AMD Instinct MI355X vs AMD Radeon 860M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Instinct MI355X and AMD Radeon 860M occupy entirely different segments of the GPU spectrum, and the recorded data reflects this divide clearly. The MI355X is a data center accelerator with no conventional benchmarks in the database, while the 860M is an integrated graphics processor with two recorded benchmark scores. The 860M achieves a Geekbench OpenCL score of 22,759 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 30,043, producing an average benchmark score of 26,401. The MI355X has no recorded benchmark scores, which places its percentile versus all GPUs at 50, while the 860M sits at the 72nd percentile.

Because the MI355X has no benchmark entries, the head-to-head comparison is effectively one-sided. The 860M's closest rival in the database is the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, which averages 26,421, a delta of -0.1 percent relative to the 860M. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 sits at 26,331, a 0.3 percent delta, meaning the 860M trails by that margin. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26,553, a -0.6 percent delta, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 reaches 26,683, a -1.1 percent delta. These deltas are all within roughly one percent, indicating that the 860M's benchmark performance is tightly clustered with these four discrete and professional GPUs, despite being an integrated part.

The MI355X, by contrast, has no benchmark scores to compare. Its specifications, however, indicate a completely different performance envelope. The FP32 compute figure for the MI355X is 78.64 TFLOPS, while the 860M delivers 3.072 TFLOPS. That means the MI355X has approximately 25.6 times the raw FP32 throughput, a figure derived directly from the recorded data. Texture rate shows a similar gap: the MI355X reaches 2,457.6 GTexel/s versus the 860M's 96.00 GTexel/s, a multiple of roughly 25.6 as well. Pixel rate is where the comparison breaks down, as the MI355X reports 0 MPixel/s due to having no display outputs, while the 860M manages 48.00 GPixel/s.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 860M wins in the integrated graphics space. It is an IGP with a 15 W TDP, making it suitable for portable devices. Its two benchmark scores place it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, which is a meaningful achievement for an integrated solution. The 860M also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it capable of running modern graphics APIs. Its 8 ray tracing cores provide hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature that the MI355X lacks entirely, as its RT cores are listed as null.

The AMD Instinct MI355X wins in raw compute and memory capacity. It packs 16,384 shading units, 1,024 texture mapping units, and 288 GB of HBM3e memory on an 8192-bit bus. Memory bandwidth reaches 8.19 TB/s, which is orders of magnitude beyond what the 860M can access, as its memory is system shared and its bandwidth is system dependent. The MI355X's FP32 and FP16 figures are both 78.64 TFLOPS (1:1), indicating that the architecture does not halve throughput for FP16 workloads. The 860M also reports FP16 at 3.072 TFLOPS (1:1), so both parts maintain a one-to-one ratio, but the absolute numbers are vastly different.

The MI355X is built for compute workloads that require massive memory pools and sustained throughput. The 860M is built for rendering frames on a laptop or handheld device. The MI355X has no display outputs, confirming its role as an accelerator rather than a graphics card. The 860M's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent, meaning the connection method depends on the host system.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different architectural families. The MI355X uses CDNA 4.0, AMD's compute-focused architecture, and is part of the Instinct (MIx) generation. The 860M uses RDNA 3.5, a graphics-focused architecture, and belongs to the Navi III IGP (Strix Point Mobile) generation. The MI355X's chip is designated MI350 256CU, while the 860M uses Krackan Point. These are fundamentally different designs: CDNA prioritizes compute throughput and memory bandwidth, while RDNA prioritizes graphics efficiency and power management.

The manufacturing process also differs. The MI355X is built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, while the 860M uses a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. The MI355X has a transistor count of 185,000 million (185 billion) spread across a die size of 2,380 mm², giving a transistor density of 77.7 million per square millimeter. The 860M's transistor count and die size are both unknown in the database. The MI355X is a massive chip, while the 860M, as an integrated part, has its transistors integrated into the Krackan Point APU die.

