# Arma 3 Server – What Hardware Do I Need?

What hardware does your Arma3 need? CPU, RAM and storage recommendations for stable performance with NexoraHost.

**Quick answer:** This guide walks you through the topic step by step with practical examples and configuration tips.

This overview helps you choose the right hardware for your Arma 3 server – depending on player count, AI units and whether you use mods. Arma 3 is extremely CPU-hungry, so choosing the right hardware is crucial.

## Without Mods (Vanilla Arma 3)

Vanilla refers to a pure Arma 3 server without mods – only the content provided by the game. Rare, but sometimes sufficient for small private servers or pure PvP servers without AI.

    
        Players
        RAM
        CPU
    

    
        1–10
        8 GB
        4 cores at 3.5 GHz+
    

    
        10–32
        12–16 GB
        4–6 cores at 4.0 GHz+
    

    
        32–64
        16–24 GB
        6 cores at 4.5 GHz+
    

    
        64+
        24 GB+
        6–8 cores at 4.8 GHz+
    

**Important:** Arma 3 primarily runs on a single thread. Anything over 4 cores brings little benefit, but high clock speed brings a lot. A modern i5 at 4.5 GHz beats an old 16-core Xeon by far.

## With Mods (Community Servers with ACE, RHS, CUP and more)

Most servers use mods. Even small clans usually have ACE, TFAR and a few vehicle mods. Large communities often run 50–100 mods. Mods drastically increase RAM usage and loading times, CPU load increases more moderately.

    
        Players
        RAM
        CPU
    

    
        1–10
        12–16 GB
        4 cores at 4.0 GHz+
    

    
        10–32
        16–24 GB
        4–6 cores at 4.2 GHz+
    

    
        32–64
        24–32 GB
        6 cores at 4.5 GHz+
    

    
        64+
        32 GB+
        6–8 cores at 4.8 GHz+
    

**Rule of thumb for mods:**

    - Small modpacks (10–20 mods): +4 GB RAM
- Medium modpacks (20–50 mods like ACE, RHS, TFAR): +8 GB RAM
- Large modpacks (50–100+ mods): +12 GB RAM or more
- RHS or CUP alone need 2–4 GB extra when loading

## With or without AI?

AI units are the biggest CPU eater in Arma 3. A server with 64 players and 200 AI units needs more CPU power than a server with 100 players without AI.

    - **Without AI (pure PvP):** CPU requirements as in the tables above
- **Few AI (50–100):** Plan +20% CPU power or use a headless client
- **Many AI (100–300):** +50% CPU or distribute across multiple headless clients

## Storage

    - **Vanilla:** 50 GB
- **With mods:** 100–200 GB (depending on modpack – RHS alone is 20 GB)
- **In general:** NVMe SSD is mandatory – mods take several minutes to load on HDD

## Network

    - Plan about 1–2 Mbps upload per player
- From 32 players, at least 50 Mbps upload recommended
- UDP ports 2302–2306 must be open

## Summary: How to choose the right hardware

    - **Estimate player count:** How many people do you expect simultaneously?
- **Mods yes/no:** With typical community mods, go two tiers higher on RAM
- **Plan for AI:** Heavy AI = headless clients or stronger CPU
- **CPU:** Highest single-core performance you can afford. 4.5 GHz+ recommended
- **RAM:** 16 GB minimum for mod servers, better 24–32 GB
- **Storage:** NVMe SSD, no HDD – otherwise mods take forever to load