AMD Instinct MI300X vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation Comparison

The Verdict

The data positions these two accelerators at opposite ends of the compute spectrum. The AMD Instinct MI300X is a massive data-center accelerator designed for maximum throughput, while the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation is a compact workstation card aimed at professional visualization. The benchmark record shows a single head-to-head comparison in Geekbench OpenCL, where the MI300X delivered a score of 317,994 against the RTX 4000 Ada's 146,593, a 116.9% advantage for AMD. The RTX 4000 Ada sits at the 95th percentile of all GPUs, while the MI300X ranks at the 100th percentile, meaning the AMD part outperforms every other recorded GPU in the database.

For users needing raw compute for large-scale workloads, the MI300X is the clear choice based on the recorded data. It also has 192 GB of HBM3 memory with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth, making it suited for massive datasets. For workstation users who need display outputs, a single-slot form factor, and a 130 W power draw, the RTX 4000 Ada is the practical option. The RTX 4000 Ada supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI300X reports no graphics API support at all, reinforcing that the AMD card is not intended for interactive graphics.

Architecture Differences

The MI300X uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture on AMD's Aqua Vanjaram chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 153,000 million transistors across a 1017 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 150.4 million per mm². The RTX 4000 Ada uses NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture on the AD104 chip, also on a 5 nm TSMC process, but with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a density of 121.8 million per mm². The MI300X die is over three times larger in area and holds more than four times the transistor count.

The MI300X has 19,456 shading units and 1,216 texture mapping units, but reports zero ROPs and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. Its texture rate is 2,553.6 GTexel/s. The RTX 4000 Ada has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 417.6 GTexel/s. The RTX 4000 Ada also includes 48 ray-tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, while the MI300X reports no dedicated RT or tensor core counts in the database.

Memory architecture differs fundamentally. The MI300X uses 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus, achieving 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4000 Ada uses 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, yielding 360.0 GB/s. The memory clock for the MI300X is listed as 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective, while the RTX 4000 Ada runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective. The MI300X has no display outputs, while the RTX 4000 Ada provides four DisplayPort 1.4a connections.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL. The MI300X scores 317,994, and the RTX 4000 Ada scores 146,593. The delta is 116.9% in favor of AMD. This is not a close contest; the MI300X more than doubles the RTX 4000 Ada's OpenCL score.

To contextualize the MI300X's performance, the nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA H200 NVL at 334,891 (5% higher), the NVIDIA B200 at 345,482 (8% higher), the NVIDIA L40S at 295,763 (7.5% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation at 287,237 (10.7% lower). The MI300X sits between the L40S and the H200 NVL, closer to the higher-end NVIDIA parts. Its 100th percentile ranking indicates no recorded GPU exceeds it in the overall distribution, though the rival scores show some individual parts do beat it in this specific test.

For the RTX 4000 Ada, the nearest rivals are tightly clustered. The NVIDIA A10M scores 135,230 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 scores 135,396 (0.1% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo scores 135,774 (0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 scores 136,472 (0.9% lower). The RTX 4000 Ada's 146,593 score places it slightly above this cluster, but the differences are minimal, all within 1% of each other. This suggests the RTX 4000 Ada performs in line with mid-range workstation cards from the previous generation, while the MI300X competes at the top of the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score?

A: The AMD Instinct MI300X scores 317,994 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation scores 146,593. The MI300X leads by 116.9%.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The MI300X has 192 GB of HBM3 memory with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4000 Ada has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory with 360.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Can the MI300X output to displays?

A: No. The MI300X reports no display outputs. The RTX 4000 Ada has four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The MI300X has a TDP of 750 W and a suggested PSU of 1150 W. The RTX 4000 Ada has a TDP of 130 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada includes 48 ray-tracing cores and reports DirectX 12 Ultimate support. The MI300X reports no ray-tracing cores and lists its DirectX API as N/A.

Q: How do the two compare in transistor count?

A: The MI300X has 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die. The RTX 4000 Ada has 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die.

Where Each One Wins

The MI300X wins decisively in raw compute. Its OpenCL score of 317,994 is more than double the RTX 4000 Ada's 146,593. It also offers 192 GB of memory versus 20 GB, and bandwidth of 5.32 TB/s versus 360.0 GB/s. The MI300X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 TMUs, and a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s, all far exceeding the RTX 4000 Ada's 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 417.6 GTexel/s. For FP32 and FP16 compute, the MI300X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS in both, while the RTX 4000 Ada delivers 26.73 TFLOPS in both.

The RTX 4000 Ada wins in areas relevant to workstation use. It has display outputs, a single-slot form factor, and a 130 W TDP compared to the MI300X's 750 W. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI300X reports N/A for all three. The RTX 4000 Ada has 64 ROPs and a pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s, whereas the MI300X has 0 ROPs and 0 MPixel/s. The RTX 4000 Ada also includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, features absent from the MI300X's recorded specifications. The RTX 4000 Ada uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and fits in a 245 mm length, while the MI300X uses PCIe 5.0 x16 and comes as an OAM module with no power connectors listed.

Specification Differences

The two accelerators differ across nearly every major specification category. The MI300X uses CDNA 3.0 architecture with the Aqua Vanjaram chip, while the RTX 4000 Ada uses Ada Lovelace with the AD104 chip. Both are on a 5 nm TSMC process, but the MI300X die is 1017 mm² versus 294 mm², and transistor counts are 153,000 million versus 35,800 million. Transistor density is 150.4M per mm² for AMD and 121.8M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Clock speeds differ: the MI300X has a 1000 MHz base and 2100 MHz boost, while the RTX 4000 Ada has a 1500 MHz base and 2175 MHz boost. Memory configurations are entirely different: 192 GB HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus versus 20 GB GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus. Bandwidth is 5.32 TB/s versus 360.0 GB/s. Memory clocks are 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Compute resources: the MI300X has 19,456 shading units and 1,216 TMUs, while the RTX 4000 Ada has 6,144 shading units and 192 TMUs. The MI300X has 0 ROPs and 0 MPixel/s pixel rate; the RTX 4000 Ada has 64 ROPs and 139.2 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 417.6 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 are 81.72 TFLOPS for AMD versus 26.73 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. The MI300X has no RT cores or tensor cores listed; the RTX 4000 Ada has 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores.

Power and physical specs: the MI300X has a 750 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 1150 W, uses an OAM Module slot width, and has no power connectors. The RTX 4000 Ada has a 130 W TDP, a suggested PSU of 300 W, a single-slot width, and one 16-pin connector. The MI300X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, the RTX 4000 Ada uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The MI300X has no display outputs; the RTX 4000 Ada has four DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 4000 Ada measures 245 mm in length and 112 mm in height; the MI300X has no recorded dimensions. The RTX 4000 Ada supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4; the MI300X reports N/A for all graphics APIs. Release dates are 2023-12-05 for the MI300X and 2023-08-08 for the RTX 4000 Ada. The MI300X's predecessor is Radeon Instinct, while the RTX 4000 Ada's predecessor is Workstation Ampere and its successor is Blackwell PRO W.