Machine Types & Families

Choosing the right machine type is one of the most important decisions when working with Compute Engine. Google Cloud offers dozens of predefined machine types grouped into families, each optimised for different workload characteristics. Selecting the correct type ensures you get the performance you need without overspending.

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Machine Type Naming Convention

Compute Engine machine types follow a naming convention that encodes the family, series, and configuration:

n2-standard-8
|  |         |
|  |         +-- vCPU count (8 vCPUs)
|  +------------ Shape (standard = balanced CPU-to-memory ratio)
+--------------- Series (n2 = 2nd-generation general-purpose)

Common Shapes

Shape	CPU : Memory Ratio	Use Case
standard	1 vCPU : 4 GB	Balanced workloads
highmem	1 vCPU : 8 GB	Memory-intensive databases
highcpu	1 vCPU : 1 GB	CPU-intensive batch processing
megamem / ultramem	Very high memory	SAP HANA, large in-memory databases

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Machine Type Families

General-Purpose (E2, N2, N2D, N1, T2D, T2A, C3, C3D)

General-purpose machines provide a balanced mix of compute, memory, and networking resources. They are suitable for a wide range of workloads.

Series	Processor	Key Features
E2	Intel / AMD (shared-core available)	Cost-optimised, burstable shared-core options (e2-micro, e2-small, e2-medium)
N2	Intel Cascade Lake / Ice Lake	Best price-performance for Intel workloads, up to 128 vCPUs
N2D	AMD EPYC Milan / Rome	Best price-performance for AMD workloads, up to 224 vCPUs
C3	Intel Sapphire Rapids	Latest generation, highest per-core performance
C3D	AMD EPYC Genoa	Latest AMD generation, up to 360 vCPUs
T2D	AMD EPYC Milan	Scale-out optimised for containerised microservices
T2A	Ampere Altra (ARM)	ARM-based, cost-effective for compatible workloads

E2 shared-core VMs (e2-micro, e2-small, e2-medium) provide fractional vCPUs and are ideal for low-traffic websites, small databases, and development environments. They are the most cost-effective option for light workloads.

Compute-Optimised (C2, C2D, H3)

Compute-optimised machines offer the highest per-core performance and are designed for compute-intensive workloads.

Series	Processor	Key Features
C2	Intel Cascade Lake	Up to 60 vCPUs, 3.8 GHz all-core turbo
C2D	AMD EPYC Milan	Up to 112 vCPUs, large L3 cache
H3	Intel Sapphire Rapids	HPC optimised, 88 vCPUs, 200 Gbps networking

Use cases: gaming servers, electronic design automation (EDA), single-threaded applications, HPC, and scientific modelling.

Memory-Optimised (M1, M2, M3)

Memory-optimised machines provide the highest memory-to-vCPU ratios, designed for memory-intensive workloads.