AMD Instinct MI355X vs AMD Radeon RX 9060 Comparison

AMD Instinct MI355X and AMD Radeon RX 9060 are both AMD products, but they serve entirely different purposes. The MI355X is a compute-optimized accelerator built for massive data center workloads, while the RX 9060 is a mainstream graphics card for consumer systems. The database contains no shared benchmark scores between the two, so direct performance comparisons rely on their architectural specifications and the RX 9060’s recorded benchmark results. The MI355X has no benchmark entries, an average score of zero, and a performance percentile of 50, while the RX 9060 has a percentile of 59 and an average benchmark score of 16,014. The analysis below examines where each device wins based on available data, their fundamental architecture differences, and what the numbers indicate about their respective roles.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9060 is the only one of the two with recorded benchmark results. Its average benchmark score of 16,014 places it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs in the database. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 3,322. In Geekbench OpenCL, it reaches 88,183, while its Geekbench Vulkan score is 39,476. PassMark results include a G3D score of 17,631, a GPU compute score of 9,919, and a G2D score of 1,002. These numbers confirm the RX 9060 is a functioning consumer graphics card with measurable performance across graphics and compute workloads.

The MI355X has no benchmarks in the database. Its average benchmark score is zero, and it has no nearest rivals listed. This means the database cannot confirm any real-world performance wins for the MI355X based on measured results. However, its specification sheet indicates a device built for a different kind of workload. The MI355X uses 16,384 shading units, 1,024 texture mapping units, and a texture rate of 2,457.6 GTexel/s. Its FP32 compute is 78.64 TFLOPS, and its FP16 output is also 78.64 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The RX 9060, by comparison, has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s, and FP32 of 21.43 TFLOPS. In raw shading and texture throughput, the MI355X is far ahead on paper.

The RX 9060 wins in the consumer graphics space because it has display outputs, 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI355X has no display outputs and its API support is listed as N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. Any workload requiring a rendered output to a monitor belongs to the RX 9060. The MI355X is a compute module with no video output capability, so it cannot win in any display-based scenario.

The nearest rivals for the RX 9060 provide context for its performance tier. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16,129, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 9060. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15,862, which is 1% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15,852, also 1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15,679, which is 2.1% lower. These deltas show the RX 9060 sits in a tight competitive band, slightly below the RTX 3060 Ti and slightly above the R9 370X and RX 7700.

Architecture Differences

The MI355X uses the CDNA 4.0 architecture and is built on the MI350 256CU chip. The RX 9060 uses RDNA 4.0 and is built on the Navi 44 chip. These are distinct architecture families with different design goals. CDNA 4.0 is optimized for accelerators, while RDNA 4.0 targets consumer graphics.

The process nodes differ. The MI355X is manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 9060 uses a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. The MI355X has 185,000 million transistors on a die size of 2,380 mm², giving a transistor density of 77.7M per mm². The RX 9060 has 29,700 million transistors on a die size of 199 mm², with a transistor density of 149.2M per mm². The MI355X die is vastly larger, but the RX 9060 packs transistors more densely.

Memory architecture is another major split. The MI355X has 288 GB of HBM3e memory on an 8,192-bit bus, delivering 8.19 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 9060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory bandwidth difference is enormous, with the MI355X offering more than 28 times the bandwidth of the RX 9060.

Clock speeds also differ. The MI355X has a base clock of 1,000 MHz and a boost clock of 2,400 MHz. The RX 9060 has a base clock of 1,700 MHz, a game clock of 2,400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2,990 MHz. The RX 9060 runs at higher frequencies, which is typical for a consumer card, while the MI355X relies on its massive parallel resources.

The MI355X has zero ROPs and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. The RX 9060 has 64 ROPs and a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s. The MI355X also has no ray tracing cores listed, while the RX 9060 includes 28 ray tracing cores. The MI355X is not designed for rasterization or ray tracing, while the RX 9060 includes both.

Power and physical design differ sharply. The MI355X has a TDP of 1,400 W and comes as an OAM Module with no power connectors. The RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W, uses a dual-slot design, and requires a single 8-pin power connector. The suggested PSU for the MI355X is 1,800 W, while the RX 9060 suggests 300 W. The MI355X measures 102 mm in length and 165 mm in width, while the RX 9060 has no recorded dimensions.

