The next release of SharePoint 2016 will be available for public evaluation from Q4 2015 and it may be eligible for public release on Q2 2016.
So, before the release of the most awaiting SharePoint version, we should prepare for the hardware investments.
Like other previous versions, SharePoint 2016 doesn't come up with a Stand-alone installation that includes the SQL Express edition. So we need to separately install the SQL Server edition for storing the SharePoint databases.
As for SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016 also requires a 64-bit processor with 4 cores.
Based on the Ignite session from Bill Baer and his TechNet article, the following are the hardware investments recommended for installing SharePoint 2016.
| Server Type |
Deployment |
Running Services |
RAM |
Processor |
Disk |
| Single Server |
Central Administration and web applications |
Single SQL Server Instance |
16 to 24 GB |
64-bit 4 Core |
80 GB |
| Single Server |
Central Administration and web applications |
Single SQL Server Instance |
12 to 16 GB |
64-bit 4 Core |
80 GB |
| Farm Server |
WFE Server or App Server |
All available services, a separate server for the SQL DB |
12 to 16 GB |
64-bit 4 Core |
80 GB |
| Farm Server |
WFE Server or App Server |
Minimum recommended services, a separate server for the SQL DB |
8 to 12 GB |
64-bit 4 Core |
80 GB |
Stay tuned for other requirements recommended for the SharePoint 2016.