AMD Instinct MI308X vs AMD Radeon 740M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The AMD Instinct MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, while the AMD Radeon 740M delivers 2.867 TFLOPS FP32. The MI308X is roughly 28.5 times faster in raw FP32 compute.

Q: What are the benchmark scores for the AMD Radeon 740M?

A: The Radeon 740M records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 10,172 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 15,568. Its average benchmark score is 12,870, placing it in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How does the Radeon 740M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon 740M sits within 0.4% of several competitors. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD FirePro W5100, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 455 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580.

Q: What memory configurations do the two GPUs use?

A: The Instinct MI308X uses 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 740M uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Q: What are the process nodes and transistor counts?

A: The Instinct MI308X uses a 5 nm process with 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die. The Radeon 740M uses a 4 nm process with 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die.

Q: What is the difference in TDP between the two?

A: The Instinct MI308X has a TDP of 750 W with a suggested PSU of 1150 W. The Radeon 740M has a TDP of 45 W with no suggested PSU listed.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Instinct MI308X and AMD Radeon 740M represent two entirely different design philosophies within AMD's lineup. The MI308X is built on the CDNA 3.0 architecture, a compute-optimized design for data center workloads. The Radeon 740M uses RDNA 3.0, a graphics-oriented architecture for integrated processors.

The manufacturing processes differ. The MI308X uses a 5 nm process at TSMC with 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 150.4M per mm². The Radeon 740M uses a 4 nm process at TSMC with 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die, resulting in a slightly higher density of 152.6M per mm².

Clock behavior is notably different. The MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2100 MHz. The Radeon 740M has a lower base clock of 800 MHz but a much higher boost clock of 2800 MHz. This reflects the different thermal and power constraints of each design.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The MI308X features 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus, delivering 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 740M relies on System Shared memory, meaning its bandwidth is System Dependent and varies with the host platform.

The shading resources show a massive disparity. The MI308X has 19,456 shading units and 1,216 texture mapping units, while the Radeon 740M has 256 shading units and 16 TMUs. The MI308X has zero ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s, whereas the Radeon 740M has 8 ROPs and a pixel rate of 22.40 GPixel/s. The texture rates are 2,553.6 GTexel/s for the MI308X and 44.80 GTexel/s for the Radeon 740M.

The Radeon 740M includes 4 ray tracing cores, while the MI308X has none listed. Neither GPU has tensor cores listed. The MI308X supports no graphics APIs (DirectX, OpenGL, Vulkan all N/A), while the Radeon 740M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The bus interfaces differ as well. The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Radeon 740M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The MI308X is an OAM Module with no display outputs, while the Radeon 740M is an IGP with motherboard-dependent display outputs.

Release dates show the MI308X launched on 2023-12-05, while the Radeon 740M launched on 2024-01-30. The MI308X's predecessor is Radeon Instinct, and the Radeon 740M's predecessor is Navi II IGP. The Radeon 740M's successor is Navi III IGP.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear division of purpose. The AMD Instinct MI308X is a data center compute accelerator with no display outputs, no graphics API support, and a 750 W TDP. Its 192 GB of HBM3 memory and 5.32 TB/s bandwidth serve large-scale compute tasks, and its 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 throughput targets heavy numerical workloads.

The AMD Radeon 740M is an integrated graphics processor designed for conventional systems. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, has display outputs through the motherboard, and operates at 45 W. Its benchmark scores place it in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 12,870.

The MI308X has no recorded benchmark scores and no nearest rivals in the database. Its percentile vs all GPUs is 50, but this is based on zero measurements. The Radeon 740M has two recorded benchmarks and a percentile of 53.

Users requiring a GPU for gaming, desktop graphics, or API-accelerated applications should select the Radeon 740M, as the MI308X offers no graphics functionality. Users needing massive memory capacity, extreme memory bandwidth, and high FP32 compute for server workloads should select the MI308X, but the database contains no performance measurements to validate its compute claims.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across every major specification category. The architecture differs: CDNA 3.0 for the MI308X versus RDNA 3.0 for the Radeon 740M. Process nodes differ: 5 nm versus 4 nm. Transistor counts differ: 153,000 million versus 20,900 million. Die sizes differ: 1017 mm² versus 137 mm².

