diff --git a/app/components/TimeAgo.tsx b/app/components/TimeAgo.tsx
index 0f93874212..2aa463f834 100644
--- a/app/components/TimeAgo.tsx
+++ b/app/components/TimeAgo.tsx
@@ -26,10 +26,8 @@ export const TimeAgo = ({
     </div>
   )
   return (
-    <span className="mt-0.5">
-      <Tooltip content={content} placement={placement}>
-        <span className="text-sans-sm text-tertiary">{timeAgoAbbr(datetime)}</span>
-      </Tooltip>
-    </span>
+    <Tooltip content={content} placement={placement}>
+      <span className="text-sans-sm text-tertiary">{timeAgoAbbr(datetime)}</span>
+    </Tooltip>
   )
 }
diff --git a/app/pages/project/instances/InstancesPage.tsx b/app/pages/project/instances/InstancesPage.tsx
index a00ae3eb35..073807b0db 100644
--- a/app/pages/project/instances/InstancesPage.tsx
+++ b/app/pages/project/instances/InstancesPage.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
  * Copyright Oxide Computer Company
  */
 import { createColumnHelper } from '@tanstack/react-table'
+import { filesize } from 'filesize'
 import { useMemo } from 'react'
 import { useNavigate, type LoaderFunctionArgs } from 'react-router-dom'
 
@@ -20,7 +21,6 @@ import { Instances16Icon, Instances24Icon } from '@oxide/design-system/icons/rea
 import { DocsPopover } from '~/components/DocsPopover'
 import { RefreshButton } from '~/components/RefreshButton'
 import { getProjectSelector, useProjectSelector, useQuickActions } from '~/hooks'
-import { InstanceResourceCell } from '~/table/cells/InstanceResourceCell'
 import { InstanceStatusCell } from '~/table/cells/InstanceStatusCell'
 import { makeLinkCell } from '~/table/cells/LinkCell'
 import { getActionsCol } from '~/table/columns/action-col'
@@ -99,21 +99,32 @@ export function InstancesPage() {
       colHelper.accessor('name', {
         cell: makeLinkCell((instance) => pb.instance({ project, instance })),
       }),
-      colHelper.accessor((i) => ({ ncpus: i.ncpus, memory: i.memory }), {
-        header: 'CPU, RAM',
-        cell: (info) => <InstanceResourceCell value={info.getValue()} />,
+      colHelper.accessor('ncpus', {
+        header: 'CPU',
+        cell: (info) => (
+          <>
+            {info.getValue()} <span className="ml-1 text-quaternary">vCPU</span>
+          </>
+        ),
+      }),
+      colHelper.accessor('memory', {
+        header: 'Memory',
+        cell: (info) => {
+          const memory = filesize(info.getValue(), { output: 'object', base: 2 })
+          return (
+            <>
+              {memory.value} <span className="ml-1 text-quaternary">{memory.unit}</span>
+            </>
+          )
+        },
       }),
       colHelper.accessor(
-        (i) => ({
-          runState: i.runState,
-          timeRunStateUpdated: i.timeRunStateUpdated,
-        }),
+        (i) => ({ runState: i.runState, timeRunStateUpdated: i.timeRunStateUpdated }),
         {
           header: 'status',
           cell: (info) => <InstanceStatusCell value={info.getValue()} />,
         }
       ),
-      colHelper.accessor('hostname', {}),
       colHelper.accessor('timeCreated', Columns.timeCreated),
       getActionsCol(makeActions),
     ],
@@ -137,7 +148,7 @@ export function InstancesPage() {
         <RefreshButton onClick={refetchInstances} />
         <CreateLink to={pb.instancesNew({ project })}>New Instance</CreateLink>
       </TableActions>
-      <Table columns={columns} emptyState={<EmptyState />} rowHeight="large" />
+      <Table columns={columns} emptyState={<EmptyState />} />
     </>
   )
 }
diff --git a/app/pages/system/inventory/sled/SledInstancesTab.tsx b/app/pages/system/inventory/sled/SledInstancesTab.tsx
index 18117d37d9..2272d2a266 100644
--- a/app/pages/system/inventory/sled/SledInstancesTab.tsx
+++ b/app/pages/system/inventory/sled/SledInstancesTab.tsx
@@ -56,16 +56,17 @@ const staticCols = [
       )
     },
   }),
+  // we don't show run state last update time like on project instances because
+  // it's not in this response
   colHelper.accessor('state', {
     header: 'status',
-    cell: (info) => <InstanceStatusBadge key="run-state" status={info.getValue()} />,
+    cell: (info) => <InstanceStatusBadge status={info.getValue()} />,
   }),
   colHelper.accessor((i) => R.pick(i, ['memory', 'ncpus']), {
     header: 'specs',
     cell: (info) => <InstanceResourceCell value={info.getValue()} />,
   }),
   colHelper.accessor('timeCreated', Columns.timeCreated),
-  colHelper.accessor('timeModified', Columns.timeModified),
 ]
 
