How to read VPS specs

Part 1 of the Running your VPS series.

Every plan on this site lists the same handful of specs: CPU, RAM, disk, bandwidth and location. They look simple, but each one hides details that change what the plan can do. This guide explains every column in plain English, shows which specs matter for which jobs, and points out the traps that make one plan look better than it is.

It does not rank current plans. Specs and prices change daily, and the lists on this page are live.

What is in this guide

• The specs at a glance
• CPU cores
• RAM
• Disk
• Bandwidth and port speed
• IP addresses
• Virtualisation
• Price per year
• Which spec matters for which job
• Comparing two plans
• Limits
• When to step up
• More in the series

The specs at a glance

Spec	What it means	Usually the limit for
CPU cores	How many virtual processor cores the VPS can use	Builds, game servers, busy apps
RAM	Memory for running programs	Almost everything. Usually the first limit you hit
Disk	Storage for the system, apps and data	Backups, media, databases
Bandwidth	How much data the server can transfer each month	VPNs, downloads, media
Port speed	How fast the server's network connection can go at once	Large downloads and uploads
Location	The data centre city	Delay for interactive use

CPU cores

A VPS gets a number of virtual cores, often called vCPUs. They run on a physical processor that is shared with other VPS customers on the same machine.

• Cores are shared. Your cores are usually yours to use in bursts, but not at 100 percent all day. Fair-use rules apply, and a VPS that runs flat out for long periods may be limited. A dedicated server is the answer for constant heavy load.
• Not every core is equal. Newer processors are often faster per core than older ones. Plan names sometimes mention the processor family, such as Ryzen, which tells you the hardware is a newer generation. Two plans with the same core count can feel quite different.
• More cores help some jobs more than others. Many small apps use one core at a time. Builds, video encoding, game servers with many players and busy databases benefit more from extra cores.

For most beginner jobs, one or two cores is enough, and RAM runs out first.

RAM

RAM is the memory your programs run in. When it runs out, the system slows down sharply or starts stopping programs. For most people, RAM is the spec that decides the plan size.

• Count the idle cost first. The operating system itself uses some memory before you install anything. A minimal Linux server uses roughly 100 to 200 MB. Windows uses far more.
• Add each job. A VPN needs very little. A database needs a few hundred MB or more. Self-hosted AI models need several GB.
• Swap is not RAM. Swap is disk space used when memory runs out. It is a safety net that stops crashes, and much slower than real memory. Do not count it as part of the plan.

The size guides show what fits: 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB and 8 GB.

Disk

Disk is your storage. Three things matter: size, type and what you plan to keep on it.

Type	What it means	Good for
NVMe SSD	Fast solid-state storage connected directly to the processor's fast bus	Databases, busy sites, anything that reads and writes a lot
SSD	Solid-state storage. Much faster than spinning disks	Most VPS jobs
HDD	Spinning hard drives. Slower, but cheaper per gigabyte	Backups and large files you rarely change

• Size goes faster than you think. The operating system, package caches, logs, Docker images and backups all add up. Leave room to spare.
• RAID is not a backup. Some plans mention RAID, which spreads data across several drives so one failed drive does not lose data. It does not protect against deletion, hacking or mistakes. You still need backups. See using a storage VPS for backups.
• Storage plans trade memory for disk. Plans with a lot of disk and modest RAM suit backups and file storage, not busy apps.

Bandwidth and port speed

These two are often confused.

• Bandwidth, sometimes called transfer, is the total amount of data the server can send and receive in a month, usually in GB or TB. Check the plan's terms to see whether incoming traffic counts as well as outgoing.
• Port speed is how fast data can move at any one moment, such as 1 Gbps. It is the size of the pipe, not how much water you can use in a month.

A rough feel, which varies with use: a website for a small audience uses very little, a personal VPN for one person uses a moderate amount, and streaming video or hosting large downloads uses a lot. Check your use in the first month and compare it with the allowance.

Two cautions. Unmetered does not mean unlimited: unmetered plans still have fair-use rules. And port speed is usually shared on the host machine and the network, so you will not always get the full figure.

IP addresses

• IPv4 is the address most of the internet uses. Most plans include one. Extra IPv4 addresses are scarce and may cost extra.
• IPv6 is the newer format. Many plans include IPv6 addresses. Useful, but do not rely on IPv6 alone for a public site, as some visitors cannot reach it.
• Reputation. An IP address may have been used before. If you send email or need a clean address, check it against public blocklists after you get it.

Virtualisation

Virtualisation is the technology that splits one physical server into many VPS. RackNerd's Linux VPS plans use KVM. With KVM, each VPS has its own kernel and behaves like a separate computer, so you can run Docker, WireGuard and most Linux software normally. If you compare plans from elsewhere, check the virtualisation type, as some older types are more limited.

Price per year

This site shows prices per year so plans are easy to compare. Longer billing cycles are averaged to one year, and shorter ones are multiplied up. The plan's own billing cycle may be different, so check it on the order page. Check the renewal price too. Is a yearly VPS deal worth it? explains why.

Which spec matters for which job

A rough guide. Your own tests in the first days matter more.

Job	Spec that matters most	Then
Personal VPN	Bandwidth and location	Almost any RAM
Static website	Location	Small RAM is fine
WordPress	RAM	Disk type for the database
Self-hosted apps in Docker	RAM	Disk size for images and data
Game server	RAM and CPU speed	Location near players
Self-hosted AI	RAM	CPU cores
Backups	Disk size	Bandwidth
Builds and CI	RAM and CPU cores	Disk speed

Comparing two plans

These two plans are made up for this example. They are not real RackNerd plans.

	Plan A	Plan B
CPU	3 cores, older processor	2 cores, newer processor
RAM	2 GB	2 GB
Disk	80 GB SSD	40 GB NVMe
Bandwidth	3 TB	5 TB

For WordPress, Plan B may feel faster thanks to the newer processor and faster disk, even with fewer cores. For storing backups, Plan A's larger disk is the better fit. For a VPN with heavy use, Plan B's bandwidth matters more. Neither is "the better plan". It depends on the job.

Limits

• Specs are not benchmarks. Two plans with the same specs can perform differently. Test your own workload in the first days.
• Fair use applies to CPU and bandwidth. Shared resources are shared. Read the acceptable use policy.
• Specs change. The same plan name may come with different specs in a different sale. Check the order page every time.
• Specs do not include support or backups. A RackNerd VPS is unmanaged. You look after the software and your data.

When to step up

If you keep running out of memory, step up in RAM first. If your CPU is busy all day, look at more cores or a dedicated server. If your disk fills up, consider a storage-focused plan for the bulky data and keep your apps on a normal VPS.

To compare what is available now, start with the cheapest RackNerd VPS guide and check the sales page.

More in the series

This is part 1 of 5. Next: VPS or dedicated server?. See the whole series.