Clock speeds differ. The MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz. The Radeon 740M has a base of 800 MHz and boost of 2800 MHz.

Memory differs completely. The MI308X uses 192 GB HBM3 with 8192-bit bus and 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 740M uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Compute resources differ. Shading units are 19,456 versus 256. TMUs are 1,216 versus 16. ROPs are 0 versus 8. The MI308X has no RT cores, while the Radeon 740M has 4.

Pixel rates differ: 0 MPixel/s versus 22.40 GPixel/s. Texture rates differ: 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 44.80 GTexel/s. FP32 performance differs: 81.72 TFLOPS versus 2.867 TFLOPS. FP16 performance also differs: 81.72 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 2.867 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP differs: 750 W versus 45 W. Slot widths differ: OAM Module versus IGP. Both use no power connectors. The suggested PSU for the MI308X is 1150 W, while the Radeon 740M has none listed.

Bus interfaces differ: PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs differ: No outputs versus Motherboard Dependent. API support differs: the MI308X has N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, while the Radeon 740M has 12 Ultimate (12_2), 4.6, and 1.4 respectively.

Release dates differ: 2023-12-05 versus 2024-01-30. Production status differs: the MI308X has none listed, while the Radeon 740M is Active.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between the Instinct MI308X and the Radeon 740M. The wins count shows 0 for each GPU. The MI308X has an empty benchmarks array, meaning no Geekbench or other test scores are recorded.

The Radeon 740M's recorded data provides context for its standing. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 10,172 and Vulkan score of 15,568 produce an average of 12,870. This average places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals show a tight competitive cluster: the AMD FirePro W5100 scores 12,847 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro 455 scores 12,831 (0.3% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 scores 12,830 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 12,928 (0.4% ahead).

The MI308X shows a percentile of 50 against all GPUs, but with zero benchmark scores, this figure carries no empirical weight. The 0 wins in head-to-head comparisons reflect the absence of test data rather than a lack of capability.

The FP32 comparison offers the only quantitative performance contrast. The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS, which is 28.5 times the Radeon 740M's 2.867 TFLOPS. The texture rate comparison shows the MI308X at 2,553.6 GTexel/s, which is 57 times the Radeon 740M's 44.80 GTexel/s. The pixel rate comparison favors the Radeon 740M, as the MI308X produces 0 MPixel/s.

Memory bandwidth shows the MI308X at 5.32 TB/s, while the Radeon 740M's bandwidth is System Dependent and therefore unquantified in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Instinct MI308X wins in every compute-focused specification. Its FP32 throughput of 81.72 TFLOPS dwarfs the Radeon 740M's 2.867 TFLOPS. Its texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s exceeds the Radeon 740M's 44.80 GTexel/s by a factor of 57. Its memory capacity of 192 GB with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth provides a vast data working set that the Radeon 740M's System Shared memory cannot match.

The MI308X also wins on transistor count, die size, shading units, TMUs, memory bus width, and TDP. Its 750 W power envelope and 1150 W suggested PSU indicate a system-level commitment to sustained compute workloads. Its PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides double the lane bandwidth of the Radeon 740M's PCIe 4.0 x8.

The AMD Radeon 740M wins in graphics-centric and efficiency-focused areas. It has 8 ROPs versus the MI308X's 0, producing 22.40 GPixel/s versus 0 MPixel/s. It includes 4 ray tracing cores, which the MI308X lacks entirely. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI308X supports no graphics APIs.

The Radeon 740M operates at 45 W, a 16.7x lower power draw than the MI308X's 750 W. It has a higher boost clock at 2800 MHz versus 2100 MHz, and a smaller die at 137 mm² versus 1017 mm². Its 4 nm process node is more advanced than the MI308X's 5 nm node.

The Radeon 740M also wins on production status, listed as Active, and on benchmark data availability. Its two recorded Geekbench scores and 53rd percentile ranking provide actionable performance context, whereas the MI308X has no recorded benchmarks.

The pixel rate comparison is decisive for display-oriented tasks. The Radeon 740M's 22.40 GPixel/s enables graphical output, while the MI308X's 0 MPixel/s confirms its role as a compute-only accelerator with no display capability. The API support difference reinforces this split: the Radeon 740M supports the full graphics stack, while the MI308X lists N/A for all three major APIs.