IBM Power Hardware Pricing
What IBM Power8, Power9, Power10, and Power11 hardware actually costs to acquire today: used, refurbished, and new-quote ranges, modeled from active secondary-market dealer data.
IBM does not publish a fixed list price for any current or recent Power generation. New hardware is quote-based; used and refurbished hardware is dealer-priced and varies by condition, warranty, and included support transfer. The ranges below are modeled from patterns observed across active secondary-market dealers and one real published new-build example, not a price list.
How to read these ranges
IBM does not publish fixed list prices for Power hardware at any generation; new units are quote-based and used units are dealer-priced. The ranges below are modeled from patterns observed across active secondary-market dealers (Alta Technologies, Spectra Logic, Flagship Technologies, EssentialTech) and eBay completed listings, plus one real published new-build example configuration from Midland Information Systems for Power10/Power11. Treat every range as directional, not a quote.
Typical acquisition price range by generation and market condition
| Generation | Market Status | Entry Config Range | Mid/Enterprise Config Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power8 | Used / off-support only | $300 - $2,500 | $3,000 - $15,000 | Deep secondary-market discounts; standard IBM service already ended. Treat as parts-risk hardware or a stopgap, not a strategic buy. |
| Power9 | Used / just exited standard service | $1,500 - $6,000 | $8,000 - $35,000 | Best current $-per-CPW zone; heavy dealer trade-in volume as customers move off Power9 toward Power10/11. |
| Power10 | Used (new wave) + closeout new | $6,000 - $18,000 | $25,000 - $90,000+ | Just withdrawn from new-unit marketing (31 Jul 2026); pricing is actively transitioning from IBM new-build quotes to dealer resale. |
| Power11 | New only (quote-based) | $10,000 - $30,000+ | $45,000 - $150,000+ | Current generation, no secondary market yet. A real published example: an S1122 with 1 IBM i partition, 10 users, 128 GB memory priced at $33,303.98 hardware plus $36,664.00 IBM i software (Midland Information Systems). |
Ranges are hardware acquisition only and exclude IBM i/AIX/Linux software tier licensing, maintenance, and services -- see IBM i Tier Economics and Annualized Ownership Cost for those layers.
Relative acquisition cost efficiency (cost per unit of CPW capacity, indexed)
This index reflects acquisition cost only, normalized against CPW capacity delivered. It intentionally ignores remaining useful life and software economics, which the full Power Value Index accounts for -- see Power Value Index for the blended score.
| Generation | Cost-Efficiency Index (100 = best) | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Power8 | 80 | Cheapest to acquire, but you are buying capacity with no support runway left. |
| Power9 | 88 | Best blend right now of low acquisition cost and real usable capacity. |
| Power10 | 70 | Good efficiency; premium has not fully unwound yet as the secondary market forms. |
| Power11 | 40 | Lowest cost-efficiency by this measure -- you pay full price for zero market discount. |
Sources
- https://altatechnologies.com/collections/ibm-power10
- https://altatechnologies.com/collections/ibm-power9
- https://www.spectra.com/ibm/used-servers/index.htm
- https://store.flagshiptech.com/ibm-iseries-power10-servers/
- https://essentialtechinc.com/servers/ibm-servers/ibm-power-systems/ibm-power9-p9-servers/
- https://www.midlandinfosys.com/power-10-pricing-guide