Field brief · hardware · October 2026

GPU rental builds ranked by time to ROI ($100k–$500k)

Which GPUs to buy, how many, and every part in the box, ranked by months to pay back on Vast.ai and the other open rental marketplaces. Every price links to where it came from.

GPU hostingVast.aiB200H200RTX 4090ROI17 Oct 2026

How the numbers work

Ranking by payback

Every build is one 8-GPU server. Click a build name for its full bill of materials.

#BuildGPUsGPU unit priceAll-in costHost revenue / moPayback (live rates)Payback (Q1-26 low)Purchase → ROI*Price sources
1HGX B200 — Central Computer bundle8× B200 SXM 180GBin server ($365,699)$425,660$32,37713.1 mo48.216.8 mo[9] [28] [29] [32]
2HGX B200 — Thinkmate (firm order)8× B200 SXM 180GBin server ($493,433)$498,541$32,37715.4 mo56.518.8 mo[10] [29] [32]
38× RTX 4090 server8× RTX 4090 24GB, 2-slot blower$3,199.50$36,261$1,84519.6 mo33.621.1 mo[15] [18] [19] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
4HGX H200 — Bizon X9000 G38× H200 SXM 141GBin server ($363,097)$428,044$16,78525.5 mo59.826.7 mo[12] [28] [29] [32]
58× RTX 5090 server8× RTX 5090 32GB, 2-slot Turbo$6,525$62,865$2,40326.2 mo49.327.6 mo[15] [16] [17] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
68× RTX 3090 server8× RTX 3090 24GB, 2-slot Turbo (refurb)$1,799.97$25,065$92727.1 mo54.728.3 mo[15] [22] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
78× RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q server8× RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q 96GB (300W blower)$16,499.99$151,434$5,08229.8 mo57.231.0 mo[15] [20] [25] [27] [29] [30] [31] [32]
88× RTX 6000 Ada server8× RTX 6000 Ada 48GB (refurb)$7,999.99$74,665$2,20933.8 mon/a35.0 mo[15] [21] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
98× L40S server8× L40S 48GB$8,595$79,425$2,28034.8 mon/a36.0 mo[15] [23] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
10HGX H100 — Viperatech (new)8× H100 SXM 80GBin server ($283,000)$313,032$8,12538.5 mo60.640.0 mo[13] [28] [32]
11HGX A100 — Viperatech (used)8× A100 SXM 80GBin server ($108,000)$115,948$2,96439.1 mon/a40.3 mo[14] [27] [29] [32]
128× A100 80GB PCIe server8× A100 80GB PCIe (refurb)$18,900$170,634$2,05882.9 mon/a84.1 mo[15] [24] [25] [27] [29] [30] [31] [32]

*Purchase → ROI = lead time + ~0.7 mo ramp + payback. Q1-26 low = that GPU's lowest monthly median in Jan–Mar 2026, at 70% occupancy; n/a = no history for that GPU. Revenue is gross host revenue before power/colo.

Why B200 wins on speed: it costs ~12× an 8× 4090 server but earns ~18× as much per month. Why it is risky: it has the widest price swings of any GPU on Vast ($6.36 Jun 2025 → $2.70 Feb 2026 → $9.00 today), and B300 systems are now shipping. At September's average price ($7.48) the Central Computer build pays back in 15.8 months. B300: Bizon lists 8× B300 at $496,639 with 9 in stock (9–10 week lead) [11], but Vast has no B300 rentals yet, so there is no rental data to rank it on.

Live rental market data

Pulled from the Vast.ai marketplace API on 17 Oct 2026: every on-demand offer, split into rented and available [1]. 6-month occupancy and Q1 lows come from 500.farm [2]. Occupancy counts online machines only, so real utilization is probably 5–10 points lower.

