Hardware Used
Cluster Nodes — 3x Lenovo ThinkPad
All three nodes run on Lenovo ThinkPad laptops with identical specs:
✔ CPU: Intel Core i7 (8 cores)
✔ RAM: 16 GB (15.9 GiB usable)
✔ Storage: 512.1 GB SSD
✔ Network: 1 Gbps Ethernet (Intel I219-V)
✔ OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat"
Node Details
fast-heron — 10.0.0.7
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | Lenovo ThinkPad T490 (20N2000LFR) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8565U, 8 cores |
| RAM | 15.9 GiB |
| Storage | 512.1 GB |
| NIC | Intel I219-V 0.5-3 |
| Serial | PF1BQWYP |
| Firmware | UEFI (N2IETA5W 1.83) |
fast-skunk — 10.0.0.4
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | Lenovo ThinkPad T490 (20N2000LFR) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8565U, 8 cores |
| RAM | 15.9 GiB |
| Storage | 512.1 GB |
| NIC | Intel I219-V 0.5-3 |
| Serial | PF1BSCNM |
| Firmware | UEFI (N2IETA5W 1.83) |
set-hog — 10.0.0.2
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen 1 (20S6001XFR) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-10510U, 8 cores |
| RAM | 15.9 GiB |
| Storage | 512.1 GB |
| NIC | Intel I219-V 0.6-4 |
| Serial | PF2V7JYG |
| Firmware | UEFI (N2XET43W 1.33) |
Total Cluster Capacity
| Resource | Per Node | Total (3 nodes) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores | 8 | 24 |
| RAM | 15.9 GiB | ~47.7 GiB |
| Storage | 512 GB | ~1.5 TB |
Equivalent Cloud Cost Comparison
The cluster above (24 vCPU, ~48 GiB RAM, ~1.5 TB storage) maps to the following on major cloud providers:
AWS
| Instance | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Monthly Cost (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
m6i.2xlarge x3 | 8 each / 24 total | 32 GiB each / ~96 GiB total | EBS separately | ~$350–$450/mo |
| Equivalent EBS (1.5 TB gp3) | — | — | 1.5 TB | ~$120/mo |
| Total AWS | ~$470–$570/mo |
Azure
| Instance | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Monthly Cost (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard_D8s_v5 x3 | 8 each / 24 total | 32 GiB each / ~96 GiB total | Managed disk separately | ~$380–$480/mo |
| Equivalent Managed Disk (1.5 TB P30) | — | — | 1.5 TB | ~$100/mo |
| Total Azure | ~$480–$580/mo |
GCP
| Instance | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Monthly Cost (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
n2-standard-8 x3 | 8 each / 24 total | 32 GiB each / ~96 GiB total | Persistent disk separately | ~$360–$460/mo |
| Equivalent Persistent Disk (1.5 TB SSD) | — | — | 1.5 TB | ~$150/mo |
| Total GCP | ~$510–$610/mo |
Your Bare-Metal Setup
| Resource | Value | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware (3x ThinkPad) | 24 cores / 47.7 GiB / 1.5 TB | ~$0 (already owned) |
| Electricity (est. ~150W total) | 24/7 | ~$15–$25/mo |
| Total bare-metal | ~$15–$25/mo |
:::tip Cost advantage Running this infrastructure bare-metal saves approximately $450–$550/month compared to equivalent cloud instances. Over a year that is $5,400–$6,600 in cloud spend avoided — while giving you full hardware control and no vendor lock-in. :::