Instances›AWS EC2›m5dn›m5dn.xlarge
Compute
vCPUs4
Memory16 GiB
Mem / vCPU4.00 GiB
ProcessorXeon Platinum 8259
Clock speed3.1 GHz
Architecturex86_64
Storage
Type1 × 150 GB NVMe SSD
Bandwidth4,750 Mbps
Throughput593.75 MB/s
IOPS18,750
Networking
PerformanceUp to 25 Gigabit
Max ENIs4
IPv6Yes
GPUNone
Family sizes
m5dn.large2 vCPU · 8 GiB
m5dn.xlarge4 vCPU · 16 GiB
m5dn.2xlarge8 vCPU · 32 GiB
m5dn.4xlarge16 vCPU · 64 GiB
m5dn.8xlarge32 vCPU · 128 GiB
m5dn.12xlarge48 vCPU · 192 GiB
m5dn.16xlarge64 vCPU · 256 GiB
m5dn.24xlarge96 vCPU · 384 GiB
m5dn.metal96 vCPU · 384 GiB
m5dn.xlarge

m5dn.xlarge is AWS's general-purpose EC2 size at 4 vCPU and 16 GiB. In the name, "m" is the general-purpose line, "5" is the generation, "dn" marks local NVMe storage and enhanced networking and "xlarge" is the size within the m5dn family. It runs on Intel Xeon Platinum 8259 (Cascade Lake) at 3.1 GHz, and AWS introduced it in October 2019. AWS has since shipped m6i, m7i, m8i and m9g; m6i.xlarge is the direct replacement at this size. On Rackspace Spot the same shape is gp.vs1.large — 4 vCPU, 16 GiB, matched on both dimensions, $0.272/hr on AWS in US East (N. Virginia), from $0.011/hr on Rackspace Spot.

Match qualityNo local disk

m5dn.xlarge comes with 1 × 150 GB NVMe SSD attached to the machine. Rackspace Spot nodes use network storage only, so that disk does not come with it.

If you were using the local disk as fast scratch space — temporary files, a local cache, an index — you will need a persistent volume or object storage instead, and both are slower to read. If it was just extra space you never depended on, nothing changes.

Pricing by region
1 hr
RegionAWS on-demandAWS Spot1-yr Reserved3-yr ReservedRackspace SpotYou save
US East, N. Virginia$0.272$0.128$0.171$0.106$0.011
$0.261 savings
US Central, Chicagono AWS region$0.011
US Central, Dallasno AWS region$0.021
Hong Kong$0.011
Sydney, Australia$0.011
London, UK$0.026
US West, San Jose$0.041
US Central, Dallas 2no AWS region$0.041
US East, N. Virginia 2$0.272$0.128$0.171$0.106$0.041
$0.231 savings
When to use it
Good for
  • ●Small to mid-size relational databases
  • ●Backend services with no single dominant resource
  • ●Queue workers and scheduled jobs
  • ●Workloads that fit inside 16 GiB of RAM
  • ●Jobs that want 1 × 150 GB of local NVMe scratch space
  • ●Network-heavy services — AWS rates this size at Up to 25 Gigabit
Avoid if
  • ●Starting a new deployment. m6i.xlarge is the newer generation at this size.
  • ●The working set needs more than 16 GiB of RAM
  • ●GPU or FPGA acceleration is needed
  • ●Sustained full-core CPU load. A compute-optimized family costs less per unit of work.
  • ●More than 4.00 GiB of RAM per vCPU is needed — that ratio is fixed for the whole family
$199/mo on AWS on-demand against $8/mo on Rackspace Spot for the equivalent — market-priced, not list-priced.
  • Spot sells spare capacity at market prices. It is the cheapest compute on the internet.
  • Prices are set by supply and demand. You pay what the market decides.
  • Compute is delivered as fully managed Kubernetes. All infrastructure is taken care of.
  • Egress costs $0.01/GB after the free allowance. AWS charges $0.09/GB.
Build your Cloudspace
Frequently asked questions