AMD Instinct MI100 vs Intel Arc A770 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains a single shared benchmark between the AMD Instinct MI100 and the Intel Arc A770: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Instinct MI100 posts a score of 139,035, while the Intel Arc A770 records 109,175. The delta is 27.4% in favor of the AMD part. This is not a marginal lead; in raw compute throughput, the MI100 is over a quarter faster in this particular OpenCL workload.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the gap. The MI100 sits at the 96th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 139,035. Its closest competitor in the database, the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 138,063, placing the MI100 0.7% ahead. The Tesla V100 SXM2 32 GB trails by 0.9% with 137,731. The AMD Radeon PRO V620 is 1.9% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo is 2.4% behind. In other words, the MI100 occupies a narrow performance band at the very top of the database's OpenCL results, where even the smallest percentage shifts matter.

The Intel Arc A770, by contrast, records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 109,175, which places it at the 90th percentile. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 68,809, a figure dragged down by its other benchmark entries. The A770's nearest rivals are a mixed set: the NVIDIA CMP 90HX comes in at 69,000, effectively a 0.3% gap in the A770's favor; the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 scores 68,562, which is 0.4% behind the A770; the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 is 1.5% ahead of the A770; and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 leads by 1.7%. The A770's standing in the database is therefore far less dominant than that of the MI100. It trades blows with workstation and mining-class parts from the previous generation, whereas the MI100 sits above a cluster of high-end data center accelerators.

It is worth remembering the Intel Arc A770 has additional benchmark entries in the database that the MI100 lacks. The A770 records a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,969 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 94,284. These tests have no direct counterpart for the MI100, so they cannot be used for a head-to-head comparison. The OpenCL result remains the only direct point of intersection, and on that test the MI100 is the clear winner.

The win tally in the database is 1 for the AMD Instinct MI100 and 0 for the Intel Arc A770. That asymmetry is a direct consequence of the benchmark overlap, but it also reflects a genuine compute performance gap: the MI100's 23.07 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput versus the A770's 19.66 TFLOPS is a 17.3% difference in raw shader output. The MI100 also delivers 46.14 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1), against the A770's 39.32 TFLOPS (2:1). These figures are consistent with the OpenCL delta, even if the benchmark itself is a single data point.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only shared benchmark in the database?

A: The AMD Instinct MI100 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 139,035 against the Intel Arc A770's 109,175, a 27.4% advantage.

Q: How does the AMD Instinct MI100 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The MI100 is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 PCIe 16 GB, 0.9% ahead of the Tesla V100 SXM2 32 GB, 1.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V620, and 2.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo. It ranks at the 96th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How does the Intel Arc A770 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The A770 is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 90HX and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25, but 1.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 and 1.7% behind the NVIDIA Quadro P6000. It ranks at the 90th percentile.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A770 have any benchmark results the MI100 lacks?

A: Yes. The A770 records a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,969 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 94,284. The MI100 has no corresponding entries in the database for these tests.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each GPU?

A: The MI100 has 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 1.23 TB/s of bandwidth. The A770 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the maximum FP32 throughput for each GPU?

A: The MI100 delivers 23.07 TFLOPS of FP32, while the A770 delivers 19.66 TFLOPS.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Instinct MI100 is built on the CDNA 1.0 architecture, using the Arcturus chip, and is part of the Instinct (MIx) generation. The Intel Arc A770 uses the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-512 chip, belonging to the Alchemist (Arc 7) generation. The MI100 is a compute-focused accelerator with no display outputs; the A770 is a consumer-oriented graphics card with 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs.

Fabrication processes differ as well. The MI100 is manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm node, while the A770 uses TSMC's 6 nm node. The MI100 die is substantially larger at 750 mm² versus the A770's 406 mm². Transistor counts follow the die size: the MI100 packs 25,600 million transistors, the A770 has 21,700 million. Interestingly, the A770 achieves a higher transistor density, 53.4M per mm², compared to the MI100's 34.1M per mm², reflecting the newer process node.

Compute resources are organized differently. The MI100 has 7,680 shading units, 480 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The A770 has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The A770 additionally includes 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the MI100. Neither GPU has tensor cores listed in the database, though the MI100's CDNA architecture is designed for matrix-heavy workloads through other means.

