AMD Instinct MI308X vs Intel Arc B580 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the architectural generation of each GPU?

A: The AMD Instinct MI308X uses CDNA 3.0 architecture on the Aqua Vanjaram chip, while the Intel Arc B580 uses Xe2-HPG architecture on the BMG-G21 chip.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ between these two cards?

A: The MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth, while the Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the Intel Arc B580?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs in the database.

Q: Does the AMD Instinct MI308X have any benchmark scores recorded?

A: The database lists no benchmark scores for the MI308X, with an average benchmark score of 0 and a 50th percentile ranking.

Q: What is the power draw difference between the two cards?

A: The MI308X has a TDP of 750 W with a suggested PSU of 1150 W, while the Arc B580 has a TDP of 190 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W.

Q: Which card has display outputs available?

A: The Arc B580 provides 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, while the MI308X has no display outputs.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Instinct MI308X and Intel Arc B580 represent two fundamentally different design philosophies. The MI308X is built on CDNA 3.0, AMD's compute-optimized architecture, using the Aqua Vanjaram chip. The Arc B580 uses Xe2-HPG, Intel's gaming-focused architecture, on the BMG-G21 chip. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the similarity ends there.

The transistor counts reveal the scale difference. The MI308X packs 153,000 million transistors across a 1017 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 150.4M per mm². The Arc B580 contains 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, with a density of 72.1M per mm². The MI308X die is nearly four times larger and holds nearly eight times more transistors.

Compute resources diverge sharply. The MI308X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, and no ROPs, reflecting its compute-accelerator role. The Arc B580 has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, a conventional graphics pipeline configuration. The Arc B580 also includes 20 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the MI308X's specification list.

Memory architecture illustrates the different targets. The MI308X uses HBM3 with 192 GB capacity, an 8192-bit bus, and 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The Arc B580 uses GDDR6 with 12 GB capacity, a 192-bit bus, and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. The MI308X's memory bandwidth exceeds the Arc B580's by more than an order of magnitude.

Clock behavior differs substantially. The Arc B580 runs at a fixed 2670 MHz for both base and boost. The MI308X has a 1000 MHz base clock and 2100 MHz boost clock. The Arc B580's memory runs at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), while the MI308X memory operates at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective).

API support separates the two completely. The MI308X lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, as it is not a graphics-oriented product. The Arc B580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Arc B580 uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Form factors reflect their intended environments. The MI308X is an OAM module with no power connectors and no display outputs. The Arc B580 is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector, measuring 272 mm in length, 115 mm in height, and 45 mm in width.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between these two cards. The winsA and winsB values are both 0, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. This absence of recorded comparison data is itself informative: the two products occupy different market segments and rarely appear in the same test suite.

The Arc B580 has a substantial body of benchmark results. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3068. Geekbench OpenCL returns 92821, and Geekbench Vulkan returns 109672. PassMark results include DirectX 10 at 76, DirectX 11 at 128, DirectX 12 at 76, DirectX 9 at 183, G2D at 709, G3D at 15748, and GPU Compute at 7729. Its average benchmark score is 23021.

The MI308X has no recorded benchmark scores. Its average benchmark score is 0, and its percentile ranking sits at 50. The Arc B580 ranks at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Without direct measurements, the MI308X's compute capabilities cannot be positioned against the Arc B580 in the database's benchmark framework.

The Arc B580's nearest rivals provide context for its score. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP averages 23061, a 0.2% difference from the Arc B580. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 averages 22895, putting the Arc B580 0.6% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 averages 23172, placing it 0.7% ahead of the Arc B580. The NVIDIA P106-100 averages 23249, 1% ahead. These deltas cluster tightly around the Arc B580's score, indicating it sits in a competitive band with these older and higher-tier cards.

The raw specification data allows for theoretical comparisons. The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, while the Arc B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32. The MI308X's FP16 throughput matches its FP32 at 81.72 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the Arc B580 achieves 27.34 TFLOPS FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. Texture rates are 2,553.6 GTexel/s for the MI308X versus 427.2 GTexel/s for the Arc B580. The Arc B580 has a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s, while the MI308X lists 0 MPixel/s.

The Verdict

The recorded data supports distinct conclusions for each product. The Arc B580 is a fully measured graphics card with 10 benchmark entries, an average score of 23021, and a 68th percentile ranking. Its nearest rivals cluster within 1% of its average score, indicating it performs comparably to the Radeon RX 580 2048SP, GeForce RTX 2080, GeForce RTX 3080, and P106-100 in the database's aggregate metrics. Its 12 GB GDDR6 memory, 80 ROPs, and 20 ray tracing cores give it a conventional gaming feature set, supported by DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 APIs.

The MI308X presents a different profile. It has no benchmark scores in the database, an average score of 0, and a 50th percentile ranking. Its 192 GB HBM3 memory, 8192-bit bus, and 5.32 TB/s bandwidth target compute workloads rather than rendering. The absence of display outputs, ROPs, and graphics APIs confirms its accelerator role. Its 750 W TDP and OAM module form factor indicate a data center installation profile.

For users selecting a graphics card with display output, rendering capabilities, and measured performance data, the Arc B580 is the only option with recorded evidence. For compute-focused deployments requiring massive memory capacity and bandwidth, the MI308X's specifications point to a different class of hardware, but the database contains no benchmark results to quantify its performance.

The percentile rankings summarize the situation: the Arc B580 sits at 68th among all GPUs with a measured average score of 23021, while the MI308X sits at 50th with no measurements. These figures should not be read as a performance hierarchy, because the benchmark coverage is asymmetric. The Arc B580 has been tested; the MI308X has not.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Instinct MI308X | Intel Arc B580 |

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

| Chip | Aqua Vanjaram | BMG-G21 |

| Architecture | CDNA 3.0 | Xe2-HPG |

| Generation | Instinct (MIx) | Battlemage (Arc 5) |

| Transistors | 153,000 million | 19,600 million |

| Die Size | 1017 mm² | 272 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 150.4M / mm² | 72.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2100 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1300 MHz 5.2 Gbps effective | 2375 MHz 19 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 192 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 8192 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 5.32 TB/s | 456.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 19456 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 1216 | 160 |

| ROPs | 0 | 80 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | null | 20 |

| Pixel Rate | 0 MPixel/s | 213.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 2,553.6 GTexel/s | 427.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 81.72 TFLOPS | 13.67 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 81.72 TFLOPS (1:1) | 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 750 W | 190 W |

| Slot Width | OAM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 1150 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

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

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

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2023-12-05 | 2024-12-12 |

| Predecessor | Radeon Instinct | Alchemist |

| Production Status | null | Active |

| Launch MSRP | null | 249 USD |

The two cards share only their 5 nm TSMC process node and manufacturer relationship to AMD and Intel respectively. Every other recorded specification differs: memory type and capacity, compute unit counts, clock speeds, power requirements, form factor, API support, and release timing. The Arc B580 is an active production product with a launch MSRP of 249 USD; the MI308X has no recorded launch MSRP or production status.