AMD Instinct MI308X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 Comparison

# Where Each One Wins

The AMD Instinct MI308X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 occupy entirely different segments of the hardware landscape, and the recorded data confirms there is no meaningful overlap in their intended workloads. The MI308X is a compute-oriented accelerator with no display outputs, no graphics API support, and zero pixel rate, which makes it unsuitable for conventional rendering tasks. Conversely, the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a consumer graphics card with full DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support, along with 158.4 GPixel/s pixel throughput.

The MI308X wins in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 81.72 TFLOPS is nearly triple the 29.15 TFLOPS of the RTX 4070 GDDR6, and its FP16 output is identical at 81.72 TFLOPS (1:1), whereas the RTX 4070 GDDR6 also delivers 29.15 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The MI308X also dominates memory capacity and bandwidth, with 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus delivering 5.32 TB/s, compared to 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus at 480.0 GB/s. Texture rate tells a similar story: 2,553.6 GTexel/s for the MI308X versus 455.4 GTexel/s for the RTX 4070 GDDR6.

The RTX 4070 GDDR6 wins in every graphics-specific metric. It has 64 ROPs and a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s, while the MI308X has zero ROPs and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 includes 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, features absent from the MI308X’s specification sheet. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 also provides display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the MI308X has no outputs at all.

In terms of the single recorded benchmark, the RTX 4070 GDDR6 scored 4,334.5 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with an average score of 4,335. This places it in the 25th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The MI308X has no benchmark scores recorded, and its percentile stands at 50, but with an average benchmark score of zero, indicating no measurable gaming or graphics workload performance. The data shows that the MI308X is not designed for the type of workload that 3DMark measures, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is fully capable in that space.

The win split is one-sided in the recorded data: the MI308X has zero benchmark wins, and the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has zero benchmark wins, because the head-to-head benchmark list is empty. However, the architectural data makes the use-case split clear. The MI308X is built for compute density, with 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, and a 5 nm TSMC process that packs 153,000 million transistors into a 1,017 mm² die. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses the same 5 nm TSMC process but fits 35,800 million transistors into 294 mm², with 5,888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units.

The MI308X carries a 750 W TDP and requires a 1,150 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a 200 W TDP with a 550 W suggested PSU. The MI308X is an OAM module with no power connectors, whereas the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a dual-slot card with a single 16-pin connector. The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

# The Verdict

The data supports a clear verdict: these two products serve different buyers, and neither is a substitute for the other. The AMD Instinct MI308X is for compute workloads that require massive memory capacity and bandwidth, specifically the 192 GB HBM3 pool and 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 is for graphics rendering, gaming, and any workload that needs ROPs, ray tracing cores, tensor cores, and display output.

For anyone whose primary need is FP32 or FP16 compute throughput, the MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS in both modes, which is 2.8 times the RTX 4070 GDDR6’s 29.15 TFLOPS. The MI308X also has a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s, which is 5.6 times the RTX 4070 GDDR6’s 455.4 GTexel/s. The memory subsystem is equally lopsided: 192 GB versus 12 GB, and 5.32 TB/s versus 480.0 GB/s.

For anyone whose primary need is graphics output, the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the only viable option between the two. It has a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s, which the MI308X cannot match (0 MPixel/s). It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI308X lists no graphics APIs. It has display outputs, while the MI308X has none. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 also has ray tracing cores (46) and tensor cores (184), which are absent from the MI308X’s specification.

The RTX 4070 GDDR6 is the only one with a recorded benchmark score. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,334.5 places it in the 25th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 (4,360, delta -0.6%), the AMD FirePro W2100 (4,295, delta +0.9%), the NVIDIA GeForce 930M (4,388, delta -1.2%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (4,282, delta +1.2%). These deltas are all within roughly one percent, indicating that the RTX 4070 GDDR6’s benchmark position is tightly clustered with those older or lower-end parts, which suggests its 25th percentile rank reflects a mid-to-low position in the database’s overall distribution.

The MI308X has no benchmark scores, so the database cannot assign it a comparable graphics performance figure. Its 50th percentile is a neutral placeholder, not a performance claim. The verdict is that the MI308X is a compute accelerator with no graphics capability, and the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a graphics card with no compute-density advantage. Buyers should select based on workload: compute or graphics.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark list is empty, so there are no direct comparative scores between the MI308X and RTX 4070 GDDR6. However, the specification data provides indirect comparisons that are just as decisive.

The largest win for the MI308X is in FP32 compute. The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS, which is 52.57 TFLOPS higher than the RTX 4070 GDDR6’s 29.15 TFLOPS. That is a 180% advantage. The FP16 numbers are identical to the FP32 numbers for both parts, so the same delta applies.

The second largest win for the MI308X is memory bandwidth. The MI308X’s 5.32 TB/s is 4.84 TB/s higher than the RTX 4070 GDDR6’s 480.0 GB/s, a factor of roughly 11. The memory capacity difference is even starker: 192 GB versus 12 GB, a 16-fold gap.

