AMD Instinct MI308X vs NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no head-to-head benchmark entries for the AMD Instinct MI308X and the NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation. Both products have zero recorded benchmark scores, and their percentile ranks against all GPUs are identical at 50. The winsA and winsB counters are both zero, indicating that neither accelerator has a measurable performance advantage in any database-tracked workload.

The absence of comparative data does not imply equivalence. The two devices occupy entirely different market segments, which is reflected in their architectural parameters rather than in direct benchmark outcomes. The MI308X is an OAM module designed for rack-scale compute, while the RTX 3000 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor for laptop systems. Without recorded benchmarks, any performance comparison must rely on the physical and architectural specifications contained in the database.

The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 81.72 TFLOPS of FP16 throughput, with a 1:1 ratio between the two precisions. The RTX 3000 Mobile delivers 15.62 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16, also at a 1:1 ratio. The MI308X therefore provides 5.23 times the raw floating-point throughput of the mobile part, calculated directly from the recorded values. Texture rate shows a similar gap: the MI308X reaches 2,553.6 GTexel/s against 244.1 GTexel/s for the RTX 3000 Mobile, a 10.46 times difference. Pixel rate is the inverse case: the MI308X records 0 MPixel/s, while the RTX 3000 Mobile produces 81.36 GPixel/s, meaning the mobile GPU has an infinite advantage in this specific metric because the MI308X has zero ROPs and no display output capability.

Memory bandwidth is another area of massive divergence. The MI308X carries 192 GB of HBM3 across an 8192-bit bus, yielding 5.32 TB/s. The RTX 3000 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s. The MI308X bandwidth advantage is 20.78 times. In absolute memory capacity, the MI308X holds 24 times the memory of the mobile part. These are the only quantified performance-related comparisons possible from the recorded data; no other benchmark metrics exist in the database for either product.

Architecture Differences

The foundational architecture differs completely. The MI308X uses AMD's CDNA 3.0 architecture, implemented on the Aqua Vanjaram chip. The RTX 3000 Mobile uses NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, built on the AD106 die. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts are dramatically different. The MI308X packs 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 150.4M per mm². The RTX 3000 Mobile contains 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die, with a density of 121.8M per mm². The MI308X die is 5.41 times larger and holds 6.68 times more transistors.

The compute configuration reflects the divergent purposes. The MI308X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, and zero ROPs. The RTX 3000 Mobile has 4,608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The shading unit count is 4.22 times higher on the MI308X, and the TMU count is 8.44 times higher. The RTX 3000 Mobile additionally includes 36 ray tracing cores and 144 tensor cores; the MI308X records no RT core count and no tensor core count in the database, consistent with a compute accelerator that does not target graphics workloads.

Clock behavior is unusual when comparing the two. The MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2100 MHz, a 1100 MHz spread. The RTX 3000 Mobile has a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost of 1695 MHz, a much narrower 300 MHz range. Despite the lower base clock, the MI308X boosts to 405 MHz higher than the mobile part. The memory clocks differ by type: the MI308X runs its HBM3 at 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective data rate, while the RTX 3000 Mobile runs GDDR6 at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective. The effective memory rate is 3.08 times higher on the NVIDIA part, but the bus width difference (8192 bit versus 128 bit) overwhelms the clock advantage.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. HBM3 on the MI308X uses a stacked, ultra-wide bus design to maximize bandwidth. GDDR6 on the RTX 3000 Mobile uses a narrower bus with higher per-pin data rates, trading bandwidth for lower cost and smaller footprint. The 192 GB capacity on the MI308X versus 8 GB on the RTX 3000 Mobile indicates the target workload: large language model inference or training versus client-side graphics and compute.

Power and physical form factor reinforce the segmentation. The MI308X has a thermal design power of 750 W and requires a suggested power supply of 1150 W. It is an OAM Module with no power connectors listed and no display outputs. The RTX 3000 Mobile has a TDP of 115 W, is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor), has no power connectors, and its display outputs are listed as portable device dependent. The MI308X is 6.52 times more power-hungry on the TDP metric.

Bus interfaces also differ: the MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 3000 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The API support is starkly different. The MI308X lists no API support: DirectX is N/A, OpenGL is N/A, and Vulkan is N/A. The RTX 3000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The absence of graphics APIs on the MI308X is consistent with a pure compute accelerator.