 export function SledInstancesTab() {
diff --git a/app/table/cells/InstanceStatusCell.tsx b/app/table/cells/InstanceStatusCell.tsx
index 30b94b78a5..959cdc3457 100644
--- a/app/table/cells/InstanceStatusCell.tsx
+++ b/app/table/cells/InstanceStatusCell.tsx
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ type Props = { value: Pick<Instance, 'runState' | 'timeRunStateUpdated'> }
 
 export const InstanceStatusCell = ({ value }: Props) => {
   return (
-    <div className="flex flex-col">
-      <InstanceStatusBadge key="run-state" status={value.runState} />
+    <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
+      <InstanceStatusBadge status={value.runState} />
       <TimeAgo tooltipText="Run state updated" datetime={value.timeRunStateUpdated} />
     </div>
   )
diff --git a/mock-api/instance.ts b/mock-api/instance.ts
index bfdfe5597f..c519297c02 100644
--- a/mock-api/instance.ts
+++ b/mock-api/instance.ts
@@ -7,14 +7,16 @@
  */
 import type { Instance } from '@oxide/api'
 
+import { GiB } from '~/util/units'
+
 import type { Json } from './json-type'
 import { project } from './project'
 
 export const instance: Json<Instance> = {
   id: '935499b3-fd96-432a-9c21-83a3dc1eece4',
   name: 'db1',
-  ncpus: 7,
-  memory: 1024 * 1024 * 256,
+  ncpus: 2,
+  memory: 4 * GiB,
   description: 'an instance',
   hostname: 'oxide.com',
   project_id: project.id,
@@ -27,8 +29,8 @@ export const instance: Json<Instance> = {
 const failedInstance: Json<Instance> = {
   id: 'b5946edc-5bed-4597-88ab-9a8beb9d32a4',
   name: 'you-fail',
-  ncpus: 7,
-  memory: 1024 * 1024 * 256,
+  ncpus: 4,
+  memory: 6 * GiB,
   description: 'a failed instance',
   hostname: 'oxide.com',
   project_id: project.id,
@@ -41,8 +43,8 @@ const failedInstance: Json<Instance> = {
 const startingInstance: Json<Instance> = {
   id: '16737f54-1f76-4c96-8b7c-9d24971c1d62',
   name: 'not-there-yet',
-  ncpus: 7,
-  memory: 1024 * 1024 * 256,
+  ncpus: 2,
+  memory: 8 * GiB,
   description: 'a starting instance',
   hostname: 'oxide.com',
   project_id: project.id,
diff --git a/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts b/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts
index 973b44d006..204bd22bd9 100644
--- a/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright Oxide Computer Company
  */
-import { expect, refreshInstance, sleep, test } from './utils'
+import { expect, expectRowVisible, refreshInstance, sleep, test } from './utils'
 
 test('can delete a failed instance', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/projects/mock-project/instances')
@@ -78,3 +78,27 @@ test('delete from instance detail', async ({ page }) => {
   await expect(page.getByRole('cell', { name: 'db1' })).toBeVisible()
   await expect(page.getByRole('cell', { name: 'you-fail' })).toBeHidden()
 })
+
+test('instance table', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto('/projects/mock-project/instances')
+
+  const table = page.getByRole('table')
+  await expectRowVisible(table, {
+    name: 'db1',
+    CPU: '2 vCPU',
+    Memory: '4 GiB',
+    status: expect.stringMatching(/^running\d+s$/),
+  })
+  await expectRowVisible(table, {
+    name: 'you-fail',
+    CPU: '4 vCPU',
+    Memory: '6 GiB',
+    status: expect.stringMatching(/^failed\d+s$/),
+  })
+  await expectRowVisible(table, {
+    name: 'not-there-yet',
+    CPU: '2 vCPU',
+    Memory: '8 GiB',
+    status: expect.stringMatching(/^starting\d+s$/),
+  })
+})