GPUAvailableRentedLive occupancyMedian rented price (renter $/GPU-hr)Host $/GPU-hr (×0.8)Verified occ.Unverified occ.6-month avg occ.Q1-2026 low (renter)
RTX 50905883,59886%$0.67$0.5390%73%77%$0.39 (Jan 26)
RTX 40901721,23988%$0.51$0.4194%67%77%$0.33 (Mar 26)
RTX 309031022742%$0.27$0.21——74%~$0.14
RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q4634688%$1.38$1.1091%74%79% (WS)$0.81 (Jan 26)
RTX PRO 6000 WS8542483%$1.47$1.1785%75%79%$0.81 (Jan 26)
RTX PRO 6000 Server14046777%$1.47$1.1885%55%76%$0.81 (Jan 26)
RTX 6000 Ada1310489%$0.64$0.51——74%—
L40S6019176%$0.80$0.64——61%—
A100 PCIe 80GB11417060%$0.73$0.59————
A100 SXM4 80GB13529969%$0.87$0.70——73%—
H100 SXM6510361%$2.35$1.8886%23%74%$1.58 (Mar 26)
H2006816070%$4.61$3.6890%47%78%$2.19 (Feb 26)
B2004218581%$9.00$7.2079%—77%$2.70 (Feb 26)

Verified / unverified split computed from the same pull. — = too few machines to split, or no history.

Market depth check: Vast lists 4,186 RTX 5090s and 1,411 RTX 4090s. Adding 16–40 of either is under 3% of supply. Vast has only 168 H100 SXMs and 227 B200s, so one server adds 4–5% of supply. Three H100 servers would add 14% and would push your own price down.

Full bills of materials

Every line, quantity, unit price and live listing. The consumer builds share one chassis platform. The HGX servers ship as complete systems with GPUs, CPUs, memory, NICs and power supplies inside the listed price; the extra lines are what you add so they pass Vast verification.

HGX B200 — Central Computer bundle — $425,660

ComponentQtyUnitExtendedStatus on 17 Oct / notesLive listing
Central Computer BUNDLE00079: ASRock 8U8X-TURIN2, 8× B200 SXM (1.44TB HBM3e), 2× EPYC 9655, 128GB DDR5, 1× 3.84TB U.2, $499 build fee, 1-yr warranty1$365,698.94$365,698.94Orderable (cart works), but the barebone inside is “Special Order”, so no ship date yet[9]
64GB DDR5-4800 ECC RDIMM ×2222$2,493.30$54,852.60New. Brings RAM to 1.54TB — Vast requires RAM ≥ 1.44TB VRAM[28]
7.68TB U.2 NVMe — WD Ultrastar DC SN2004$1,249$4,996Refurbished. Adds ~4TB per GPU of renter storage[29]
StarTech C19→C20 14AWG power cord6$18.71$112.26New[32]
Total$425,659.80

8 × $7.20/hr host × 730 h × 77% occupancy = $32,377/mo → 13.1 months to pay back $425,660. Lead time ≈ 3.0 mo.

HGX B200 — Thinkmate (firm order) — $498,541

ComponentQtyUnitExtendedStatus on 17 Oct / notesLive listing
Thinkmate GPX GXS6-2808-8HGX-B2: 8× B200 SXM, 2× Xeon 6740P 48C, 1TB DDR5-6400, onboard 2× 10GbE, no drives, 5-yr parts replacement1$493,433$493,433Add To Order verified at this price; no lead time stated. 1TB RAM is below Vast's RAM ≥ VRAM rule — fine for training and other platforms, but upgrading RAM pushes it over $500k[10]
7.68TB U.2 NVMe — WD Ultrastar DC SN2004$1,249$4,996Refurbished. Adds ~4TB per GPU of renter storage[29]
StarTech C19→C20 14AWG power cord6$18.71$112.26New[32]
Total$498,541.26

8 × $7.20/hr host × 730 h × 77% occupancy = $32,377/mo → 15.4 months to pay back $498,541. Lead time ≈ 2.8 mo.

