n2-highcpu-4 as a GKE node
4 vCPU4 GiBx86_64Google Cloud us-central1N2 High CPU 4
Where the n2-highcpu-4 goes
Default GKE setup: GKE ≤ 1.36.
CPU3.72 of 4 vCPU left for your pods
Memory2.61 GiB of 4 GiB left for your pods
your podsDaemonSets (200m, 300 MiB assumed)kubelet reservedeviction
110max pods per node
$104.68on demand / month · $0.1434/h
$59.64spot / month (varies)
n2-highcpu-4 GKE max pods and allocatable memory — quick answers
- How many pods can a n2-highcpu-4 run as a node with GKE ≤ 1.36? Up to 110; kubelet keeps 1124 MiB of memory and 80m CPU, leaving 2.90 GiB and 3.92 vCPU for pods.
- How many pods can a n2-highcpu-4 run as a node with GKE 1.37+ (Container-Optimized OS)? Up to 110; kubelet keeps 1124 MiB of memory and 80m CPU, leaving 2.90 GiB and 3.92 vCPU for pods.
- How many 500m / 1 GiB pods fit? 2 per node after DaemonSets; 5 nodes for 10 replicas, about $523.38/month on demand.
What kubelet reserves on n2-highcpu-4
| Setup | Max pods | kube-reserved CPU | Memory reserved + eviction | Allocatable CPU | Allocatable memory | Memory usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GKE ≤ 1.36 tiered memory reservation | 110 | 80m | 1024 Mi + 100 Mi | 3.92 | 2.90 GiB | 72.6% |
| GKE 1.37+ (Container-Optimized OS) 15 MiB × max pods + 500 MiB, CPU capped at 1 vCPU | 110 | 80m | 1024 Mi + 100 Mi | 3.92 | 2.90 GiB | 72.6% |
How these numbers are computed: reservation formulas. Check a live node with kubectl describe node → Allocatable.
How many pods fit on one n2-highcpu-4
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 | 20 | 20 | $5.23 |
| 250m / 256 Mi | 10 | 10 | $10.47 |
| 250m / 512 Mi | 5 | 5 | $20.94 |
| 500m / 512 Mi | 5 | 5 | $20.94 |
| 500m / 1024 Mi | 2 | 2 | $52.34 |
| 1000m / 1024 Mi | 2 | 2 | $52.34 |
| 1000m / 2048 Mi | 1 | 1 | $104.68 |
| 2000m / 4096 Mi | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4000m / 8192 Mi | 0 | 0 | — |
Similar GKE node types
| Type | vCPU | GiB | Alloc CPU | Alloc memory | Max pods | $/month | $ per alloc GiB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e2-highcpu-4 | 4 | 4 | 3.92 | 2.90 GiB | 110 | $72.23 | $24.89 |
| n2d-highcpu-4 | 4 | 4 | 3.92 | 2.90 GiB | 110 | $91.07 | $31.38 |
| n1-highcpu-4 | 4 | 3.59961 | 3.92 | 2.60 GiB | 110 | $103.44 | $39.75 |
| c4d-highcpu-4 | 4 | 7 | 3.92 | 5.30 GiB | 110 | $114.67 | $21.63 |
| e2-medium | 2 | 4 | 0.94 | 2.90 GiB | 110 | $40.38 | $13.91 |
| n4a-highcpu-2 | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 2.90 GiB | 110 | $47.42 | $16.34 |
| n4d-highcpu-2 | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 2.90 GiB | 110 | $52.17 | $17.97 |
| c2d-highcpu-2 | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 2.90 GiB | 110 | $54.72 | $18.85 |
Closest match on other clouds
| Type | vCPU | GiB | Alloc CPU | Alloc memory | Max pods | $/month | $ per alloc GiB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c4.xlarge | 4 | 7.5 | 3.92 | 6.53 GiB | 58 | $145.27 | $22.25 |
| t4g.medium | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 3.47 GiB | 17 | $24.53 | $7.07 |
| t3a.medium | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 3.47 GiB | 17 | $27.45 | $7.91 |
| t3.medium | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 3.47 GiB | 17 | $30.37 | $8.75 |
| t2.medium | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 3.47 GiB | 17 | $33.87 | $9.76 |
| t8i.medium | 2 | 4 | 1.93 | 2.47 GiB | 110 | $36.44 | $14.74 |