AWS m8azn.3xlargevsAWS m8azn.6xlarge

m8azn.3xlarge pairs 12 vCPUs with 48GB of RAM at $1.2388/hr On-Demand (about $892/mo at 24×7). m8azn.6xlarge pairs 24 vCPUs with 96GB at $2.4775/hr (~$1784/mo). m8azn.3xlarge is 100% cheaper per hour than m8azn.6xlarge ($1.2388/hr gap).

Because both instances are in the **m8azn family**, the only thing that changes between them is sizing — same silicon, same architecture (AMD EPYC (x86_64)), same burstable/sustained behavior. The choice is purely about how much capacity you actually need: m8azn.3xlarge gives you 12 vCPUs and 48GB of RAM, m8azn.6xlarge gives you 24 vCPUs and 96GB. 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 6201/74658 for m8azn.3xlarge and pending for m8azn.6xlarge. 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 m8azn.3xlarge when your workload is closer to general-purpose (balanced general-purpose workloads with a 1:4 vCPU-to-memory ratio). Pick m8azn.6xlarge when it's closer to general-purpose (balanced general-purpose workloads with a 1:4 vCPU-to-memory ratio). 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.