VM Size Families¶
Azure offers several virtual machine size families, each tailored to specific workload demands. Use these families to align your compute resources with your application's performance and cost requirements.
| Family | Series | vCPU Range | Memory Range | Primary Use Case | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Purpose | B, D, Dv5 | 1 - 128 | 0.5 GiB - 512 GiB | Testing, small databases, web servers | Balanced CPU-to-memory ratio |
| Compute Optimized | F | 2 - 72 | 4 GiB - 144 GiB | Batch processing, web servers, analytics | High CPU-to-memory ratio |
| Memory Optimized | E, M | 2 - 416 | 16 GiB - 11,400 GiB | Relational databases, in-memory caches | High memory-to-vCPU ratio |
| Storage Optimized | L | 2 - 80 | 16 GiB - 640 GiB | NoSQL databases, data warehousing | High local disk throughput and IOPS |
| GPU | N, NC, ND | 6 - 112 | 28 GiB - 880 GiB | Graphics, video editing, deep learning | NVIDIA GPU acceleration |
| HPC | HB, HC, HX | 8 - 176 | 32 GiB - 1,400 GiB | Fluid dynamics, seismic processing | InfiniBand networking |
graph TD
Start([Start Selection]) --> Workload{Workload Type?}
Workload -->|Testing/Web| GP[General Purpose - D Series]
Workload -->|High CPU/Batch| CO[Compute Optimized - F Series]
Workload -->|Database/In-Memory| MO[Memory Optimized - E/M Series]
Workload -->|Large Data/NoSQL| SO[Storage Optimized - L Series]
Workload -->|AI/ML/Graphics| GPU[GPU - N Series]
Workload -->|Scientific/Simulation| HPC[HPC - HB/HC Series]
GP --> Burst{Burstable?}
Burst -->|Yes| B[B-Series]
Burst -->|No| D[D-Series]Note
The B-series is ideal for workloads that don't need full CPU performance continuously. These VMs build up credits during idle periods and burst when needed.