The texture rate is another major MI308X win. At 2,553.6 GTexel/s, the MI308X is 2,098.2 GTexel/s ahead of the RTX 4070 GDDR6’s 455.4 GTexel/s. The shading unit count (19,456 versus 5,888) and TMU count (1,216 versus 184) explain this advantage.

The largest win for the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is pixel rate. It produces 158.4 GPixel/s, while the MI308X produces 0 MPixel/s. This is an infinite relative advantage, but the practical statement is that the MI308X cannot rasterize at all.

The RTX 4070 GDDR6 also wins in clock speeds. Its base clock is 1,920 MHz versus 1,000 MHz for the MI308X, and its boost clock is 2,475 MHz versus 2,100 MHz. The memory clock is also higher: 2,500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) versus 1,300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective). However, the MI308X’s much wider memory bus (8,192 bit versus 192 bit) compensates for the lower clock in terms of total bandwidth.

The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 64 ROPs, while the MI308X has 0. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, while the MI308X lists neither. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 supports three graphics APIs with specific versions, while the MI308X lists none. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a physical size of 240 mm length, 110 mm height, and 40 mm width, while the MI308X has no recorded dimensions.

The RTX 4070 GDDR6’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,334.5 is the only direct performance measurement in the database for either part. Its nearest rivals show deltas of -0.6% (Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200), +0.9% (AMD FirePro W2100), -1.2% (NVIDIA GeForce 930M), and +1.2% (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M). These numbers indicate that the RTX 4070 GDDR6 performs within a narrow band around those four GPUs in that specific test, despite being a much newer and more powerful card in other respects. This suggests the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test may be sensitive to specific features that the RTX 4070 GDDR6 does not fully exploit, or that the benchmark’s scoring is not representative of the card’s overall capability.

# FAQ

Q: Which product has more FP32 compute power?

A: The AMD Instinct MI308X has 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 29.15 TFLOPS FP32. The MI308X is 52.57 TFLOPS higher.

Q: Does the AMD Instinct MI308X support display output?

A: No. The MI308X has no display outputs, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 12 GB of GDDR6. The MI308X also has a wider bus (8,192 bit versus 192 bit) and higher bandwidth (5.32 TB/s versus 480.0 GB/s).

Q: Does the RTX 4070 GDDR6 have ray tracing cores?

A: Yes, it has 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The MI308X lists no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 4070 GDDR6?

A: The launch MSRP is 599 USD. The MI308X has no recorded launch MSRP.

Q: Which product has a recorded benchmark score?

A: Only the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a recorded score: 4,334.5 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with an average score of 4,335. The MI308X has no benchmark scores.

# Architecture Differences

The MI308X is built on AMD’s CDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Aqua Vanjaram chip. It belongs to the Instinct (MIx) generation. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, in the GeForce 40-series generation.

Both use TSMC’s 5 nm process, but the transistor counts differ enormously. The MI308X has 153,000 million transistors on a 1,017 mm² die, giving a density of 150.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, for a density of 121.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The MI308X is a physically massive chip, more than three times the die area of the RTX 4070 GDDR6.

The MI308X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, and 0 ROPs. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The MI308X has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 46 and 184 respectively.

The MI308X supports no graphics APIs (DirectX, OpenGL, Vulkan all listed as N/A). The RTX 4070 GDDR6 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The MI308X is an OAM module with no power connectors, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 is a dual-slot card with a single 16-pin connector. The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

The release dates also differ: the MI308X was released on 2023-12-05, while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 was released on 2024-08-19. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 is marked as end-of-life, with its predecessor being GeForce 30 and its successor GeForce 50. The MI308X has a predecessor of Radeon Instinct and no recorded successor.

# Specification Differences

The two products differ in nearly every specification field.

Process and die: Both use 5 nm TSMC, but the MI308X has 153,000 million transistors on a 1,017 mm² die (150.4M/mm²), while the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die (121.8M/mm²).

Clocks: The MI308X has a base clock of 1,000 MHz and boost of 2,100 MHz, with memory at 1,300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective). The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a base clock of 1,920 MHz and boost of 2,475 MHz, with memory at 2,500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

Memory: The MI308X uses 192 GB HBM3 on an 8,192-bit bus with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 480.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute units: The MI308X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 TMUs, and 0 ROPs. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The MI308X lists no RT or tensor cores; the RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores.

Rates: The MI308X has a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s and a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s.

FP32/FP16: The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16 (1:1). The RTX 4070 GDDR6 delivers 29.15 TFLOPS in both modes (1:1).

Power: The MI308X has a TDP of 750 W and a suggested PSU of 1,150 W. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Physical format: The MI308X is an OAM module with no power connectors. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 is dual-slot, 240 mm long, 110 mm high, and 40 mm wide, with one 16-pin connector.

Bus interface: The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Display outputs: The MI308X has none. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

APIs: The MI308X lists no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Release: The MI308X was released on 2023-12-05. The RTX 4070 GDDR6 was released on 2024-08-19 and is end-of-life.

Benchmark: The RTX 4070 GDDR6 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,334.5 (average 4,335) and a 25th percentile. The MI308X has no benchmark scores and a 50th percentile placeholder.