AMD Instinct MI308X vs Lisuan Tech LX ULTRA Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the AMD Instinct MI308X and the Lisuan Tech LX ULTRA?

A: The MI308X uses AMD's CDNA 3.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, while the LX ULTRA uses the TrueGPU architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process. The MI308X is built for compute acceleration with HBM3 memory, while the LX ULTRA is a graphics-oriented card with GDDR6 memory and full display outputs.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare between these two cards?

A: The MI308X features 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus, delivering 5.32 TB/s of bandwidth. The LX ULTRA has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The MI308X's memory bandwidth is more than twelve times higher.

Q: Which card has higher compute throughput?

A: The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the LX ULTRA delivers 24.58 TFLOPS FP32. In FP16, the MI308X also delivers 81.72 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the LX ULTRA delivers 49.15 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The MI308X leads in FP32 by a wide margin, but the LX ULTRA's FP16 advantage relative to its FP32 is notable.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The MI308X has a TDP of 750 W and requires a suggested PSU of 1150 W. The LX ULTRA has a TDP of 225 W and requires a suggested PSU of 550 W. The LX ULTRA is significantly more power-efficient in terms of raw TDP.

Q: What is the physical form factor difference?

A: The MI308X uses an OAM Module slot width with no power connectors and no display outputs. The LX ULTRA is a Dual-slot card measuring 268 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with a single 16-pin power connector and four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: Which card supports modern graphics APIs?

A: The LX ULTRA supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The MI308X has no graphics API support (all marked N/A), confirming its role as a compute-only accelerator.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Instinct MI308X and Lisuan Tech LX ULTRA represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The MI308X is built on the CDNA 3.0 architecture, AMD's dedicated compute platform, using a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its chip, codenamed Aqua Vanjaram, packs 153,000 million transistors on a massive 1017 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 150.4 million transistors per square millimeter. This is a pure compute accelerator with no graphics output, no render output units (ROPs are listed as 0), and no graphics API support.

The LX ULTRA uses the TrueGPU architecture from Lisuan Tech, built on a 6 nm process also at TSMC. Its chip, 7G105, has unknown transistor count and die size, but the architecture clearly targets graphics workloads. It includes 96 ROPs, a pixel rate of 192.0 GPixel/s, and full support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The card is designed for rendering, with four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and a dual-slot form factor.

Memory architecture differs sharply. The MI308X uses HBM3 with a staggering 8192-bit bus width, while the LX ULTRA uses GDDR6 on a conventional 192-bit bus. The MI308X's memory clock is 1300 MHz with 5.2 Gbps effective data rate, whereas the LX ULTRA runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective. Despite the LX ULTRA's higher per-pin data rate, the MI308X's enormous bus width yields vastly higher total bandwidth.

Compute resources also diverge. The MI308X has 19,456 shading units and 1,216 texture mapping units (TMUs), producing a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s. The LX ULTRA has 6,144 shading units and 192 TMUs, yielding 384.0 GTexel/s. The MI308X's FP16 throughput matches its FP32 at 81.72 TFLOPS, indicating a 1:1 ratio typical of compute accelerators. The LX ULTRA's FP16 is 49.15 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, meaning it processes half-precision at twice the rate of single-precision, a common design for consumer and prosumer graphics.

The MI308X has no base clock listed for its memory, but its core base clock is 1000 MHz with a boost of 2100 MHz. The LX ULTRA has no listed core clocks at all. The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the LX ULTRA uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The MI308X has no power connectors because it draws power through the OAM module interface, whereas the LX ULTRA uses a single 16-pin connector.

Where Each One Wins

The MI308X wins decisively in raw compute throughput and memory bandwidth. Its FP32 performance of 81.72 TFLOPS is more than triple the LX ULTRA's 24.58 TFLOPS. Its 5.32 TB/s memory bandwidth is an order of magnitude larger, suited for massive datasets in AI training, scientific simulation, and large-scale data processing. The 192 GB HBM3 capacity dwarfs the 24 GB GDDR6, allowing the MI308X to hold entire models or datasets in memory without swapping.

The LX ULTRA wins in graphics capability and practical desktop integration. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, making it usable for gaming, rendering, and general GPU compute through standard APIs. The MI308X has no graphics API support, meaning it cannot drive a display or run conventional graphics workloads. The LX ULTRA's 192.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 96 ROPs enable rasterization, while the MI308X has zero pixel output.

The LX ULTRA also wins on power efficiency in an absolute sense. Its 225 W TDP is far below the MI308X's 750 W, and its suggested PSU of 550 W versus 1150 W makes it far easier to integrate into a standard desktop system. The LX ULTRA's dual-slot, 268 mm length fits conventional cases, whereas the OAM module form factor of the MI308X requires specialized server hardware.

For FP16 workloads, the LX ULTRA's 49.15 TFLOPS is substantial, and its 2:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio indicates a design that accelerates half-precision tasks. However, the MI308X still leads in absolute FP16 performance at 81.72 TFLOPS. The LX ULTRA's advantage lies in being a general-purpose graphics card that can also handle compute, while the MI308X is a specialized accelerator with no display functionality.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The MI308X uses a 5 nm process, the LX ULTRA uses 6 nm. The MI308X has 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die; the LX ULTRA's transistor count and die size are unknown. Transistor density is 150.4M per mm² for the MI308X, not listed for the LX ULTRA.

