AWS r7gd.8xlargevsAWS r7gd.metal

r7gd.8xlarge pairs 32 vCPUs with 256GB of RAM at $2.1773/hr On-Demand (about $1568/mo at 24×7). r7gd.metal pairs 64 vCPUs with 512GB at $4.3546/hr (~$3135/mo). r7gd.8xlarge is 100% cheaper per hour than r7gd.metal ($2.1773/hr gap).

Because both instances are in the **r7gd family**, the only thing that changes between them is sizing — same silicon, same architecture (AWS Graviton (ARM64)), same burstable/sustained behavior. The choice is purely about how much capacity you actually need: r7gd.8xlarge gives you 32 vCPUs and 256GB of RAM, r7gd.metal gives you 64 vCPUs and 512GB. 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 3016/96193 for r7gd.8xlarge and pending for r7gd.metal. 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 r7gd.8xlarge when your workload is closer to memory-optimized (memory-bound work — in-memory databases, real-time analytics, large caches). Pick r7gd.metal when it's closer to memory-optimized (memory-bound work — in-memory databases, real-time analytics, large caches). 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.