8× RTX 4090 server — $36,261

ComponentQtyUnitExtendedStatus on 17 Oct / notesLive listing
NVIDIA RTX 4090 24GB — 2-slot blower (full AD102, not the 4090D)8$3,199.50$25,596“In Stock” at MillionMiner, but they confirm price and stock before the order is binding. Firm fallback: $4,000 on eBay[18] [19]
Supermicro AS-4124GS-TNR 4U barebone — dual SP3, 8× PCIe 4.0 x16 double-width slots, 32 DDR4 DIMM slots, 4× 2000W Titanium PSUs1$3,399$3,399Used, 8 available. PSUs + fans included; confirm rails and CPU heatsinks with seller[15]
AMD EPYC 7543 (32 cores / 64 threads), unlocked2$819$1,638Used, 10+ available. Must be unlocked (Dell/Lenovo-locked chips won't boot in Supermicro)[25]
32GB DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM16$239.99$3,839.84New. 512GB total, 1 DIMM per channel on both sockets. Meets Vast RAM ≥ VRAM and RunPod's 512GB for 8×24GB[26]
7.68TB U.2 NVMe — WD Ultrastar DC SN200 (renter storage)1$1,249$1,249Refurbished, 15 left. ~1TB per GPU (TensorDock minimum)[29]
Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 NVMe (OS / boot)1$156.77$156.77New[30]
Supermicro CBL-PWEX-0962Y-50 — 12VHPWR to Supermicro 8-pin GPU power cable8$38.43$307.44New, in stock. Check the chassis GPU header pinout before ordering[31]
StarTech C19→C20 14AWG power cord4$18.71$74.84New[32]
Total$36,260.89

8 × $0.41/hr host × 730 h × 77% occupancy = $1,845/mo → 19.6 months to pay back $36,261. Lead time ≈ 0.8 mo.

HGX H200 — Bizon X9000 G3 — $428,044

ComponentQtyUnitExtendedStatus on 17 Oct / notesLive listing
Bizon X9000 G3: 8× H200 SXM (1.13TB HBM3e), 2× EPYC 9135, 512GB DDR5, 4TB NVMe, dual 10GbE, 5-yr labor / 3-yr parts1$363,097$363,097In stock, 5 left, ships Oct 24–27 2026[12]
64GB DDR5-4800 ECC RDIMM ×2424$2,493.30$59,839.20New. Replaces the 512GB with 1.5TB — Vast requires RAM ≥ 1.13TB VRAM[28]
7.68TB U.2 NVMe — WD Ultrastar DC SN2004$1,249$4,996Refurbished. Adds ~4TB per GPU of renter storage[29]
StarTech C19→C20 14AWG power cord6$18.71$112.26New[32]
Total$428,044.46

8 × $3.68/hr host × 730 h × 78% occupancy = $16,785/mo → 25.5 months to pay back $428,044. Lead time ≈ 0.5 mo.

8× RTX 5090 server — $62,865

ComponentQtyUnitExtendedStatus on 17 Oct / notesLive listing
NVIDIA RTX 5090 32GB — 2-slot Turbo blower ($6,475 + $50 shipping)8$6,525$52,200Open box, 10 available, ships from Shenzhen. Alternate: MillionMiner $6,099 (non-binding until confirmed)[16] [17]
Supermicro AS-4124GS-TNR 4U barebone — dual SP3, 8× PCIe 4.0 x16 double-width slots, 32 DDR4 DIMM slots, 4× 2000W Titanium PSUs1$3,399$3,399Used, 8 available. PSUs + fans included; confirm rails and CPU heatsinks with seller[15]
AMD EPYC 7543 (32 cores / 64 threads), unlocked2$819$1,638Used, 10+ available. Must be unlocked (Dell/Lenovo-locked chips won't boot in Supermicro)[25]
32GB DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM16$239.99$3,839.84New. 512GB total, 1 DIMM per channel on both sockets. Meets Vast RAM ≥ VRAM and RunPod's 512GB for 8×24GB[26]
7.68TB U.2 NVMe — WD Ultrastar DC SN200 (renter storage)1$1,249$1,249Refurbished, 15 left. ~1TB per GPU (TensorDock minimum)[29]
Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 NVMe (OS / boot)1$156.77$156.77New[30]
Supermicro CBL-PWEX-0962Y-50 — 12VHPWR to Supermicro 8-pin GPU power cable8$38.43$307.44New, in stock. Check the chassis GPU header pinout before ordering[31]
StarTech C19→C20 14AWG power cord4$18.71$74.84New[32]
Total$62,864.89

8 × $0.53/hr host × 730 h × 77% occupancy = $2,403/mo → 26.2 months to pay back $62,865. Lead time ≈ 0.8 mo.

8× RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q server — $151,434

ComponentQtyUnitExtendedStatus on 17 Oct / notesLive listing
NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 96GB (300W, 2-slot blower)8$16,499.99$131,999.92Sold and shipped by Newegg, in stock[20]
Supermicro AS-4124GS-TNR 4U barebone — dual SP3, 8× PCIe 4.0 x16 double-width slots, 32 DDR4 DIMM slots, 4× 2000W Titanium PSUs1$3,399$3,399Used, 8 available. PSUs + fans included; confirm rails and CPU heatsinks with seller[15]
AMD EPYC 7543 (32 cores / 64 threads), unlocked2$819$1,638Used, 10+ available. Must be unlocked (Dell/Lenovo-locked chips won't boot in Supermicro)[25]
64GB DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM16$709.99$11,359.84New. 1TB total — needed because 8×96GB / 8×80GB VRAM is 640–768GB[27]
7.68TB U.2 NVMe — WD Ultrastar DC SN200 (renter storage)2$1,249$2,498Refurbished. ~2TB per GPU[29]
Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 NVMe (OS / boot)1$156.77$156.77New[30]
Supermicro CBL-PWEX-0962Y-50 — 12VHPWR to Supermicro 8-pin GPU power cable8$38.43$307.44New, in stock. Check the chassis GPU header pinout before ordering[31]
StarTech C19→C20 14AWG power cord4$18.71$74.84New[32]
Total$151,433.81

8 × $1.10/hr host × 730 h × 79% occupancy = $5,082/mo → 29.8 months to pay back $151,434. Lead time ≈ 0.5 mo.

Other builds (same platform, different GPU)

These use the consumer platform above (512GB build $10,664.89, 1TB build $19,433.89 for 96GB / 80GB cards) or a complete HGX system.

BuildGPU lineQtyUnitRest of buildAll-inSources
8× RTX 3090 serverGigabyte RTX 3090 24GB Turbo blower — refurbished, 1-yr warranty8$1,799.97$10,665$25,065[15] [22] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
8× RTX 6000 Ada serverNVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada 48GB — refurbished8$7,999.99$10,665$74,665[15] [21] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
8× L40S serverNVIDIA L40S 48GB8$8,595$10,665$79,425[15] [23] [25] [26] [29] [30] [31] [32]
HGX H100 — Viperatech (new)Viperatech Supermicro SYS-821GE-TNHR: 8× H100 SXM5 (640GB), 2× Xeon 8468V, DDR5 (amount not stated), 480GB SATA + 7.6TB NVMe, 400G CX-7, 3-yr return-to-base1$283,000$30,032$313,032[13] [28] [32]
HGX A100 — Viperatech (used)Viperatech Gigabyte G492-ZD0 (used): 8× A100 80GB SXM4, 2× EPYC 7742, 512GB DDR4, 8× CX-7 200G; warranty expired Feb 20251$108,000$7,948$115,948[14] [27] [29] [32]
8× A100 80GB PCIe serverNVIDIA A100 80GB PCIe — refurbished, 3-yr warranty8$18,900$19,434$170,634[15] [24] [25] [27] [29] [30] [31] [32]
Fit and power notes:
  • The AS-4124GS-TNR takes 8 double-width cards only. Use 2-slot Turbo/blower 4090s and 5090s, 2-slot RTX 6000 Ada, or PRO 6000 Max-Q. Standard 3-slot gaming cards do not fit.
  • Its 4× 2000W supplies give ~4kW in 2+2 redundancy. Eight 450W 4090s plus CPUs is right at that line, and eight 575W 5090s is over it. Run the supplies 3+1, or cap 5090s at ~450W with nvidia-smi -pl 450 (small performance loss).
  • Do not substitute a DDR5 platform for the consumer builds. DDR5 is $2,493 per 64GB right now, so 512GB would cost ~$20k instead of ~$3,840 in DDR4.

