Shop Servers by Application
Every workload runs out of a different resource first. Pick the job below and we apply that workload’s hardware criteria to the catalog — clock speed, core count, memory, drive bay size, form factor, and PCIe slots. Each card lists its exact criteria up front, and every result stays fully configurable with live pricing.
- Fully configurable, not fixed bundles
- Ships in 5 to 10 days
- Free 1-year warranty, extendable to 5
- Tested refurbished enterprise hardware
Choose Your Workload
Media Servers
Transcoding, editing, and streaming hosts. Enough clock speed to keep encoders fed and enough memory to hold large working files, without paying for compute you will not use.
- Clock
- Over 2.10 GHz
- Cores
- Over 8 cores
- Memory
- Over 96 GB
- Chassis
- Any chassis
Machine Learning Servers
Training and inference hosts. Filtered on memory above all — half a terabyte and up, so datasets and model state stay resident instead of spilling to disk.
- Clock
- Over 2.20 GHz
- Cores
- Over 16 cores
- Memory
- Over 512 GB
- Chassis
- Any chassis
Database Servers
SQL and NoSQL hosts. High clock speed for query latency and enough cores for concurrent connections, with memory sized to keep the working set out of storage.
- Clock
- Over 2.60 GHz
- Cores
- Over 16 cores
- Memory
- Over 128 GB
- Chassis
- Any chassis
Backup Servers
Backup and archive targets, deliberately spec-light. Large-form-factor bays for cheap high-capacity drives, with modest CPU and memory so the budget goes into disk, not compute.
- Clock
- Under 2.00 GHz
- Cores
- Under 18 cores
- Memory
- Under 128 GB
- Chassis
- LFF bays
Gaming Servers
Game-server hosts. The highest clock speeds we stock, because tick rate follows single-thread performance, paired with enough memory to run many instances per box.
- Clock
- Over 3.00 GHz
- Cores
- Over 6 cores
- Memory
- Over 128 GB
- Chassis
- Any chassis
Website Hosting Servers
Web, application, and virtualization hosts. Cores and memory to pack tenants densely, plus PCIe slots for the extra NICs and storage controllers a multi-tenant box ends up needing.
- Clock
- Over 2.60 GHz
- Cores
- Over 12 cores
- Memory
- Over 256 GB
- Chassis
- Over 2 PCIe slots
JBOD Servers
Disk-first storage nodes: large-form-factor bays with just enough CPU to run the array, and memory kept low because these serve disks rather than cache them.
- Clock
- Under 2.10 GHz
- Cores
- Over 8 cores
- Memory
- Under 96 GB
- Chassis
- LFF bays
Homelab Servers
Compact 1U servers for self-hosting, labs, and certification study. Filtered on chassis size only, so every CPU and memory option we stock stays on the table at your budget.
- Clock
- Any
- Cores
- Any
- Memory
- Any
- Chassis
- 1U form factor
Surveillance Servers
NVR and video-management hosts. Large-form-factor bays for long retention and generous memory for stream buffers, with core count held down since recording is write-bound, not compute-bound.
- Clock
- Over 2.10 GHz
- Cores
- Under 12 cores
- Memory
- Over 96 GB
- Chassis
- LFF bays
Testing Servers
Dev, staging, and CI hardware that mirrors a production hosting node — same core, memory, and expansion profile — at refurbished pricing.
- Clock
- Over 2.60 GHz
- Cores
- Over 12 cores
- Memory
- Over 256 GB
- Chassis
- Over 2 PCIe slots
How to Size a Server for Your Workload
These are the criteria each preset applies to the catalog, not fixed bundles — every result stays fully configurable in the builder. Note the caps: Backup, JBOD, and Surveillance deliberately exclude high-core, high-memory servers so the budget lands in drives instead.
| Workload | Runs out of first | Clock speed | Cores | Memory | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media | Clock speed per stream, then memory for working files | Over 2.10 GHz | Over 8 cores | Over 96 GB | Any chassis |
| Machine Learning | Memory capacity, then core count for data loading | Over 2.20 GHz | Over 16 cores | Over 512 GB | Any chassis |
| Database | Clock speed for query latency, memory for the working set | Over 2.60 GHz | Over 16 cores | Over 128 GB | Any chassis |
| Backup | Capacity per dollar — compute is intentionally minimal | Under 2.00 GHz | Under 18 cores | Under 128 GB | LFF bays |
| Gaming | Single-thread clock speed | Over 3.00 GHz | Over 6 cores | Over 128 GB | Any chassis |
| Website Hosting | Memory and cores per tenant, then PCIe expansion | Over 2.60 GHz | Over 12 cores | Over 256 GB | Over 2 PCIe slots |
| JBOD | Bay count — CPU and memory are deliberately capped | Under 2.10 GHz | Over 8 cores | Under 96 GB | LFF bays |
| Homelab | Rack space and up-front cost | Any | Any | Any | 1U form factor |
| Surveillance | Retention capacity and sustained write throughput | Over 2.10 GHz | Under 12 cores | Over 96 GB | LFF bays |
| Testing | Matching production architecture cheaply | Over 2.60 GHz | Over 12 cores | Over 256 GB | Over 2 PCIe slots |
Server Sizing FAQ
How do I pick the right server for my workload?
Pick the application that matches the job and we apply that workload’s hardware criteria to the catalog for you — minimum clock speed, core count, memory capacity, and where it matters, drive bay size, form factor, or PCIe slot count. Every criterion is listed on the card before you click, so you can see exactly what the results will and will not include.
How many cores does my server need?
It depends on whether the work is parallel. Game servers need only 6 or more cores because tick rate follows single-thread speed, not core count. Media hosts start at 8, web hosting and CI at 12, and databases and machine learning at 16 or more. Surveillance is capped under 12 and backup under 18 on purpose — those jobs are write-bound, so extra cores add cost without adding throughput.
How much RAM should a server have?
Machine learning is the outlier at 512 GB and up, so datasets stay resident rather than spilling to disk. Web hosting, virtualization, and CI start at 256 GB, databases and game servers at 128 GB, and media and surveillance at 96 GB. Backup and JBOD targets stay under 128 GB and 96 GB respectively — they are storage-bound, and memory spent there is budget not spent on drives.
Why do the Backup and JBOD presets filter to lower-spec servers?
Because a capacity target should not be paying for compute. Both presets cap clock speed, and cap memory as well, while requiring large-form-factor drive bays. That pushes the budget into the drives where it earns you terabytes, instead of into cores that will sit idle writing backups.
Which preset should I use for virtualization or VMware?
Website Hosting. It filters for over 12 cores, over 256 GB of memory, and more than two PCIe slots — the density and expansion profile a hypervisor host needs for extra NICs and storage controllers. Testing applies the same criteria for staging and CI nodes that need to mirror production.
What does the LFF filter on some presets mean?
LFF is a large-form-factor drive bay, sized for 3.5-inch drives. It is the cheapest way to buy bulk capacity, which is why Backup, JBOD, and Surveillance all require it. Servers with small-form-factor bays take 2.5-inch drives instead — faster and denser per rack unit, but far more expensive per terabyte.
Can I change the configuration after picking an application?
Yes. The preset narrows the catalog, it does not lock the build. Every result stays fully configurable — swap CPUs, change memory capacity, and pick a different drive layout or RAID controller with live pricing before you order.
How fast do these servers ship?
Current lead time is 5 to 10 days, because each server is assembled and burned in to your configuration. Every unit carries a free one-year warranty covering parts and replacement shipping within the continental US, extendable to five years.