Core clocks: the MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz; the LX ULTRA has no base or boost clock listed. Memory clocks: the MI308X runs at 1300 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective), the LX ULTRA at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Memory: the MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus; the LX ULTRA has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. Bandwidth: 5.32 TB/s versus 432.0 GB/s.

Shading units: 19,456 versus 6,144. TMUs: 1,216 versus 192. ROPs: 0 versus 96. Pixel rate: 0 MPixel/s versus 192.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 384.0 GTexel/s.

FP32: 81.72 TFLOPS versus 24.58 TFLOPS. FP16: 81.72 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 49.15 TFLOPS (2:1).

TDP: 750 W versus 225 W. Slot width: OAM Module versus Dual-slot. Power connectors: none versus 1x 16-pin. Suggested PSU: 1150 W versus 550 W.

Bus interface: PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: none versus 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. APIs: all N/A versus DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3.

Dimensions: the LX ULTRA is 268 mm long, 112 mm high, and 40 mm wide; the MI308X has no dimensions listed. Production status: the LX ULTRA is Active, the MI308X has no status listed. Release dates differ: the MI308X was released on December 5, 2023, while the LX ULTRA has a release date of March 16, 2026.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

No direct benchmark scores exist in the database for either card, and the head-to-head benchmark array is empty. Both cards have an average benchmark score of 0 and a percentile ranking of 50 among all GPUs. The nearest rivals lists are also empty for both items. This means the comparison must be made from the recorded specifications rather than measured benchmark results.

The most significant performance gap is in FP32 compute. The MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS, which is 3.32 times the LX ULTRA's 24.58 TFLOPS. In FP16, the MI308X again leads with 81.72 TFLOPS versus 49.15 TFLOPS, a 1.66 times advantage. The MI308X's FP16 to FP32 ratio of 1:1 means equal throughput regardless of precision, whereas the LX ULTRA's 2:1 ratio means its FP16 is double its FP32.

Memory bandwidth is the largest differentiator. The MI308X's 5.32 TB/s is 12.31 times the LX ULTRA's 432.0 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage is fundamental for workloads that stream large data, such as neural network training or large matrix operations. The MI308X's 192 GB capacity is 8 times the LX ULTRA's 24 GB, allowing much larger working sets.

Texture throughput also favors the MI308X: 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 384.0 GTexel/s, a 6.65 times lead. However, the LX ULTRA has a pixel rate of 192.0 GPixel/s while the MI308X has 0 MPixel/s, making the LX ULTRA the only option for rasterized graphics output.

The power envelope is a major point of divergence. The MI308X's 750 W TDP is 3.33 times the LX ULTRA's 225 W. The suggested PSU of 1150 W versus 550 W reflects the MI308X's need for substantial power delivery infrastructure. In terms of FP32 per watt, the LX ULTRA achieves 0.109 TFLOPS per watt (24.58 divided by 225), while the MI308X achieves 0.109 TFLOPS per watt (81.72 divided by 750). The efficiency is nearly identical, which is an interesting result: the MI308X's higher raw performance is offset by its higher power draw.

The LX ULTRA's FP16 per watt is 0.218 TFLOPS per watt (49.15 divided by 225), while the MI308X's is 0.109 TFLOPS per watt (81.72 divided by 750). This means the LX ULTRA is twice as efficient as the MI308X in half-precision compute per watt, a notable advantage for FP16-heavy workloads where power is constrained.

The Verdict

The data indicates two distinct products for different purposes. The AMD Instinct MI308X is a compute accelerator designed for maximum throughput in dense, memory-heavy workloads. Its 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, 5.32 TB/s bandwidth, and 192 GB HBM3 capacity place it in a different class from any consumer or prosumer graphics card. The lack of display outputs and graphics API support confirms it is intended for servers, data centers, and specialized compute nodes. Its OAM module form factor and 750 W TDP require infrastructure that most desktop systems cannot provide.

The Lisuan Tech LX ULTRA is a conventional dual-slot graphics card with full display outputs and modern API support. Its 24.58 TFLOPS FP32 and 49.15 TFLOPS FP16 are respectable for graphics and compute tasks, and its 225 W TDP and 550 W PSU requirement make it practical for standard desktop builds. The 24 GB GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for many rendering and machine learning workloads, though far below the MI308X's capacity.

For users needing raw compute density, the MI308X is the clear choice based on specifications. Its FP32 lead of 3.32 times and bandwidth lead of 12.31 times are decisive for workloads that can use them. For users needing a graphics card that can also handle compute, the LX ULTRA is the only viable option between the two, as the MI308X cannot output video or run standard graphics APIs.

The efficiency comparison is instructive. In FP32 per watt, both cards are nearly identical at approximately 0.109 TFLOPS per watt. In FP16 per watt, the LX ULTRA is twice as efficient at 0.218 versus 0.109. This means that for half-precision tasks, the LX ULTRA delivers more compute per watt, though the MI308X still delivers more absolute FP16 performance.

The release dates suggest the LX ULTRA is a newer product, with a release date of March 16, 2026, versus December 5, 2023, for the MI308X. The LX ULTRA is marked as Active in production status, while the MI308X has no status listed. This could indicate the MI308X is a prior-generation part, though no successor is listed for either.

In summary, the MI308X wins on every absolute performance metric except pixel rate and API support. The LX ULTRA wins on power draw, physical integration, graphics functionality, and FP16 efficiency. The choice depends entirely on whether the workload is compute-only with infrastructure support or graphics-oriented in a standard desktop environment. The database shows no benchmark scores for either card, so these conclusions rest on the recorded specification differences.