What to buy at $100k / $250k / $500k

BudgetStrategyServersGPU countCostRevenue / moPayback (live)Payback (Q1-26 low)
~$100kFastest2× 8× RTX 4090 server16 GPUs: 16× RTX 4090$72,522$3,69119.6 mo33.6 mo
~$100kFewer gray-market cards1× 8× RTX 4090 server + 2× 8× RTX 3090 server24 GPUs: 8× RTX 4090, 16× RTX 3090$86,390$3,69923.4 mo43.3 mo
~$250kFastest6× 8× RTX 4090 server48 GPUs: 48× RTX 4090$217,565$11,07319.6 mo33.6 mo
~$250kMixed3× 8× RTX 4090 server + 2× 8× RTX 5090 server40 GPUs: 24× RTX 4090, 16× RTX 5090$234,512$10,34322.7 mo40.5 mo
~$500kFastest (special order)1× HGX B200 — Central Computer bundle + 2× 8× RTX 4090 server24 GPUs: 8× B200, 16× RTX 4090$498,182$36,06813.8 mo45.3 mo
~$500kShips next week1× HGX H200 — Bizon X9000 G3 + 1× 8× RTX 4090 server16 GPUs: 8× H200, 8× RTX 4090$464,305$18,63024.9 mo56.3 mo

Every plan stays under $500,000. GPU count = total cards across all servers.

Where you can list

The specs are built to pass the strictest open gate (TensorDock: 8 vCPU and 1TB NVMe per GPU, RAM above VRAM), so every build verifies on every open platform that takes its GPU. A machine runs one host agent at a time: list on Vast first, and use Clore as the fallback.

PlatformAccepts outside hosts?Verification / hardware gateFee / payoutWhich builds qualifySource
Vast.aiYes — open to anyoneSelf-test: RAM ≥ total VRAM, ≥2 CPU cores/GPU, ≥500 Mbps up/down, >3 open ports, PCIe >2.85 GB/s, reliability >0.90. Datacenter badge: ISO 27001 + business + ≥5 servers0% host fee; renter pays ~25% on top → host keeps ~80%All builds[5] [7] [6] [3]
Clore.aiYes — openNVIDIA only, ≥8GB RAM, ≥32GB disk. Bare-metal tier: Tier 3 DC, 64+ threads, 128GB+ RAM10% on-demand fee (+15% if renter pays crypto)All builds; 45–52% occupancy on 4090/5090, 79% on PRO 6000[36]
TensorDockYes — vetted≥16 GB/s PCIe per GPU, ≥16GB RAM per GPU and > VRAM, ≥8 vCPU per GPU at ≥3 GHz, 1TB NVMe per GPU, 1 Gbps, static IP25% feeAll builds as specced (that is why each has 64 cores and ~1TB NVMe/GPU)[35]
io.netYesSupported list: RTX 30/40/50, A100, H100, H200, B200Paid in $IO; fee unpublishedAll except RTX PRO 6000 (not on list)[38]
SaladConsumer PCs onlyConsumer RTX cardsHost gets ~60% of customer price: 5090 $0.175–0.30/hr, 4090 $0.112–0.198/hr4090 / 5090 / 3090 only, at about half of Vast pay[37]
AkashYes — run a Kubernetes providerSubsidy programs want an 8-GPU node, redundant DC, 99.7% uptime1–2% take rateHGX builds; H100 averages $2.71/hr[39]
RunPodNoCommunity hosting closed. Secure Cloud partners: ≥100 kW, Tier 3/4, SOC 2 / ISO 27001—None at this scale[33] [34]
Lambda, Shadeform, Prime IntellectNoRun their own capacity or broker Tier 3/4 clouds only—None—

Risks and what would change the ranking

Rejected prices

Numbers you will find online that are not used here, and why.

