AMD Instinct MI308X vs AMD Radeon RX 7800M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark database does not contain any direct head-to-head benchmark results between the AMD Instinct MI308X and the AMD Radeon RX 7800M. The Instinct MI308X has no recorded benchmark scores, an average benchmark score of zero, and a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs. The Radeon RX 7800M, by contrast, has ten recorded benchmark entries, an average benchmark score of 27,883, and sits at the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. This means the comparison must rely on the recorded data for the RX 7800M and the architectural specifications of both parts, rather than any matched testing.

The RX 7800M's strongest recorded result is in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 126,668. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is close behind at 120,778. In Passmark G3D, the card records 17,613, while Passmark GPU Compute reaches 9,342. The DirectX tests show a different pattern: DirectX 11 scores 176, DirectX 9 scores 174, DirectX 10 scores 99, and DirectX 12 scores 89. The Passmark G2D result is 892. These numbers indicate the RX 7800M delivers substantially higher compute-oriented performance than legacy DirectX workloads, which is consistent with its modern RDNA 3.0 architecture.

Relative to its nearest rivals in the database, the RX 7800M is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, which averages 27,839, a delta of 0.2 percent in favor of the RX 7800M. It sits 0.3 percent below the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X, which averages 27,973. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti averages 28,020, putting the RX 7800M 0.5 percent behind. The AMD FirePro S7150 averages 28,117, placing the RX 7800M 0.8 percent behind that card. These deltas are small enough that the RX 7800M and its nearest rivals should be considered performance peers in aggregate.

For the Instinct MI308X, the absence of benchmark results means the database records no wins for either product in a direct comparison. The wins tally is zero for both. The Instinct MI308X is an accelerator with no display outputs, no graphics API support, and a pixel rate of zero, which makes it unsuitable for the rasterization workloads that generate most of the RX 7800M's scores. The data shows the two products are not substitutes in any practical sense.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon RX 7800M wins in every scenario where a benchmark score exists, because the Instinct MI308X has no recorded scores at all. The RX 7800M produces results across ten different tests, covering OpenCL, Vulkan, DirectX 9 through 12, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, and compute. Its best performance class is Vulkan and OpenCL compute, with scores above 120,000 in both. The DirectX 12 score of 89 and DirectX 11 score of 176 show legacy API performance is much weaker, but the card still completes those workloads. The RX 7800M is a mobile integrated graphics processor with a 180 W TDP, so it fits into portable devices where the display output is dependent on the host system.

The Instinct MI308X wins in raw specification categories that matter for datacenter acceleration. It carries 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus, yielding 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7800M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Instinct MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, while the RX 7800M delivers 35.87 TFLOPS in both formats. The Instinct MI308X texture rate is 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 560.4 GTexel/s for the RX 7800M. The Instinct MI308X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, and zero ROPs, while the RX 7800M has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RX 7800M also has 60 ray tracing cores, a feature the Instinct MI308X does not list.

The architecture split is clear: the RX 7800M wins for graphics rendering, ray tracing, and consumer API support, while the Instinct MI308X wins for memory capacity, memory bandwidth, and raw compute throughput. The Instinct MI308X is an OAM module with no power connectors, a 750 W TDP, and a suggested PSU of 1150 W. The RX 7800M is an IGP with a 180 W TDP and no suggested PSU listed.

Architecture Differences

The Instinct MI308X uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture, built around the Aqua Vanjaram chip. The Radeon RX 7800M uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built around the Navi 32 chip. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts are vastly different. The Instinct MI308X packs 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, giving a density of 150.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX 7800M has 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, with a density of 81.2 million per square millimeter. The Instinct MI308X die is roughly three times larger and holds more than five times the transistors.

The memory architectures are fundamentally different. The Instinct MI308X uses HBM3 with 192 GB capacity and an 8192-bit bus width, achieving 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7800M uses GDDR6 with 12 GB capacity and a 192-bit bus, achieving 432.0 GB/s. The Instinct MI308X memory clock is 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective, while the RX 7800M memory clock is 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective. The HBM3 approach trades higher clock for enormous bus width, while GDDR6 uses faster clocks on a narrower bus.

The compute pipelines differ in structure. The Instinct MI308X has 19,456 shading units and 1,216 TMUs, but zero ROPs and no listed ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Its pixel rate is zero, confirming it does no rasterization. The RX 7800M has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 60 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 224.2 GPixel/s. The Instinct MI308X is a pure compute accelerator, while the RX 7800M is a full graphics processor with ray tracing support.

The API support reinforces this split. The Instinct MI308X lists no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support. The RX 7800M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interfaces also differ: the Instinct MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RX 7800M uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Specification Differences

The two products differ on nearly every specification field. The Instinct MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2100 MHz, with no game clock listed. The RX 7800M has a base clock of 1295 MHz, a boost clock of 2335 MHz, and a game clock of 2145 MHz. The RX 7800M runs faster at every clock point despite having a lower TDP.

Memory capacity and type are the largest gaps. The Instinct MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3, while the RX 7800M has 12 GB of GDDR6. The bus width is 8192 bits versus 192 bits. Bandwidth is 5.32 TB/s versus 432.0 GB/s. These numbers show the Instinct MI308X is designed for massive data sets, while the RX 7800M targets conventional graphics memory needs.

The TDP difference is substantial: 750 W for the Instinct MI308X versus 180 W for the RX 7800M. The Instinct MI308X ships as an OAM module with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 1150 W. The RX 7800M is an IGP with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The form factors are entirely different, as are the display outputs: the Instinct MI308X has no outputs, while the RX 7800M has portable device dependent outputs.

The release dates differ by roughly nine months. The Instinct MI308X was released on December 5, 2023, and the RX 7800M on September 10, 2024. The Instinct MI308X predecessor is Radeon Instinct, while the RX 7800M predecessor is Polaris Mobile. The RX 7800M production status is listed as active, while the Instinct MI308X has no production status recorded.

The RX 7800M has a higher percentile ranking at 73 versus 50 for the Instinct MI308X, but this reflects the absence of benchmark data for the Instinct part rather than a direct comparison. The RX 7800M average benchmark score is 27,883, while the Instinct MI308X average is zero.

FAQ

Q: Why does the Instinct MI308X have no benchmark scores in the database?

A: The database records zero benchmark entries for the Instinct MI308X, giving it an average benchmark score of 0 and a percentile rank of 50. The Radeon RX 7800M has ten recorded benchmark entries with an average score of 27,883.

Q: Which product has more memory bandwidth?

A: The Instinct MI308X has 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth from 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus. The Radeon RX 7800M has 432.0 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: Does the Instinct MI308X support ray tracing?

A: The database lists no ray tracing cores for the Instinct MI308X. The Radeon RX 7800M includes 60 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RX 7800M and its nearest rival?

A: The RX 7800M averages 27,883, which is 0.2 percent above the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, 0.3 percent below the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X, 0.5 percent below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, and 0.8 percent below the AMD FirePro S7150.

Q: Which product has a higher FP32 throughput?

A: The Instinct MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The Radeon RX 7800M delivers 35.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is less than half of the Instinct part's output.

Q: Are these products from the same process node?

A: Yes, both use a 5 nm process at TSMC. However, the Instinct MI308X has 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, while the RX 7800M has 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die.