AWS c4.8xlargevsAWS c4.xlarge

c4.8xlarge pairs 36 vCPUs with 60GB of RAM at $1.5910/hr On-Demand (about $1146/mo at 24×7). c4.xlarge pairs 4 vCPUs with 7.5GB at $0.1990/hr (~$143/mo). c4.xlarge is 87% cheaper per hour than c4.8xlarge ($1.3920/hr gap).

Because both instances are in the **c4 family**, the only thing that changes between them is sizing — same silicon, same architecture (Intel Xeon (x86_64)), same burstable/sustained behavior. The choice is purely about how much capacity you actually need: c4.8xlarge gives you 36 vCPUs and 60GB of RAM, c4.xlarge gives you 4 vCPUs and 7.5GB. AWS scales pricing close to linearly within a family, so picking the right size is mostly about right-sizing your workload, not getting a better deal per vCPU.

Benchmark data for at least one of these instances is still being collected, so a direct performance-per-dollar comparison isn't possible yet. Sysbench scores are pending for c4.8xlarge and 1177/3605 for c4.xlarge. Check back as the benchmark queue completes — newer-generation instances typically score 10–30% higher on single-thread and 15–50% higher on multi-core vs the previous generation in the same series.

In practice, pick c4.8xlarge when your workload is closer to compute-optimized (CPU-bound work — batch processing, web servers under sustained load, game servers). Pick c4.xlarge when it's closer to compute-optimized (CPU-bound work — batch processing, web servers under sustained load, game servers). When neither side is obviously right, the cheaper hourly rate usually wins for fault-tolerant batch workloads, while the higher single-core score usually wins for latency-sensitive web traffic. The regional pricing tables linked from each instance page below show where each is currently cheapest — sometimes a >20% regional gap flips the comparison entirely.