How Much Does a Rack in a Data Center Cost?

When it comes to the design of the data center the rack is an incredibly important component since it is the structure that houses and supports many of the servers, storage, and network equipment. The cost per single rack in the data center depends on a number of factors as follows:

Rack Hardware Costs

The barebones price of a normal server rack ranges from 1000 USD dollars to 5000 USD dollars depending on the material used to make it, its dimensions, as well as additional features that come with it. Some of the factors that influence rack hardware costs include:

Rack Size – the majority of the racks in the market today come in sizes of 42U and 48U and the larger sorts of racks will be more expensive.

Rack Frame – There are different types based on the material used and the price; they include the following types; Steel racks – the cheapest Aluminum racks – the most expensive, but portable.

Rack Options: When selecting a rack ensure it has provisions for cable management, and airflow among others since it may slightly be expensive.

Rack Accessories – Shelves, drawers, cable trays, power distribution units or PDUs are some of the other accessories that are available and take the total cost of a rack higher.

Rack Installation & Setup Costs

In addition to the rack hardware, there are also costs associated with properly installing and setting up a rack in a data center facility:

Rack Mounting – It involves the cost of labor and material which may take between $100 and $500 for each rack to mount and make stable.

Power & Cooling – The acquisition of the appropriate power circuits, PDUs, and cooling connections may range from $ 500 – $ 2000 per rack space.

Network Connection – Connecting the rack to the wiring of the data center brings an additional $200 – $1000.

Rack Monitoring – Adding the rack to the data center’s Remote Monitoring of the physical infrastructure also costs between $100 and $500.

Rack Utilization Costs

Beyond the initial setup, there are also ongoing costs associated with actually utilizing the rack to house IT equipment:

Data Center Space – The floor space of a single rack can be as pricey as $50 – $200 per sq ft per year on rent or leasing costs.

Power Consumption – The electricity consumption by the equipment placed in a full rack incurs an extra $1000-$10000 per annum in terms of power bills.

Cooling Requirement - The cooling that is required to cool a fully loaded rack further can be an expense of AS 500 to AS 5,000 per Annum mainly for HVACs.

Maintenance & Support - Annual inspection, & service, coupled with technical support for a rack costs between $500 – $5,000.

Thus, overall, the cost of the hardware, the installation, and the constant usage of the rack in one data center may vary from $5000 to $50000 per 12 months depending upon its specifications and the demands placed on the infrastructure.