As lot of companies and VPS configurations are available in the market it can be difficult to choose a best performing VPS from the large product range. One important factor users face is which configuration VPS to opt especially for a 4 GB RAM VPS or to go for some more addition and chose a 6 GB RAM VPS.
To explore this question in depth, we conducted a real-world test with two identical VPS configurations — the only difference being the amount of RAM. Here’s what we discovered, and why this small difference can have a significant impact depending on your use case.
Look at the Setup: Keeping all other things same.
We defined two VPS servers in the following configuration:
VPS Configuration:
- 4 Core Processor
- SSD/NVMe Storage (400 GB)
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- 1 Gbps Bandwidth
- Hosted location of datacenter is same
- software load stack (NGINX, MySQL, PHP 8.2)
Difference:
- VPS A: 4 GB RAM
- VPS B: 6 GB RAM
We will test both the VPS in different scenario — from website hosting and online apps to see the handling of background tasks and traffic — and see how the perform.
Test 1: WordPress Website hosting with 10 Plugins
Let’s install WordPress website on both servers, we will install 10 WordPress plugin (including WooCommerce and Elementor), and uploaded content with 200 images and 50 pages load.
Results & Findings:
- 4 GB RAM VPS:The website response was very fast but there was occasional slow loading when updating or reinstalling of plugins or processing bulk image library. Memory usage- Where mostly are test depend – spiked to 90% in these tasks, sometimes causing Database restarts and hanging.
- 6 GB RAM VPS:Performed better and handles all tasks efficiently, with consistent performance during the database running and plugins updates too. RAM usage was spiked at 72% with stability.
Verdict: 6 GB VPS offers a better stable and smooth performance over 4 GB VPS if you are running WordPress or WooCommerce.
Test 2: Web Application (SaaS) – Laravel + MySQL Backend
A small SaaS application was deployed on VPS its built on Laravel, with MySQL as database. Its for workers (for work like database entry, images resize, etc.).
Scenario: 50 users connect at same time performing workloads like registration, data entry, and file handling.
Results & Findings:
- 4 GB RAM VPS:SaaS application was working fine initially but slows down when long ques started working in the background. Page load timing is increased to 2.9s in the scenario.
- 6 GB RAM VPS:Stay well in maintained time of (1.6s) with good performance and stability. No SaaS application got crashed or hanged, not late response was there.
Verdict: For SaaS based application, 6 GB VPS is the better and safer option to consider, as it handles concurrent load better, hence a better buying choice.
Test 3: Environment for Software Developers
Both the servers are used for developer’s environment, where they can run the staging development and deploy test websites with Git, Docker, and scripts that run on test environment both and client side and server side.
Results & Findings:
- 4 GB RAM VPS:Occasionally billed process failed due to lack of memory, specifically when running test suites simultaneously.
- 6 GB RAM VPS:Integrated scripts and contains faster by approx 18-22%. There was no memory warning signs on running containers.
Verdict: For software developers or teams who are using containers or working with scripts, the extra 2 GB will improve the jobs and saves your time.
Test 4: Resource monitoring performance
We keep both servers free idle for a complete day with minimal jobs and tasks to perform, to test the memory usage.
Memory usage (Situation):
- 4 GB VPS:9 GB used 47% Memory
- 6 GB VPS:1 GB used 35% Memory
Verdict: Upon the results if these tests its clearly shows that with modern apps, OS, even at idle situation the 6 GB server have better room to share as compared with 4 GB VPS memory. This makes 6 GB VPS a better choice.
Pricing of both VPS
Cost is always a significant part. Normally a 6 GB RAM VPS will be 20–30% more costly than its 4 GB VPS counterpart. But it will save time for you and running the code and debugging, makes your apps run faster, or quicker updates, the ROI is very clear that 6 GB is more optimised and saves cost if you compare ROI.
Who Should Select 4 GB RAM VPS?
It is a good option if:
- For simple website hosting, small business website or a blog.
- For easy CMS (Content Management System with few plugins.
- If your website will not have heavy traffic or concurrent users.
- You have a price constraint and want to start; you can upgrade anytime.
Who Should Select 6 GB RAM VPS?
It is good option if:
- For ecommerce website hosting or dynamic web portals
- Your application uses background workers, APIs, or intensive database operations
- Running multiple websites of your or clients on same VPS
- Sometime there is a spike in traffic of your website.
- Docker, Node.js, integrations scripts in regular part of your work.
Conclusion: An easy upgrade from 4GB to 6GB can make a difference
It’s a 4 GB RAM VPS that can work good for simple use cases; the 6 GB RAM VPS consistently delivered more performance and stability with smoother installation and environment. That added memory directly means less slowdowns, less crashes and shutdowns, and more flexibility.
In our case study — especially under simple workload and moderate workload — the 6 GB VPS is the server to go with.
