n1-highmem-16 as a GKE node
16 vCPU104 GiBx86_64Google Cloud us-central1N1 High Memory 16
Where the n1-highmem-16 goes
Default GKE setup: GKE ≤ 1.36.
CPU15.69 of 16 vCPU left for your pods
Memory95.73 GiB of 104 GiB left for your pods
your podsDaemonSets (200m, 300 MiB assumed)kubelet reservedeviction
110max pods per node
$690.89on demand / month · $0.9464/h
$393.63spot / month (varies)
n1-highmem-16 GKE max pods and allocatable memory — quick answers
- How many pods can a n1-highmem-16 run as a node with GKE ≤ 1.36? Up to 110; kubelet keeps 8169 MiB of memory and 110m CPU, leaving 96.02 GiB and 15.89 vCPU for pods.
- How many pods can a n1-highmem-16 run as a node with GKE 1.37+ (Container-Optimized OS)? Up to 110; kubelet keeps 2250 MiB of memory and 110m CPU, leaving 101.80 GiB and 15.89 vCPU for pods.
- How many 500m / 1 GiB pods fit? 31 per node after DaemonSets; 1 nodes for 10 replicas, about $690.89/month on demand.
What kubelet reserves on n1-highmem-16
| Setup | Max pods | kube-reserved CPU | Memory reserved + eviction | Allocatable CPU | Allocatable memory | Memory usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GKE ≤ 1.36 tiered memory reservation | 110 | 110m | 8069 Mi + 100 Mi | 15.89 | 96.02 GiB | 92.3% |
| GKE 1.37+ (Container-Optimized OS) 15 MiB × max pods + 500 MiB, CPU capped at 1 vCPU | 110 | 110m | 2150 Mi + 100 Mi | 15.89 | 101.80 GiB | 97.9% |
How these numbers are computed: reservation formulas. Check a live node with kubectl describe node → Allocatable.
How many pods fit on one n1-highmem-16
Assumes DaemonSets (CNI, kube-proxy, log and metrics agents) request 200m CPU, 300 Mi and 3 pods per node. Try your own numbers in the node calculator.
| Pod requests (CPU / memory) | GKE ≤ 1.36 | GKE 1.37+ (Container-Optimized OS) | $ per pod / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100m / 128 Mi | 107 | 107 | $6.46 |
| 250m / 256 Mi | 62 | 62 | $11.14 |
| 250m / 512 Mi | 62 | 62 | $11.14 |
| 500m / 512 Mi | 31 | 31 | $22.29 |
| 500m / 1024 Mi | 31 | 31 | $22.29 |
| 1000m / 1024 Mi | 15 | 15 | $46.06 |
| 1000m / 2048 Mi | 15 | 15 | $46.06 |
| 2000m / 4096 Mi | 7 | 7 | $98.70 |
| 4000m / 8192 Mi | 3 | 3 | $230.30 |
Similar GKE node types
| Type | vCPU | GiB | Alloc CPU | Alloc memory | Max pods | $/month | $ per alloc GiB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c4-highmem-16 | 16 | 124 | 15.89 | 114.82 GiB | 110 | $761.18 | $6.63 |
| c4-highmem-16-lssd | 16 | 124 | 15.89 | 114.82 GiB | 110 | $881.18 | $7.67 |
| c4n-highmem-16 | 16 | 124 | 15.89 | 114.82 GiB | 110 | $1,217.91 | $10.61 |
| c4n-highmem-16-lssd | 16 | 124 | 15.89 | 114.82 GiB | 110 | $1,277.91 | $11.13 |
| c4d-highmem-16 | 16 | 126 | 15.89 | 116.70 GiB | 110 | $727.21 | $6.23 |
| c4d-highmem-16-lssd | 16 | 126 | 15.89 | 116.70 GiB | 110 | $787.21 | $6.75 |
| z3-highmem-14-standardlssd | 14 | 112 | 13.89 | 103.54 GiB | 110 | $1,291.59 | $12.47 |
| e2-highmem-16 | 16 | 128 | 15.89 | 118.58 GiB | 110 | $527.93 | $4.45 |
Closest match on other clouds
| Type | vCPU | GiB | Alloc CPU | Alloc memory | Max pods | $/month | $ per alloc GiB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nc16ast4v3 | 16 | 110 | 15.74 | 104.97 GiB | 250 | $878.92 | $8.37 |
| is4gen.4xlarge | 16 | 96 | 15.89 | 93.14 GiB | 234 | $1,682.80 | $18.07 |
| r4.4xlarge | 16 | 122 | 15.89 | 119.14 GiB | 234 | $776.72 | $6.52 |
| i3.4xlarge | 16 | 122 | 15.89 | 119.14 GiB | 234 | $911.04 | $7.65 |
| e16psv6 | 16 | 128 | 15.74 | 122.97 GiB | 250 | $538.74 | $4.38 |
| e16psv5 | 16 | 128 | 15.74 | 122.97 GiB | 250 | $588.38 | $4.78 |