The choice you can order with
On the order form, Windows is the operating system installed on the physical machine. Standard and Datacenter are mutually exclusive with Linux and Proxmox. Pick one. One Windows system for the whole server — a site, an ERP, and file shares living in that single install — is Standard at $20 a month. A host that only runs Hyper-V, with one or two Windows virtual machines, is still Standard. Three or more Windows virtual machines is Datacenter at $30 a month.
The gap is $10 a month. The processor stays an AMD EPYC 7543P, 32 cores / 64 threads, 2.8–3.7 GHz. Changing edition does not change the CPU, and it does not move the server from 128GB to 256GB. Microsoft’s public edition notes do not describe Datacenter as faster for the same workload. The extra right is how many Windows installs may run once every physical core is licensed.
When Windows runs only inside guests and the host is Proxmox or Ubuntu, choose that Linux image. Its monthly fee is $0. Standard at $20 and Datacenter at $30 are the operating system on the bare metal. They do not replace Windows inside those guests.
The editions differ by how many Windows installs they allow
In Microsoft’s public notes for Windows Server 2022 and 2025, both Standard and Datacenter are licensed by physical core. A server is licensed for at least 16 cores, and each processor for at least 8. After every physical core is covered, Standard allows two virtual operating system environments plus one physical environment. When the physical environment only hosts and manages virtual machines, that Hyper-V host does not use one of the two slots. Datacenter, with the same full core coverage, does not cap the number of Windows virtual machines. Its physical environment can also be a Hyper-V host only.
Those two slots count Windows Server instances. Linux virtual machines do not use them. Two Windows guests and four Linux guests on Hyper-V are still two Windows installs, which matches Standard. A third Windows guest does not fit that one Standard license set. The order form is a single choice. You cannot stack a second Standard line on the same order. Move to Datacenter.
If the physical system itself still runs an ERP, IIS, or a database, it is no longer “host only.” Count it. A workload on the host plus two Windows virtual machines is three Windows installs, which matches Datacenter. Counting only the guests and skipping the business system on the host is the usual miss on this 32-core machine.
Everyday roles exist on both editions: IIS, file services, .NET, and the Hyper-V role. A few edition rights do push the order from Standard to Datacenter. Storage Replica on Standard is one partnership, one resource group, and one volume of up to 2TB. Datacenter does not keep that cap. Storage Spaces Direct and Shielded Virtual Machines belong to Datacenter. Automatic virtual machine activation is provided by a Datacenter host. A single ERP or an ordinary site rarely needs these. When it does not, stay on Standard.
Match the row that describes this server
Before you order, write two lines: what the physical system is doing, and how many Windows virtual machines it will run. Then use the matching row.
| Windows on this physical server | What to select | OS fee / month |
|---|---|---|
| One Windows install for the site, ERP, and file shares | Standard | $20 |
| Hyper-V host only, plus 1 or 2 Windows VMs | Standard | $20 |
| At most 2 Windows VMs on Hyper-V; the rest are Linux | Standard | $20 |
| A workload already on the host, plus Windows VMs, 3 installs in total | Datacenter | $30 |
| 3 or more Windows virtual machines | Datacenter | $30 |
| Storage Spaces Direct, shielded VMs, or host-side automatic activation | Datacenter | $30 |
| Proxmox or Ubuntu on the host; Windows only in guests | Proxmox or that Linux image | $0 |
If the physical system only runs Hyper-V, the host counts as 0 and you count Windows VMs. If the physical system also runs a workload, the host counts as 1, then add the Windows VMs. Linux VMs stay out of this count.
32 cores change how large one license set is
The public core rule has a floor: at least 16 cores per server. This machine is a single-socket EPYC 7543P with 32 cores / 64 threads, so one license set covers 32 cores, not the 16-core floor. To run two more Windows virtual machines on Standard, Microsoft’s rule is to license every physical core again. Guests 3 and 4 are a second set. Guests 5 and 6 are a third set.
The OS fee on this site does not move with core count, and the form has no stepper for “another Standard set.” Standard is $20 a month. Datacenter is $30 a month. That is true for 2019, 2022, and 2025. On this 32-core server, once Windows passes the two-VM line in the table — or the host workload plus guests reaches three installs — select Datacenter. That is $10 more per month. Read $20 as the monthly fee for the OS option, not as a retail quote for 32 cores. Pick the edition from the install count above.
