Phoronix is a leading source for Linux hardware reviews, benchmarking, and open-source news. With  performance analysis, hardware testing, and coverage of the latest developments in the Linux ecosystem, Phoronix provides  insights for Linux enthusiasts, developers, and system administrators, helping them make informed decisions about hardware compatibility, performance optimization, and software selection.

Phoronix

A performance comparison of Google Cloud's N4-series VMs using 16 vCPU instances: the N4A powered by Google's in-house Axion ARM64 processor, the N4 powered by Intel Xeon Emerald Rapids (Platinum 8581C), and the N4D powered by AMD EPYC Turin (Zen 5, 9B45). All instances ran Ubuntu 25.10 with 400GB storage. Beyond raw benchmark results across various workloads, performance-per-dollar was evaluated using Iowa region pricing: N4A at $0.71/hr, N4D at $0.77/hr, and N4 at $0.82/hr. The Axion-based N4A uses 16 physical cores (no SMT), while the Intel and AMD instances use 8 physical cores with SMT to reach 16 vCPUs.

Google Cloud N4 Series Benchmarks: Google Axion vs. Intel Xeon vs. AMD EPYC Performance