Gregory,

How about if we ask is there an existing system? Taking guesses on new servers without any history is hard. Any ideas on how much data/activity this system will see v some other server you have?

Adding 1GB a day doesn't necessarily help. Is 1GB being added in 8 hours? 1 hour? 24 hours? The load can be much different.

There's no ideal; it's like saying what's the best car? Best for what? A diesel pickup works in some situations better than a Ferrari. Not in others.

You want enough CPU, lots of RAM (I'd be thinking 8GB+ these days), and enough disk to handle your needs for 6months to a year, accounting for backups on separate devices. $200k is a lot, at least to me. I would be surprised that a 365GB a year db needs that cost.