Memory and disks do not follow the edition. Both servers use DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM. 128GB is $449 a month and 256GB is $599. Memory is fixed at order time. When the Windows VM count grows, add up each guest’s RAM before you choose 128GB or 256GB. Datacenter does not add memory. For a database and cache on the same host, use the 128GB and 256GB note.
Pick the year and language from the software you will install
Standard 2019, 2022, and 2025 are each $20 a month. Datacenter for those three years is $30 a month. The year does not change the fee, and neither does the language. The image languages are Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and English. Choose the one the people who operate the server read every day. An RDP client can display another language. The installed system is the one selected on the order.
Choose the year from the software you will install, not from the larger number. Use these three steps:
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1
Open the vendor support list
The ERP, finance package, .NET runtime, or SQL notes name the Windows Server versions they support. That list decides the year. The order of items on the form does not.
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2
If the list includes 2022, use 2022
When the vendor supports Windows Server 2022, select 2022. If the installer and driver notes still stop at 2022, leave 2025 unselected.
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3
Use 2019 or 2025 only when the list names it
If the vendor still requires 2019, select 2019. If the list names 2025, select 2025. Standard stays $20 and Datacenter stays $30 for both years.
The install-count rule is the same on 2019, 2022, and 2025: two Windows virtual machines on Standard, no cap on Datacenter. Selecting 2025 does not raise Standard’s two-VM limit. Decide the edition first, then the year.
How many people sign in is a separate question
Searches for Standard vs Datacenter often ask how many people can sign in remotely. Both editions treat Client Access Licenses separately. People or devices that reach this Windows Server follow Microsoft’s user or device rules. The $10 gap between $20 and $30 does not set that headcount. Datacenter does not raise the number of people who may connect.
Remote Desktop works the same way. Both editions include remote sessions for administration. When sessions go past administration and become a multi-user desktop, Remote Desktop Services licensing is separate, and it is the same question on Standard and Datacenter. The order form has no headcount and no Remote Desktop license line. This note only chooses the image: Standard or Datacenter.
The edition does not change the default port or the included address. Bandwidth stays 250 Mbps, unmetered. 1 Gbps adds $250 and 2 Gbps adds $750. One IPv4 is included. Extra addresses are $2 each. Add those into the same monthly total, then multiply by the term in months.
After install, check the edition over RDP
Once Windows is the installed system, administration is RDP. Use this server’s IPv4 and the account shown in the console. Ports, the connection order, and tickets are on the help page. The wrong edition does not show up as “RDP will not connect.” When RDP fails, check the address, the account, and the local firewall first. The edition shows up when you create a third Windows virtual machine, or when you turn on a right that exists on Datacenter.
After the first login, read the version string in system information. Confirm Standard or Datacenter, and 2019, 2022, or 2025. If it does not match the order, back up first, then open a ticket that names the target edition. Leave the running system alone until that backup exists. Disk layout is independent of edition. The default is 2 × 1TB NVMe, no hardware RAID, each drive attached on its own, planned as 2TB usable. To split those drives under Proxmox, read the direct-attach disk note and select Proxmox as the host system, not Windows.
How the fee lands on this server
The servers are in Tokyo, Japan. The 128GB server is $449 a month and the 256GB server is $599. Memory is DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM. There is no setup fee. Add the OS fee to the server price. 128GB plus Standard is $449 + $20 = $469. 128GB plus Datacenter is $449 + $30 = $479. 256GB plus Standard is $619. 256GB plus Datacenter is $629. A quarter, half year, or year multiplies that monthly total by 3, 6, or 12. There is no term discount. A quarter of 128GB plus Standard is $469 × 3 = $1,407.
The amount due is that monthly total times the number of months. Extra disks, bandwidth, and extra IPv4, if you add them, go into the monthly total first. Linux uses SSH. Windows uses RDP. If the VM count is still open, stay on Standard. When the third Windows install is already in the plan, switch to Datacenter. The extra amount is $10 a month, not the price of another server.
Select the Windows edition on the order form
Standard adds $20 a month. Datacenter adds $30 a month. 2019, 2022, and 2025 cost the same. The servers are in Tokyo, Japan. You can order before you sign in.