When planning hardware for your SQL Server installation, think about system processors, memory, disk subsystem, and the network.
This article provides information that will help you choose the best possible hardware configuration for your database environment. SQL Server configuration parameters are addressed because they influence the performance of the hardware platform. Characteristics of the Windows NT operating system are also discussed from a hardware performance point of view.
Hardware planning as it relates to SQL Server is primarily concerned with system processors, memory, disk subsystem, and the network. These four areas make up the bulk of all relevant hardware platforms on which Windows NT and SQL Server operate. This article discusses planning considerations that are generic to all platforms and useful to scaling and implementing optimal SQL Server solutions.