Colocation 1U, 2U, 4U, rack cabinet and tower: price and TCO

How to estimate 1U, 2U, 4U, rack cabinet and tower colocation in Warsaw: space, power, transfer, IP addressing, operations, TCO and live configurator pricing.

Service variants and sizing

Colocation 1U, 2U, 4U, rack cabinet and tower

The same colocation service can mean a single 1U server, a larger 2U or 4U chassis, a tower server or a rack cabinet for a growing environment. The landing explains how to choose the variant; final pricing and availability are still calculated by the current DataHouse configurators and backend.

1U colocation

For a single rack server, firewall, router or compact appliance. Usually the first choice when the device is standard 19-inch and does not need much vertical space.

Best for: one server, predictable power, simple migration

2U colocation

For larger chassis, more drives, stronger cooling, additional NICs or a server that is not comfortable in 1U. Useful when storage and serviceability matter.

Best for: databases, storage, heavier network cards

4U colocation

For dense storage, GPU-ready chassis, non-standard cooling or many expansion cards. Requires checking power, heat and rack depth before ordering.

Best for: storage, GPU, custom bare metal

Rack cabinet

For several devices, separated switching, private cabling and a more predictable growth path. The cabinet model should be checked with power, cross-connect and access assumptions.

Best for: multi-server environments and private racks

Tower colocation

For a tower server or workstation-class machine that is not mounted in a standard rack. It needs a different physical placement and compatibility check.

Best for: non-rackable servers and workstations

What decides between 1U, 2U, 4U, rack and tower

U / rack unitPowerHeatAS20853Remote handsCross-connectBackup

Physical space and depth

The number of rack units is only the first parameter. Depth, rails, airflow direction, cable routing and access to disks or cards can make a 2U or 4U option more practical than squeezing the device into 1U.

Power and heat budget

A larger chassis can use more drives, CPUs, NICs or GPUs. Before ordering colocation, check expected power draw, peak load, cooling and whether the device needs redundant power feeds.

Network and addressing

Colocation should be planned together with uplinks, public addressing, firewall policy, BGP needs, AS20853 visibility and diagnostics through Looking Glass.

Operations and growth

If the environment will grow from one server to several devices, plan rack space, switching, backup, monitoring, remote hands and documentation from the beginning.

1U colocation price: what makes up the monthly cost

There is no reliable colocation price without the actual device, power draw and network requirements. The DataHouse configurator obtains the current components from the service backend, so this page explains the cost model instead of publishing a price that can become stale.

Rack space1U, 2U, 4U, tower, a part of a rack or a full cabinet. Depth, rails and service access must also fit.Select the physical variant in the relevant configurator.
Power and coolingGuaranteed real power draw, peak load, cooling density and, where required, redundant power feeds.Use measured watts, not only the server power-supply rating.
Network and transferPort speed, CIR, a transfer package or unlimited transfer, public IP addresses, BGP and cross-connect requirements.Choose the actual traffic model and addressing in the configurator.
Operations and protectionRemote hands, monitoring, backup, administration, firewall and dedicated protection options.Add only the services required by the operating model.

A practical 36-month TCO model

Colocation TCO = migration + 36 x (rack space, power, connectivity, IP, backup and operations) + maintenance, spare parts and licences. Compare it with on-premises TCO = hardware + power + cooling + space + people + protection + downtime risk.

Do not compare only the 1U line item. Include people, monitoring, access, downtime risk, spare parts, power protection and cooling. The supporting TCO guide contains the full decision model.

Open the complete TCO guide →

Current price from the service backend

Set the U size, guaranteed power, link, transfer, IP addresses and backup. The configurator recalculates the current monthly amount after each change.

Calculate the current colocation price

Which configurator should I use?

Single server per U

Use the per-U colocation configurator for 1U, 2U, 4U or a custom U count. It is the right path when you colocate one physical server or a small number of independent devices.

Rack cabinet

Use the rack cabinet configurator when you plan a larger environment, private switching, more cabling, growth space or a coherent rack-level design.

Tower server

Use the tower configurator when the device is not rack-mounted. The important checks are dimensions, airflow, power, access and operational handling.

Frequently asked questions

Is 1U colocation enough for a company?

Yes, if the server is a standard 1U rack device, has predictable power draw and does not need additional storage, GPUs or many expansion cards. It is often the first step before a larger rack design.

When should I choose 2U or 4U?

Choose 2U or 4U when the server needs more disks, stronger cooling, easier service access, GPU-ready space, additional NICs or a non-standard chassis.

How is rack cabinet colocation different from per-U colocation?

Per-U colocation is designed around individual devices. Rack cabinet colocation is better for several devices, private switching, cleaner cabling, growth space and a more coherent network design.

Can a tower server be colocated?

Yes, but it needs a separate compatibility check: dimensions, airflow, power, physical placement and operational access. That is why tower colocation has a separate configurator path.

What determines the price of 1U colocation?

The price depends on rack space, guaranteed real power draw, cooling, port and transfer model, IP addresses, backup and operational services. The live configurator obtains current components from the service backend.

How should colocation TCO be calculated?

Add hardware and migration, monthly rack space, power, connectivity, IP, backup and operations, maintenance, spare parts, licences and downtime risk. Compare the same scope with the real cost of an on-premises server room.