre-configured models.
10. Pricing Transparency
Watch out for:
- Setup fees (OVHSAS charges zero)
- Hidden bandwidth overage charges (OVHSAS bandwidth is unmetered)
- Contract lock-in (OVHSAS offers flexible monthly billing)
Ready to Choose?
Browse OVHSAS dedicated servers and filter by processor type, RAM, and storage to find your ideal configuration. All plans include free DDoS protection, a 99.99% uptime SLA, and zero setup fees.