AMD Instinct MI308X vs AMD Radeon PRO W7900 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Instinct MI308X and AMD Radeon PRO W7900 serve fundamentally different roles, and the recorded data reflects that split clearly. The MI308X is an accelerator module with no display outputs, no raster operation units, and no graphics API support; its entire design is oriented toward compute throughput. The W7900 is a full workstation graphics card with three DisplayPort 2.1 outputs and one mini-DisplayPort 2.1 output, 192 raster operation units, 96 ray tracing cores, and full DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support.

The benchmark database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries for these two products, and the MI308X has no recorded benchmark scores, an average benchmark score of zero, and a percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs. The W7900, by contrast, has two recorded benchmark scores: 84,379 in Geekbench OpenCL and 137,070 in Geekbench Vulkan, with an average benchmark score of 110,725 and a percentile rank of 94.

The MI308X wins on raw compute resources. It carries 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, 192 GB of HBM3 memory, an 8,192-bit memory bus, and 5.32 TB/s of memory bandwidth. It also reaches 81.72 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16 (1:1). The W7900 delivers 61.32 TFLOPS in FP32 and FP16 (1:1), uses 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, and provides 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The MI308X leads in every compute-oriented specification except clock speed and pixel rate, where the W7900's 479.0 GPixel/s versus the MI308X's 0 MPixel/s is a categorical difference rather than a performance gap.

The W7900 wins on graphics capability. It has a texture rate of 958.1 GTexel/s, a pixel rate of 479.0 GPixel/s, and support for three graphics APIs plus ray tracing hardware. The MI308X has a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s but no pixel rate, no ray tracing cores, and no graphics API support. For rasterized or ray-traced visualization workloads, the W7900 is the only one of the two that can function at all.

Architecture Differences

Both chips are manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process, but the similarities end there. The MI308X uses the Aqua Vanjaram chip with CDNA 3.0 architecture, while the W7900 uses the Navi 31 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture and the Plum Bonito codename. The MI308X is part of the Instinct (MIx) generation and the W7900 belongs to the Radeon Pro Navi (Navi III Series) generation.

The transistor counts differ by a factor of roughly 2.65. The MI308X integrates 153,000 million transistors on a 1,017 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 150.4 million per square millimeter. The W7900 integrates 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, yielding a density of 109.1 million per square millimeter. The MI308X uses a larger chip with a higher transistor density, which is consistent with its compute-focused design.

Memory architecture is the most consequential difference. The MI308X uses 192 GB of HBM3 across an 8,192-bit bus, achieving 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth. The W7900 uses 48 GB of GDDR6 across a 384-bit bus, achieving 864.0 GB/s. The MI308X has 4 times the memory capacity and roughly 6.16 times the memory bandwidth of the W7900. The MI308X memory runs at 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective, while the W7900 memory runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective; the MI308X compensates for lower per-pin data rates with a far wider bus.

The clock behavior also differs. The MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2100 MHz. The W7900 has a base clock of 1760 MHz and a boost clock of 2495 MHz. Despite the W7900's higher clocks, the MI308X produces higher absolute FP32 throughput because of its 19,456 shading units versus 6,144, and its 1,216 TMUs versus 384.

The MI308X is an OAM module with no power connectors and no display outputs, using a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. The W7900 is a triple-slot card measuring 280 mm by 110 mm by 51 mm, using two 8-pin power connectors and a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The MI308X has a 750 W TDP and a suggested power supply of 1150 W, while the W7900 has a 295 W TDP and a suggested power supply of 600 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark results for the MI308X and W7900. The MI308X has no benchmark entries at all, so its average benchmark score is zero and its percentile rank is 50. The W7900 has two recorded scores: 84,379 in Geekbench OpenCL and 137,070 in Geekbench Vulkan, producing an average of 110,725 and a percentile rank of 94.

The W7900's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its recorded performance. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II has an average score of 109,617, which is 1 percent lower than the W7900's average. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has an average score of 113,944, which is 2.8 percent higher than the W7900. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600X has an average score of 107,342, which is 3.2 percent lower. The NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB has an average score of 114,395, which is 3.2 percent higher. The W7900 sits close to this cluster, within a range of roughly 3.2 percent above and below its neighbors.