Sources

  1. Vast.ai marketplace API — my live pull of every rented + available on-demand offer, 17 Oct 2026
  2. 500.farm Vast.ai exporter — per-GPU occupancy & price history, 2023 → Oct 2026
  3. Vast.ai June 2024 update — host fee 0%, renter-side surcharge
  4. Vast.ai — how much can you earn hosting
  5. Vast.ai docs — understanding verification
  6. Vast.ai docs — datacenter status (ISO 27001, ≥5 servers)
  7. vast-cli self-test source (RAM ≥ VRAM, 2 cores/GPU, 500 Mbps, ports)
  8. Uvik GPU price index (Oct 2026 hikes: Nebius, AWS)
  9. Central Computer — BUNDLE00079 ASRock 8U8X-TURIN2 8× B200, $365,698.94, cart works; barebone inside is “Special Order”
  10. Thinkmate — GPX GXS6-2808-8HGX-B2 8× B200, configured $493,433.00, Add To Order verified
  11. Bizon — X9000 G5 8× B300, $496,639, “Current stock: 9 pcs”, lead time 9–10 weeks
  12. Bizon — X9000 G3 8× H200, $363,097, in stock, ships Oct 24–27 2026
  13. Viperatech — SYS-821GE-TNHR 8× H100 SXM5 640GB, $283,000.00, lead time 2–4 weeks, cart verified
  14. Viperatech — Gigabyte G492-ZD0 8× A100 80GB SXM4 (used), $108,000.00, in stock, cart verified
  15. eBay — Supermicro AS-4124GS-TNR used, $3,399.00, 8 available, free expedited ship from Shenzhen
  16. eBay — RTX 5090 32GB 2-slot Turbo, $6,475.00 + $50 ship, open box, 10 available (Shenzhen)
  17. MillionMiner — RTX 5090 32GB blower conversion, $6,099.00, “In Stock” (seller confirms before order is binding)
  18. MillionMiner — RTX 4090 24GB 2-slot blower, $3,199.50, “In Stock” (seller confirms before order is binding)
  19. eBay — RTX 4090 24GB 2-slot Turbo blower, $4,000.00 new, free FedEx (Shenzhen) — firm fallback
  20. Newegg (sold & shipped by Newegg) — RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q 900-5G153-2200-000, $16,499.99, in stock
  21. Newegg marketplace (Cloud Computing LLC) — RTX 6000 Ada 48GB refurbished, $7,999.99
  22. eBay — Gigabyte RTX 3090 24GB Turbo blower, refurbished, 1-yr warranty, $1,799.97, 10+ available (NY)
  23. Newegg (sold & shipped by Newegg) — NVIDIA L40S 900-2G133-0080-000, $8,595.00
  24. Network Outlet — NVIDIA A100 80GB PCIe, refurbished, 3-yr warranty, $18,900.00
  25. eBay — AMD EPYC 7543 32C, “NO VENDOR LOCK”, $819.00, 10+ available (Walnut, CA)
  26. Amazon — OWC 32GB DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM 1Rx4, $239.99
  27. Amazon (nvtek) — NEMIX 64GB DDR4-3200 2Rx4 ECC RDIMM, $709.99
  28. Newegg marketplace (A-Tech) — 64GB DDR5-4800 2Rx4 ECC RDIMM, $2,493.30
  29. ServerPartDeals — WD Ultrastar DC SN200 7.68TB U.2 NVMe (refurbished), $1,249.00, 15 left
  30. Amazon — Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 NVMe SNV3S/1000G, $156.77
  31. Supermicro eStore — CBL-PWEX-0962Y-50 12VHPWR (2×6) to Supermicro 8-pin GPU cable, $38.43, in stock
  32. Amazon — StarTech PXTC19C20146 C19→C20 14AWG 6 ft, $18.71
  33. RunPod hosting docs (community hosting closed)
  34. RunPod Secure Cloud partner requirements (archived)
  35. TensorDock host requirements
  36. Clore.ai host fees
  37. Salad pricing / host payout
  38. io.net supported devices
  39. Akash H100 rental price tracker, Sep 2026
  40. REJECTED — Newegg SYS-A21GE-NBRT-G1 B200 $394,406: “Request a quote” only, no cart
  41. REJECTED — Viperatech SYS-A21GE-NBRT-G1 B200 $792,000: orderable, but ~2× market and 8–14 wk lead
  42. REJECTED — Supermicro eStore SYS-821GE-TNHR H200 “from $319,421”: cart refuses, GPU unavailable
  43. REJECTED — eBay.de RTX 5090 Turbo $4,095 (used in v1 of this post): listing ended 28 Feb 2026
  44. REJECTED — AMCompute used HGX H100 $173k–195k: appraisal values, not listings; no used HGX H100 is orderable