SQL Server Database Hardware — Hardware-Tuned for Microsoft SQL Workloads

Microsoft SQL Server is one of the most CPU-sensitive enterprise workloads — SQL licensing is per-core, so every cycle matters. We stock servers tuned for SQL: high single-thread performance Xeon Gold processors (4314, 5318Y, 6342) plus low-latency NVMe storage in U.2 backplanes.

The optimal SQL Server platform is Dell PowerEdge R750 or HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 with dual Xeon Gold 5320 (26c @ 2.2 GHz, base, turbo to 3.4 GHz). Pair with 512 GB-1 TB DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM (matches SQL Server's memory-hungry buffer pool) and 4-8× 1.92 TB NVMe SSDs (Samsung PM9A3 or Intel D7-P5520) in a RAID-10 or RAID-5 layout.

For OLTP workloads (high-volume transactions), prioritise IOPS and CPU clock speed. For OLAP / data warehouse (Power BI, SSAS), prioritise memory size and bulk read throughput. For Always On Availability Groups, run identical 3-node configurations with synchronous-commit replicas — we maintain matched-pair inventory specifically for this.

SQL Server 2022 standard licensing scales per 2-core pack ($3,945 list per pack of 2 cores). Buying refurbished hardware doesn't reduce licensing cost — it reduces hardware cost. A typical 3-node cluster saves $60-90K vs new hardware over a 5-year refresh cycle, money that stays in your SQL licence budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much RAM does SQL Server need?

For OLTP workloads, 1 GB RAM per 10 GB of working-set data is a good baseline — most production SQL Servers run 256-512 GB. For data warehouse / SSAS / Power BI workloads, plan for 1 TB+ to keep aggregation cubes in memory. SQL Server Standard edition is capped at 128 GB; Enterprise is uncapped.

Should I use NVMe or SAS SSDs for SQL Server?

NVMe for high-write OLTP (TempDB, redo logs, hot tables). SAS SSDs are fine for read-heavy data files. The bottleneck is usually write latency on the transaction log — put that on the lowest-latency NVMe you can afford (Intel Optane DC P5800X is ideal but expensive; Samsung PM9A3 is the cost-effective choice).

Is Intel or AMD better for SQL Server?

Intel Xeon Gold (Cascade Lake or Ice Lake) typically wins on single-thread performance, which SQL Server values highly. AMD EPYC wins on core count and memory bandwidth, which helps OLAP/data warehouse workloads. For most general SQL deployments, Intel Xeon Gold 6342 (24c @ 2.8 GHz base) is the sweet spot.

Can I run SQL Server on a refurbished PowerEdge R740?

Yes — R740 with Xeon Gold 6230 (20c @ 2.1 GHz) handles up to ~$200K transactions/min for typical workloads. Pair with 384 GB RAM and 4× 1.92 TB NVMe (in caddies). Refurbished R740 with these specs runs $7-10K vs $25K+ new — significant savings for SQL deployments where the licence cost dominates the bill.

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