AMD Instinct MI100 vs AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark recorded in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The AMD Instinct MI100 scores 139,035 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 85,040 points. This gives the MI100 a 63.5% lead, making it the clear winner in this specific compute test. The margin is substantial, indicating a significant gap in raw compute throughput under the OpenCL API.

Looking at the broader database context, the MI100’s score of 139,035 places it in the 96th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB (138,063, 0.7% slower), the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 32 GB (137,731, 0.9% slower), the AMD Radeon PRO V620 (136,472, 1.9% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo (135,774, 2.4% slower). This shows the MI100 sits at the top of its immediate competitive set, edging out these accelerators by small but consistent margins.

The RX 6850M XT, by contrast, averages 78,940 across all its recorded benchmarks, placing it in the 92nd percentile. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, which is 0.6% faster), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, 0.8% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842, 1.1% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (77,712, which is 1.6% slower). The RX 6850M XT is therefore competitive with these parts, trading places within a narrow band of roughly 2.7 percentage points.

It is important to note that the RX 6850M XT has additional benchmark entries in the database, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,257, a Geekbench Metal score of 128,981, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 99,483. These results, however, have no corresponding MI100 entry, so a direct head-to-head comparison for those tests is not possible. The single recorded matchup remains the OpenCL test, where the MI100’s advantage is unambiguous.

The data also shows that the MI100’s average benchmark score (139,035) is identical to its single OpenCL result, meaning there is no other data to dilute its standing. The RX 6850M XT’s average (78,940) is pulled down by its lower OpenCL score relative to its Metal and Vulkan results, which suggests the card performs better under some APIs than others. Still, for the one test where both parts were measured under the same conditions, the MI100 is the stronger performer by a wide margin.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only directly comparable benchmark?

A: The AMD Instinct MI100 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 139,035, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT’s 85,040. This represents a 63.5% advantage for the MI100.

Q: How does the MI100 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The MI100’s score of 139,035 places it 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB (138,063), 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 32 GB (137,731), 1.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V620 (136,472), and 2.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo (135,774).

Q: What is the RX 6850M XT’s standing relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6850M XT has an average benchmark score of 78,940. It is 0.6% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396), 0.8% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605), 1.1% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842), and 1.6% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (77,712).

Q: Does the RX 6850M XT have other benchmark results that the MI100 lacks?

A: Yes, the RX 6850M XT has recorded scores for 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (2,257), Geekbench Metal (128,981), and Geekbench Vulkan (99,483). The MI100 has no corresponding entries for these tests in the database.

Q: What are the percentile rankings for both GPUs?

A: The MI100 is in the 96th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6850M XT is in the 92nd percentile. This indicates the MI100 sits higher in the overall performance distribution.

Q: How many head-to-head wins does each GPU have?

A: The MI100 has 1 win, and the RX 6850M XT has 0 wins in directly comparable benchmark tests.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for compute-oriented workloads: the AMD Instinct MI100 is the superior part. Its 63.5% lead in OpenCL performance is not a marginal difference; it is a decisive gap that will translate into meaningfully faster execution for tasks that rely on this API. The MI100 also holds a higher percentile ranking (96th vs. 92nd), which reinforces its position as the stronger overall performer in the database’s broader GPU population.

The RX 6850M XT, however, should not be dismissed outright. Its average score of 78,940 is only slightly below the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants and the GeForce RTX 5090, showing that it is competitive within its own segment. Furthermore, its Metal and Vulkan scores (128,981 and 99,483, respectively) are notably higher than its OpenCL result, suggesting that its performance is API-dependent. For users or applications that leverage Metal or Vulkan, the RX 6850M XT may punch above its OpenCL weight.

That said, the only recorded direct comparison favors the MI100 overwhelmingly. For anyone choosing between these two based strictly on the benchmark evidence, the MI100 is the pick for raw compute throughput. The RX 6850M XT is the pick only if the workload is known to favor its stronger API paths, particularly Metal, and if the lower power envelope and mobile form factor are relevant constraints. The data does not support a scenario where the RX 6850M XT outpaces the MI100 in a like-for-like compute test.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The MI100 uses 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 1.23 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6850M XT uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. The memory clock also differs: the MI100 runs at 1200 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective), while the RX 6850M XT runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Compute resources show a stark contrast. The MI100 has 7,680 shading units, 480 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6850M XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The MI100’s FP32 throughput is 23.07 TFLOPS, and its FP16 throughput is 46.14 TFLOPS (2:1). The RX 6850M XT’s FP32 is 13.21 TFLOPS, and its FP16 is 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1). Pixel and texture rates also favor the MI100: 96.13 GPixel/s and 721.0 GTexel/s for the MI100, versus 165.2 GPixel/s and 413.0 GTexel/s for the RX 6850M XT. Notably, the RX 6850M XT has a higher pixel rate despite lower compute, due to its higher clock speeds.

Clock speeds are considerably different. The MI100 has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1502 MHz. The RX 6850M XT has a base clock of 2321 MHz, a boost clock of 2581 MHz, and a game clock of 2463 MHz. The RX 6850M XT also has 40 ray tracing cores, a feature the MI100 lacks entirely.

Power and physical characteristics diverge sharply. The MI100 is rated at 300 W, is dual-slot, requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 700 W. The RX 6850M XT is rated at 165 W, is an IGP (integrated graphics package), requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU listed. The MI100 has dimensions of 267 mm length and 111 mm height, while the RX 6850M XT has no recorded dimensions.

The MI100 has no display outputs, while the RX 6850M XT has outputs described as “Portable Device Dependent.” The MI100 supports no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan APIs, whereas the RX 6850M XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16. The MI100 is 267 mm long; the RX 6850M XT has no length recorded.

Architecture Differences

The MI100 is built on CDNA 1.0 architecture with the Arcturus chip, while the RX 6850M XT uses RDNA 2.0 with the Navi 22 chip. Both are fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts differ: the MI100 has 25,600 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, giving a density of 34.1M per mm². The RX 6850M XT has 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, giving a density of 51.3M per mm². The higher density of the RX 6850M XT reflects a more compact design, despite the MI100’s larger absolute transistor count.

The MI100 belongs to the Instinct (MIx) generation, while the RX 6850M XT belongs to the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation within the Radeon RX 6000 series. The MI100’s predecessor is listed as Radeon Instinct, while the RX 6850M XT’s predecessor is Polaris Mobile. Both are marked as end-of-life.

The MI100’s CDNA architecture is compute-focused, with no ray tracing cores and no graphics API support. The RX 6850M XT’s RDNA 2.0 architecture includes 40 ray tracing cores and full graphics API support, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. The MI100 has no display outputs, consistent with a server accelerator, while the RX 6850M XT is designed for portable devices with display outputs dependent on the host system.

Memory architecture also reflects their different roles. The MI100 uses HBM2 with a 4096-bit bus and 1.23 TB/s bandwidth, a configuration designed for high-bandwidth compute workloads. The RX 6850M XT uses GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, a more conventional setup for a mobile graphics part. The MI100’s memory clock is lower (1200 MHz) but the bus width compensates, while the RX 6850M XT runs a much higher memory clock (2250 MHz) on a narrower bus.

The release dates differ by over a year: the MI100 was released on 2020-11-15, and the RX 6850M XT on 2022-01-03. Neither has a successor listed in the database. The MI100’s slot width is dual-slot, while the RX 6850M XT is an IGP. The MI100’s power connectors are 2x 8-pin; the RX 6850M XT has none. These architectural choices align with the MI100’s role as a high-power compute accelerator and the RX 6850M XT’s role as a mobile integrated solution.