comparing t4g.medium, t3a.medium, and t3.medium

 

the t4g.medium, t3a.medium, and t3.medium are all part of Amazon's EC2 T-series instances, which are designed to provide a baseline level of CPU performance with the ability to burst above the baseline when needed. However, they differ in the underlying processor architecture and some other characteristics. Below is a comparative table:

Instance Type	CPU Type	vCPUs	Memory (GiB)	Processor	Network Bandwidth	EBS Bandwidth
t4g.medium	ARM-based	2	4	Graviton2	Up to 5 Gbps	Up to 3.5 Gbps
t3a.medium	AMD-based	2	4	AMD EPYC 7000 series	Up to 5 Gbps	Up to 3.5 Gbps
t3.medium	Intel-based	2	4	Intel Xeon Scalable (Skylake and Broadwell options)	Up to 5 Gbps	Up to 3.5 Gbps

Key Differences:

1. Processor Architecture:

   • t4g.medium uses ARM-based Graviton2 processors.
   • t3a.medium uses AMD EPYC 7000 series processors.
   • t3.medium uses Intel Xeon Scalable processors.

2. Price:

   • t3a.medium instances are generally cheaper than t3.medium instances but offer similar performance characteristics.
   • t4g.medium instances are also generally cost-effective due to the efficiency of the Graviton2 processor.

3. Performance:

   • The ARM-based Graviton2 processors in t4g.medium instances are designed for better power efficiency.
   • Both AMD and Intel options in t3a and t3 are more traditional and have been in use for longer periods, and their performance characteristics are well understood.

4. Compatibility:

   • Software that is dependent on specific instruction sets might not be compatible with ARM-based processors, so t3 and t3a could be a safer bet for those applications.

For the most current and accurate information, it's always best to consult the official AWS EC2 documentation or pricing pages.