Blog/Article
A small giant: m4.small is the server you didn't know you needed
September 17, 2025
One can opt for a bare metal server for many reasons. Sometimes, the raw power of a single-tenant machine is what you need. At other times, isolation is the point, and base specs should be just enough to get workloads going, as server volume will be the critical factor.
Enter the m4.metal.small: the newest addition to Latitude.sh's Gen 4 lineup that's all about giving you serious single-tenant performance without the overkill specs (or price tag) of larger instances.
Summary
This isn't your typical shared hosting setup. We're talking about a fully dedicated instance powered by AMD's 4244P processor (6 cores @ 3.8 GHz), backed by a generous 64GB of DDR5 memory and dual 960GB ultra-fast NVMe drives for storage. Plus, the usual 20TB of free monthly egress and dual 10Gbps network connections to ensure traffic runs smoothly.
The beauty of the m4.metal.small lies in its positioning: it's compact enough to be cost-effective for smaller operations, yet powerful enough to handle workloads that absolutely need dedicated resources.
Where This Tiny Beast Really Shines
High-Performance Development Environments
Picture this: you're running a development team that needs consistent, isolated environments for testing and staging. The m4.metal.small gives you the horsepower to spin up multiple containerized environments without the noisy neighbor problems you'd get with shared instances.
Those six cores running at 3.8 GHz can handle intensive build processes, while the 64GB of RAM lets you run memory-hungry applications like Elasticsearch or Redis without breaking a sweat.
Database Workloads That Need Predictable Performance
Database administrators know the pain of performance spikes caused by shared infrastructure. With dedicated cores and that sweet NVMe storage setup, you're looking at consistent IOPS for your PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB instances.
Also, the dual-drive setup is perfect for separating your data from your logs, or setting up RAID configurations for extra reliability.
Small to Medium SaaS Applications
Got a SaaS product that's outgrown shared hosting but isn't quite ready for resource-intensive instances? The m4.metal.small hits that sweet spot just right. You get the isolation and performance predictability your growing user base demands, plus enough headroom to handle traffic spikes during your next product launch.
CI/CD Pipelines and Build Servers
Continuous integration can be a resource hog, especially when you're dealing with complex codebases or multiple concurrent builds. This instance gives you dedicated compute power for Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions runners. No more waiting for builds because someone else's job is hogging shared resources.
Edge Computing and Content Delivery
With those 10Gbps network connections and generous egress allowance, the m4.metal.small makes a solid choice for edge computing scenarios, especially content delivery and caching. Whether you're running a regional cache, processing IoT data, or serving content closer to your users, you've got enough network capacity to handle it just fine.
Game Server Hosting
Gaming workloads love predictable performance, and nothing ruins a gaming session like lag spikes from shared infrastructure. The dedicated cores and low-latency NVMe storage make this instance an excellent choice for hosting multiplayer game servers where consistent response times are crucial.
The Gen 4 Family
Of course, the m4.metal.small is just one piece of Latitude.sh's Gen 4 line-up. Depending on your needs, you might want to consider its older siblings:
Need serious computational muscle? The Rs4.metal.xlarge brings 64 cores from AMD's 9554P CPU alongside a massive 1.5 TB RAM allocation and enterprise-grade storage setup, including 4x8TB NVMe drives. This one's for when you're running large-scale data processing, HPC workloads, or need to virtualize multiple servers.
Looking for high-frequency performance? The f4.metal.medium packs 16 cores at 4.5 GHz with 192GB RAM, perfect for applications that need fewer cores running at maximum speed. Think single-threaded applications, gaming servers, or workloads that benefit from high clock speeds over core count.
Still looking for something small, but a step up from the m4.metal.small? That's where the f4.metal.small comes in, giving you 12 cores at 4.4 GHz with 96GB RAM, striking a nice balance between the m4's efficiency and the f4.medium's raw performance.
A small giant
The m4.metal.small isn't trying to be the hero of every story, it's the reliable supporting character that makes everything work, especially when grouped with many others of its kind. It won't impress anyone at the datacenter dinner party, but it'll consistently deliver what you need without drama.
Sometimes you don't need the biggest, fastest, most feature-packed server on the market. Sometimes you just need dedicated resources that work reliably, won't break the bank, and give you room to grow. That's where our small giant comes in.
And honestly? In a world full of over-engineered, over-priced solutions, there's something refreshingly honest about a server that knows precisely what it is and does it well.
Ready to give it a spin? Well, you can sign up to Latitude.sh for free right now.
FAQ
What are the m4.metal.small specs, and how much does it cost?
You get an AMD 4244P processor (6 cores @ 3.8 GHz), 64GB RAM, dual 960GB NVMe drives, 20TB monthly egress, and dual 10Gbps network connections, starting at $ 0.18/hr in long-term commitments.
What use cases work best with the m4.metal.small?
Think stepping up from shared hosting, consistent development environments, right-sized database servers, growing SaaS applications that need reliability, CI/CD pipelines, and pretty much any workload where you want dedicated resources without paying for overkill specs.
Is the m4.metal.small the strongest server Latitude.sh has?
Ha! Not even close. The rs4.metal.xlarge would eat this one for breakfast with its 64 cores and 1.5 TB of RAM. But that's the point: sometimes you don't need a monster truck to get groceries. The m4.metal.small is our reliable "small giant" for folks who want dedicated performance that makes sense.