The MI308X cannot be compared on the same basis because it has no recorded benchmark scores. Its 50th percentile rank among all GPUs reflects an absence of performance data, not a measured performance level. The W7900's 94th percentile rank indicates that its recorded average score places it well above most GPUs in the database.

The compute specification comparison is the only quantitative cross-reference available. The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 against the W7900's 61.32 TFLOPS, a difference of 20.4 TFLOPS in favor of the MI308X. The MI308X delivers 2,553.6 GTexel/s against the W7900's 958.1 GTexel/s. The MI308X provides 5.32 TB/s of memory bandwidth against 864.0 GB/s. The W7900's 479.0 GPixel/s has no counterpart in the MI308X, which is rated at 0 MPixel/s.

The Verdict

The recorded data indicates that the AMD Instinct MI308X is built for large-scale compute workloads where memory capacity, memory bandwidth, and FP32 throughput dominate. Its 192 GB of HBM3, 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth, 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, and 2,553.6 GTexel/s texture rate are far beyond what the W7900 provides. Its lack of display outputs, lack of graphics API support, and zero pixel rate mean it cannot serve as a workstation graphics card in any conventional sense.

The AMD Radeon PRO W7900 is the only one of the two with a measurable graphics profile. Its recorded Geekbench scores of 84,379 in OpenCL and 137,070 in Vulkan, its 94th percentile rank, and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 make it a functional choice for graphics-oriented workstations. Its 96 ray tracing cores and 192 ROPs support rasterization and ray tracing workloads that the MI308X cannot handle at all.

Selecting between them depends entirely on the workload. The data supports the MI308X for compute-heavy tasks that require massive memory capacity and bandwidth, such as large model training or inference. The data supports the W7900 for graphics, visualization, and API-based compute tasks where display output, ray tracing, and standard graphics interfaces are required. The W7900 also has a practical advantage in power requirements: a 295 W TDP and a 600 W suggested power supply versus the MI308X's 750 W TDP and 1150 W suggested power supply.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The AMD Instinct MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, while the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 delivers 61.32 TFLOPS FP32.

Q: Does the AMD Instinct MI308X support display outputs?

A: No. The MI308X has no display outputs, while the W7900 has three DisplayPort 2.1 outputs and one mini-DisplayPort 2.1 output.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3, and the W7900 has 48 GB of GDDR6.

Q: What is the W7900's average benchmark score and percentile rank?

A: The W7900 has an average benchmark score of 110,725 and a percentile rank of 94 among all GPUs. The MI308X has no recorded benchmark scores and a percentile rank of 50.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: The W7900 has 96 ray tracing cores. The MI308X has no ray tracing cores listed.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The MI308X has a 750 W TDP and a suggested power supply of 1150 W. The W7900 has a 295 W TDP and a suggested power supply of 600 W.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Instinct MI308X | AMD Radeon PRO W7900 |

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

| Chip | Aqua Vanjaram | Navi 31 |

| Architecture | CDNA 3.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Codename | None | Plum Bonito |

| Generation | Instinct (MIx) | Radeon Pro Navi (Navi III Series) |

| Transistors | 153,000 million | 57,700 million |

| Die Size | 1017 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 150.4M / mm² | 109.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 1760 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2100 MHz | 2495 MHz |

| Memory Size | 192 GB | 48 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 8192 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 5.32 TB/s | 864.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1300 MHz 5.2 Gbps effective | 2250 MHz 18 Gbps effective |

| Shading Units | 19456 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 1216 | 384 |

| ROPs | 0 | 192 |

| RT Cores | None | 96 |

| Pixel Rate | 0 MPixel/s | 479.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 2,553.6 GTexel/s | 958.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 81.72 TFLOPS | 61.32 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 81.72 TFLOPS (1:1) | 61.32 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 750 W | 295 W |

| Slot Width | OAM Module | Triple-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 1150 W | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 3x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x mini-DisplayPort 2.1 |

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

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | Not specified | 280 mm, 110 mm, 51 mm |

| Production Status | Not specified | Active |

| Release Date | 2023-12-05 | 2023-05-25 |

| Predecessor | Radeon Instinct | Radeon Pro Vega |

| Launch MSRP | None | 3,999 USD |