Clock speeds show a different design philosophy. The MI355X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The 860M has a base clock of 600 MHz and a boost clock of 3000 MHz. The 860M boosts to a higher frequency, which is typical for a small, power-constrained integrated GPU. The MI355X runs at a lower clock but has vastly more compute units. Memory clocks also differ: the MI355X runs its HBM3e at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective speed, while the 860M uses system shared memory with no dedicated clock.

The MI355X has 0 ROPs, which explains its 0 MPixel/s pixel rate. The 860M has 16 ROPs. The MI355X has no RT cores, while the 860M has 8. The MI355X has no tensor cores listed, and neither does the 860M. The MI355X's bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x16, while the 860M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The MI355X is an OAM module, while the 860M is an IGP. The MI355X requires a suggested power supply of 1800 W, while the 860M has no suggested PSU listed because it draws power from the host system.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Instinct MI355X delivers 78.64 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the AMD Radeon 860M delivers 3.072 TFLOPS. The MI355X has approximately 25.6 times the FP32 throughput.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 860M support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, the 860M has 8 ray tracing cores. The AMD Instinct MI355X does not list any ray tracing cores in the database.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each GPU?

A: The MI355X has 288 GB of HBM3e memory on an 8192-bit bus with 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The 860M uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher benchmark percentile?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M sits at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, based on its average benchmark score of 26,401. The AMD Instinct MI355X sits at the 50th percentile with no recorded benchmark scores.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for these GPUs?

A: The MI355X has a TDP of 1400 W, while the 860M has a TDP of 15 W.

Q: Which GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI355X lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification. The MI355X uses a 3 nm process, while the 860M uses 4 nm. The MI355X has 185,000 million transistors on a 2380 mm² die, while the 860M's transistor count and die size are unknown. The MI355X's base clock is 1000 MHz versus the 860M's 600 MHz. The MI355X boosts to 2400 MHz, the 860M to 3000 MHz. Memory differs completely: the MI355X has 288 GB of HBM3e, the 860M uses system shared memory. The MI355X has 16,384 shading units, 1,024 TMUs, and 0 ROPs; the 860M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The MI355X has no RT cores, the 860M has 8. Pixel rate is 0 MPixel/s for the MI355X and 48.00 GPixel/s for the 860M. Texture rate is 2,457.6 GTexel/s versus 96.00 GTexel/s. FP32 is 78.64 TFLOPS versus 3.072 TFLOPS. TDP is 1400 W versus 15 W. The MI355X is an OAM module, the 860M is an IGP. The MI355X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, the 860M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The MI355X has no display outputs, the 860M's outputs are portable device dependent. The MI355X lists N/A for all APIs, the 860M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI355X has dimensions of 102 mm by 165 mm, while the 860M has no listed dimensions. The MI355X requires a suggested PSU of 1800 W, the 860M has none listed.

The Verdict

The data indicates that these two products serve entirely different purposes, and any selection depends on the workload. The AMD Instinct MI355X is a compute accelerator with 288 GB of HBM3e memory, 8.19 TB/s of bandwidth, and 78.64 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput. It is built for large-scale compute tasks that require massive memory capacity and sustained throughput. Its 1400 W TDP and OAM module form factor make it suitable for data center installations, not desktop or portable systems. It has no display outputs and no graphics API support, confirming that it is not intended for rendering or interactive graphics.

The AMD Radeon 860M is an integrated GPU with a 15 W TDP, designed for portable devices. Its benchmark scores place it at the 72nd percentile, and its closest rivals in the database are all within roughly one percent of its average score. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 trails by 0.1 percent, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary trails by 0.6 percent, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 trails by 1.1 percent. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 leads by 0.3 percent. This clustering shows that the 860M performs at a level comparable to these discrete GPUs, despite being an integrated solution.

For a user building a compute cluster with HBM3e memory requirements, the MI355X is the only viable choice from this data. For a user needing integrated graphics with modern API support and ray tracing in a low-power portable device, the 860M is the clear selection. The MI355X has no benchmark scores to verify its real-world performance, while the 860M has two recorded scores that place it in the upper quartile of the database. The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: the MI355X wins on raw compute specifications, and the 860M wins on graphics features, benchmark validation, and power efficiency.