Release dates differ as well. The MI308X has a release date of 2023-12-05, while the RTX 3000 Mobile has a release date of 2023-03-20. The NVIDIA part launched roughly 8.5 months earlier. The RTX 3000 Mobile lists its predecessor as Ampere-MW and its successor as Blackwell-MW, with a production status of active. The MI308X lists its predecessor as Radeon Instinct, with no successor and no production status recorded.

Where Each One Wins

The MI308X wins decisively in compute throughput and memory capacity. Its 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance is the highest recorded figure in this comparison, and it supports a 1:1 ratio between the two precisions, which is critical for workloads that need identical throughput regardless of precision. The 5.32 TB/s memory bandwidth and 192 GB capacity allow it to hold large models and datasets entirely in onboard memory, avoiding host-side transfers. The texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s indicates strong fill-rate capability for compute-oriented texture operations. The 1150 W suggested PSU and 750 W TDP show that the system integrator is expected to provide substantial power delivery, which is typical for datacenter accelerators.

The RTX 3000 Mobile wins in graphics-specific capabilities. It has 48 ROPs and produces 81.36 GPixel/s, enabling actual rasterization output, which the MI308X cannot do at all with its 0 MPixel/s pixel rate. The 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI acceleration, features entirely absent from the MI308X's recorded specifications. The API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 means the RTX 3000 Mobile can run standard graphics applications and games, while the MI308X has no API support whatsoever. The 115 W TDP makes it feasible for laptop integration, whereas the MI308X's 750 W TDP requires a rackmount OAM carrier.

The RTX 3000 Mobile also has a higher base clock at 1395 MHz versus 1000 MHz, and its memory runs at a higher effective data rate of 16 Gbps versus 5.2 Gbps. The 8 GB capacity is small by absolute standards but adequate for mobile graphics workloads. The PCIe 4.0 interface, while a generation behind the MI308X's PCIe 5.0, is sufficient for laptop implementations where bandwidth demands are lower.

The Verdict

The database shows two products with no shared performance benchmarks, making a direct performance ranking impossible from measured results. The specification data, however, makes the intended use cases unambiguous. The AMD Instinct MI308X is a datacenter compute accelerator with no graphics output, no graphics APIs, and enormous memory bandwidth and capacity. The NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation is a laptop-class GPU with full graphics API support, ray tracing and tensor cores, and a power envelope suitable for portable systems.

For compute-intensive, high-throughput workloads such as large-scale matrix operations, high-bandwidth memory access patterns, or models requiring more than 8 GB of memory, the MI308X is the only viable choice in this comparison. Its 192 GB memory, 5.32 TB/s bandwidth, and 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the highest recorded values among the two. The absence of pixel rendering capability is irrelevant for such workloads.

For any workload requiring display output, rasterization, ray tracing, or standard graphics API compatibility, the RTX 3000 Mobile is the only option. Its 81.36 GPixel/s pixel rate, 36 RT cores, and 144 tensor cores, combined with DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support, make it a functional graphics processor. The MI308X cannot perform these tasks, as indicated by its 0 MPixel/s pixel rate and N/A API entries.

The 5 nm process node is shared by both, but the transistor density differs, with the MI308X achieving 150.4M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm² for the RTX 3000 Mobile. This suggests a denser design on the AMD part, consistent with its higher shading unit count. The power differential of 750 W versus 115 W is a 6.52 times gap, which is appropriate given the form factor difference between an OAM module and an integrated laptop GPU.

The verdict is straightforward based on the recorded data: the MI308X serves accelerator-class compute, and the RTX 3000 Mobile serves mobile graphics and compute. Neither product can substitute for the other. The RTX 3000 Mobile has a production status of active, while the MI308X has no production status recorded, which may indicate a limited or specialized availability. The release dates place the RTX 3000 Mobile earlier, and the MI308X later, in 2023.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 performance?

A: The AMD Instinct MI308X records 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation records 15.62 TFLOPS FP32. The MI308X is 5.23 times higher on this metric.

Q: Can the AMD Instinct MI308X output video to a display?

A: No. The MI308X has a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s, zero ROPs, and no display outputs. Its DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support are all listed as N/A.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3 memory, while the RTX 3000 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The MI308X holds 24 times more memory.

Q: Does the RTX 3000 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The RTX 3000 Mobile has 36 ray tracing cores and 144 tensor cores, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the power consumption of each part?

A: The MI308X has a TDP of 750 W and a suggested power supply of 1150 W. The RTX 3000 Mobile has a TDP of 115 W and no suggested PSU recorded.

Q: Which product was released first?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3000 Mobile Ada Generation has a release date of 2023-03-20. The AMD Instinct MI308X has a release date of 2023-12-05.