Minimum and maximum memory (RAM) requirements for current Microsoft Windows operating systems (OS) Hyper-V Dynamic Memory configuration guide
Since the availability of Dynamic Memory Hyper-V feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, it became of significant importance to know the specifics of minimum and maximum memory (RAM) requirements for Microsoft Windows operating systems (OS). This is not a major issue for non-virtualized computers, as the amount of memory is fairly static over the lifespan of a physical machine [and is usually provisioned for the maximum amount of memory one can afford]. According to Microsoft’s Hyper-V Dynamic Memory Configuration Guide:“With Dynamic Memory, Hyper-V treats memory as a shared resource that can be reallocated automatically among running virtual machines. Dynamic Memory adjusts the amount of memory available to a virtual machine, based on changes in memory demand and values that you specify.” This article is meant to provide a quick reference guide for the minimum and maximum memory requirements of current Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 / 2003 R2 | Minimum RAM | Maximum RAM |
Web | 256 MB | 2 GB |
Small Business Server | 768 MB | 4 GB |
Storage Server | 256 MB | 4 GB |
Storage Server Enterprise | 256 MB | 8 GB |
Standard x86 (32-bit) | 256 MB | 4 GB |
Standard x64 (64-bit) | 512 MB | 4 GB / 32 GB * |
Enterprise x86 (32-bit) | 256 MB | 32 GB / 64 GB |
Enterprise x64 (64-bit) | 1 GB | 64 GB / 1TB * |
Datacenter x86 (32-bit) | 512 MB | 64 GB / 128 GB * |
Datacenter x64 (64-bit) | 1 GB | 512 GB / 1TB * |
* The higher value applies to Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and above.
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 / 2008 R2 * | Minimum RAM | Maximum RAM |
Web x86 (32-bit) | 512 MB | 4 GB |
Web x64 (64-bit) * | 512 MB | 32 GB |
Small Business Server x86 (32-bit) | 512 MB | 4 GB |
Small Business Server x64 (64-bit) | 512 MB | 32 GB |
Foundation x64 (64-bit) * | 512 MB | 8 GB |
Standard x86 (32-bit) | 512 MB | 4 GB |
Standard x64 (64-bit) * | 512 MB | 32 GB |
Enterprise x86 (32-bit) | 512 MB | 64 GB |
Enterprise x64 (64-bit) * | 512 MB | 1 TB |
Datacenter x86 (32-bit) | 512 MB | 64 GB |
Datacenter x64 (64-bit) * | 512 MB | 1 TB |
* Windows Server 2008 is the last release of Microsoft Windows Server operating system available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Windows Server 2008 R2 is available only in 64-bit editions.
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2 | Minimum RAM * | Maximum RAM |
Foundation | 512 MB | 32 GB |
Storage Server Workgroup | 512 MB | 32 GB |
Essentials | 512 MB | 64 GB |
Standard | 512 MB | 4 TB |
Hyper-V Server | 512 MB | 4 TB |
Storage Server Standard | 512 MB | 4 TB |
Datacenter | 512 MB | 4 TB |
* If you create a virtual machine with the minimum supported hardware parameters (1 processor core and 512 MB RAM) and then attempt to install this release on the virtual machine, Setup will fail. To avoid this, allocate more than 800 MB RAM to the virtual machine you intend to install this release on. Once Setup has completed, you can change the allocation to as little as 512 MB RAM, depending on the actual server configuration.
Microsoft Windows XP | Minimum RAM | Maximum RAM |
Starter | 64 MB | 512 MB |
Home | 64 MB | 2 GB |
Professional x86 (32-bit) | 64 MB | 4 GB |
Professional x64 (64-bit) | 256 MB | 128 GB |
In this article I am skipping Windows Vista and moving on straight to Windows 7, which is exactly what most corporate users did.
Microsoft Windows 7 | Minimum RAM | Maximum RAM |
Starter | 1 GB | 2 GB |
Home Basic x86 (32-bit) | 1 GB | 4 GB |
Home Basic x64 (64-bit) | 2 GB | 8 GB |
Home Premium x86 (32-bit) | 1 GB | 4 GB |
Home Premium x64 (64-bit) | 2 GB | 16 GB |
Professional x86 (32-bit) | 1 GB | 4 GB |
Professional x64 (64-bit) | 2 GB | 192 GB |
Enterprise x86 (32-bit) | 1 GB | 4 GB |
Enterprise x64 (64-bit) | 2 GB | 192 GB |
Ultimate x86 (32-bit) | 1 GB | 4 GB |
Ultimate x64 (64-bit) | 2 GB | 192 GB |
The benefits of Hyper-V Dynamic Memory: “Dynamic Memory helps you use memory resources more efficiently. Before this feature was introduced, changing the amount of memory available to a virtual machine could be done only when the virtual machine was turned off. With Dynamic Memory, Hyper-V can provide a virtual machine with more or less memory dynamically in response to changes in the amount of memory required by the workloads or applications running in the virtual machine. As a result, Hyper-V can distribute memory more efficiently among the running virtual machines configured with Dynamic Memory. Depending on factors such as workload, this efficiency can make it possible to run more virtual machines at the same time on one physical computer.”
As a final note — the basic rule of thumb here is to never provision less than the minimum required amount of memory for a specific guest OS.
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