Clock speeds show the A770 running much higher. The MI100 has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1502 MHz. The A770 runs at 2100 MHz base and 2400 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: the MI100's HBM2 runs at 1200 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective), while the A770's GDDR6 runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The MI100 compensates with a 4096-bit bus and 32 GB capacity versus the A770's 256-bit bus and 16 GB capacity.

The memory type is a fundamental architectural split. HBM2 on the MI100 delivers 1.23 TB/s of bandwidth, whereas the A770's GDDR6 provides 512.0 GB/s. The MI100's bandwidth advantage is a direct result of its extremely wide bus, which is typical for compute accelerators. The A770's narrower bus is standard for consumer graphics cards where cost and board complexity matter more.

Power and interface specifications also diverge. The MI100 has a TDP of 300 W and requires two 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 700 W. The A770 has a TDP of 225 W, uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, and suggests a 550 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards and both use PCIe 4.0 x16. The MI100 measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height; the A770's dimensions are not recorded in the database.

API support reveals their different target markets. The MI100 lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan as N/A, meaning it is not intended for graphics rendering in the traditional sense. The A770 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI100's lack of display outputs confirms its role as a compute-only device, while the A770's output suite and API support make it a full graphics solution.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear division of roles. The AMD Instinct MI100 is the stronger compute device. Its 27.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, 23.07 TFLOPS of FP32, and 46.14 TFLOPS of FP16 place it in a performance class above the Intel Arc A770. It also ranks higher in the database, at the 96th percentile versus the A770's 90th. For workloads that rely on OpenCL compute, FP32 or FP16 throughput, and high memory bandwidth, the MI100 is the superior choice.

The Intel Arc A770 is not a compute accelerator in the same sense. It is a graphics card with ray tracing cores, a full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set, and display outputs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,969 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 94,284 have no MI100 counterpart, meaning the A770 offers capabilities the MI100 simply does not have. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest compared to the MI100, but they serve a different purpose.

Who should pick which? A user with compute-heavy OpenCL workloads, large datasets that benefit from 32 GB of HBM2, or FP16 throughput requirements should choose the AMD Instinct MI100. Its 1.23 TB/s of memory bandwidth is the highest recorded figure between the two, and its 96th percentile ranking indicates top-tier performance in the database. A user who needs a graphics card with modern API support, ray tracing, and display outputs should choose the Intel Arc A770. Its 32 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are features the MI100 lacks entirely.

The A770 also has the advantage of a lower power draw, 225 W versus 300 W, and a lower suggested PSU, 550 W versus 700 W. It is also a newer product, released in October 2022 versus November 2020 for the MI100. The MI100 is end-of-life, and the A770 is also end-of-life with a successor named Battlemage. Neither card is in active production.

In summary, the MI100 wins the only direct benchmark comparison, and it wins by a significant margin. But the A770 wins in every category that involves graphics rendering, API support, and connectivity. The choice depends entirely on whether the workload is compute-bound or graphics-bound.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Instinct MI100 | Intel Arc A770 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | CDNA 1.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Chip | Arcturus | DG2-512 |

| Generation | Instinct (MIx) | Alchemist (Arc 7) |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 25,600 million | 21,700 million |

| Die Size | 750 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 34.1M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 2100 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1502 MHz | 2400 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1200 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 32 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 4096 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.23 TB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 7680 | 4096 |

| TMUs | 480 | 256 |

| ROPs | 64 | 128 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 96.13 GPixel/s | 307.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 721.0 GTexel/s | 614.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 23.07 TFLOPS | 19.66 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 46.14 TFLOPS (2:1) | 39.32 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 225 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 550 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 |

| DirectX | N/A | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2020-11-15 | 2022-10-11 |

| Predecessor | Radeon Instinct | Xe Graphics |

| Successor | None | Battlemage |

| Launch MSRP | None | 329 USD |

The MI100 leads in compute resources, memory capacity, bandwidth, and FP32/FP16 throughput. The A770 leads in clock speeds, pixel rate, ray tracing support, API compatibility, and display outputs. The A770 also carries a launch MSRP of 329 USD, while the MI100 has no recorded launch MSRP.