Select components for a dedicated server of custom configuration
You can build and order a custom server.
Depending on the components, server assembly takes from one to five business days. Learn more about custom server assembly in the Selectel blog article How we build custom servers: from configurator to testing.
When the server is ready for delivery, you will receive an email notification and will be able to connect to it.
If you need help choosing components, create a ticket or contact us in other ways.
Select components
When ordering a custom server, you select components in the server configurator. Not all components are compatible with each other. When configuring, incompatible components are automatically excluded after selecting each new component.
Processor
After a server is ordered, the processor cannot be replaced. If a different processor or a change in the number of processors is required, order a new server.
Intel and AMD processors are available for order.
In the configurator, processors are grouped by line and family. The processor name indicates the model, number of cores, base clock frequency, and additional designations.
Processor examples:
- Intel Silver 4510 (12x2.4 GHz HT);
- AMD EPYC 7443P (24x2.85 GHz SMT).
Processors may have additional designations:
Memory
DDR4 and DDR5 memory modules are available for order.
In the configurator, you can select:
- total memory capacity;
- or the size and quantity of modules. The configurator will automatically display the total ordered capacity. Use this option to select the number of modules based on the processor memory channel count.
The RAM name indicates the capacity, generation, and additional designations.
RAM example: 64 GB DDR4 ECC Reg.
RAM may have additional designations:
Volumes
Volumes are installed in the following order: NVMe ⟶ SSD ⟶ HDD. If you need a different installation order, specify it in the comments when placing your order.
In the configurator, volumes are grouped by type. The volume name indicates the capacity, volume type, and additional designations.
Volume example: 500 GB SSD NVMe M.2.
Read more about volume types in Selectel blog articles:
- SATA SSD, M.2, and NVMe: Differences between form factors and data transfer protocols;
- SSD or HDD: What to choose and what are the differences.
Volume types
SSD form factors
Volumes may have additional designations:
HBA and RAID controllers
RAID controllers are devices for organizing and managing disk arrays using RAID technology. Controllers manage RAID operations at the hardware level, offloading the system processor.
Disk controllers are needed when the number of drives exceeds the number of SATA ports on the motherboard and for additional data protection using hardware RAID. Learn more in the Selectel blog article Hardware RAID: Features and use cases.
HBA and RAID controller types
Network cards
Each custom server is equipped by default with two RJ45 network interfaces with a data transfer speed of 1 Gbps each. The first interface is used for internet connection, the second for the private network — learn more in the Dedicated server networks instructions.
If you need more network interfaces or need to redundantly configure the connection using MC-LAG, you can order additional network cards.
Network cards are available in the following slots:
- PCI-e (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) — a slot on the motherboard for connecting expansion boards, e.g., GPUs, RAID controllers, SSDs, network cards, etc.;
- OCP (Open Compute Project slot) — a slot on the motherboard for connecting mezzanine network cards. OCP is an alternative to PCI-e slots, which may be occupied by other boards.
Types of network cards
GPU
A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a graphics processor designed for accelerated data processing. It is used for tasks such as:
- machine learning;
- data analytics;
- scientific computing;
- Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployment;
- video broadcasting;
- graphics processing, video rendering, etc.
Learn more about the terms and choosing a GPU for specific tasks in the Selectel blog article Can desktop GPUs match server GPUs.
For GPU servers, GPUs are available in PCIe devices. Up to 8 GPUs can be installed in a single server.
In the configurator, the video card name indicates the model, capacity, and video memory type. GPU example: RTX A5000 24 GB GDDR6.
PCI-e devices
The trusted boot module is a certified hardware/software module that:
- helps prevent unauthorized access to the server during the operating system (OS) boot stage;
- monitors the integrity of the server's hardware configuration and files before the OS boots;
- blocks booting from removable media.
It is used for system certification to meet security requirements or to fulfill environment requirements for certified cryptographic information protection tools with a KS3 class.
PCI-e device example:
Motherboard
When ordering a server in the configurator, only motherboards compatible with the selected components are displayed. If only one motherboard is compatible, the field will be filled automatically.
Chassis
When ordering a server in the configurator, only available chassis compatible with the selected components are displayed. If only one option is compatible, the field will be filled automatically.
To ensure uninterrupted server operation, a chassis with two or more power supplies is recommended. If you might need to upgrade your server in the future, choose a chassis with a larger number of free drive bays.
Recommendations for component selection by task
Gaming servers
For servers that synchronize game processes, high processor frequency and large RAM capacity are important.
Servers with large databases
Large databases require a high-performance processor with scalability. A high volume of active database operations requires more processor cores. Server performance is affected by RAM, as it is used for data caching, query processing, and performing operations on them.
1C servers
1C:Enterprise and its databases are demanding on processor performance and actively use RAM for calculations and data caching. Many 1C operations are single-threaded, so they require a processor with a high frequency. Data access speed is important in 1C operations, especially with a large number of transactions and active read/write operations.
Servers for virtualization
Virtualization requires significant computing resources, especially in conditions of high virtual machine (VM) density and heavy loads. The more cores and threads a processor has, the more VMs can run on the server. If a higher number of cores is needed, you can assemble a server with two or more processors.
Each VM requires a portion of RAM to be allocated for its operation. The more VMs on a server, the more RAM is required.
Storage system performance directly affects VM performance.
Machine learning models
For servers intended for machine learning models, high-performance processors, GPUs with large video memory, large RAM capacity, and high-speed storage are important.
In machine learning, the main workload falls on the GPU. The more parameters and the more complex the training model, the more GPU memory is required for efficient operation. Learn more in the Selectel blog article How to choose a GPU for neural network training and Deep Learning.