The Verdict

The data indicates these two devices should not be compared as alternatives. The MI355X is a compute accelerator with no display outputs, no consumer API support, and a power draw of 1,400 W. The RX 9060 is a consumer graphics card with display outputs, full API support, and a power draw of 132 W. Any user needing to connect a monitor must choose the RX 9060, as the MI355X has no video output.

For compute-heavy workloads, the MI355X has the specification advantage. Its FP32 of 78.64 TFLOPS is roughly 3.7 times the RX 9060’s 21.43 TFLOPS. Its memory bandwidth of 8.19 TB/s dwarfs the RX 9060’s 288.0 GB/s. Its 288 GB of HBM3e memory is 36 times the RX 9060’s 8 GB. These are not incremental differences; they represent different orders of capability.

The RX 9060 wins in efficiency per watt based on recorded data. It delivers a measured average benchmark score of 16,014 at a TDP of 132 W. The MI355X has no recorded benchmark score, so no efficiency ratio can be calculated from the database. The RX 9060 also wins in transistor density, with 149.2M per mm² compared to 77.7M per mm² for the MI355X.

The release dates show the RX 9060 launched later, on 2025-08-04, while the MI355X was released on 2025-06-11. Both are recent AMD products, but they target different segments. The MI355X belongs to the Instinct (MIx) generation, while the RX 9060 belongs to the Radeon RX 9000 series and the Navi IV generation.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16,014. The MI355X has an average benchmark score of zero because no benchmarks are recorded for it in the database.

Q: Does the MI355X support display outputs?

A: No. The MI355X lists no display outputs, while the RX 9060 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16,129, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 9060’s 16,014.

Q: What is the memory size difference between the two cards?

A: The MI355X has 288 GB of HBM3e memory, while the RX 9060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Which card has ray tracing cores?

A: The RX 9060 has 28 ray tracing cores. The MI355X has no ray tracing cores listed.

Q: What is the TDP of each card?

A: The MI355X has a TDP of 1,400 W, while the RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no head-to-head benchmark entries in the database for these two products. The winsA and winsB fields are both zero, meaning neither device has a recorded win against the other. The MI355X has no benchmark list, no average score, and no rivals. The RX 9060 has ten recorded benchmark results, but none of them are paired against the MI355X.

The RX 9060’s individual benchmark scores provide the only measurable performance data. Its highest compute score is in Geekbench OpenCL at 88,183, followed by Geekbench Vulkan at 39,476. In PassMark, the G3D score of 17,631 and GPU compute score of 9,919 show a balanced profile between graphics and compute. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,322 is its only DX12 entry.

The MI355X’s specification sheet provides the only basis for comparison. Its FP32 output of 78.64 TFLOPS is 3.7 times the RX 9060’s 21.43 TFLOPS. Its texture rate of 2,457.6 GTexel/s is 7.3 times the RX 9060’s 334.9 GTexel/s. Its memory bandwidth of 8.19 TB/s is 28.4 times the RX 9060’s 288.0 GB/s. These are the largest gaps in the recorded data.

The RX 9060 has the only rasterization metrics. Its pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and 64 ROPs give it a clear advantage in any pixel-output workload, since the MI355X has 0 ROPs and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. The RX 9060 also has higher clock speeds, with a boost clock of 2,990 MHz compared to the MI355X’s 2,400 MHz.

Specification Differences

The two products differ in nearly every recorded specification. The MI355X uses the CDNA 4.0 architecture, while the RX 9060 uses RDNA 4.0. The MI355X is built on the MI350 256CU chip, while the RX 9060 uses the Navi 44 chip. The process nodes are 3 nm for the MI355X and 4 nm for the RX 9060, both from TSMC.

Transistor counts differ substantially. The MI355X has 185,000 million transistors, while the RX 9060 has 29,700 million. Die size is 2,380 mm² for the MI355X and 199 mm² for the RX 9060. Transistor density is 77.7M per mm² for the MI355X and 149.2M per mm² for the RX 9060.

Clock speeds differ across all fields. The MI355X has a base clock of 1,000 MHz and a boost clock of 2,400 MHz. The RX 9060 has a base clock of 1,700 MHz, a game clock of 2,400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2,990 MHz. Memory clocks are 2,000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for the MI355X and 2,250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the RX 9060.

Memory specifications are completely different. The MI355X has 288 GB of HBM3e with an 8,192-bit bus and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The RX 9060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute unit counts vary widely. The MI355X has 16,384 shading units, 1,024 TMUs, and 0 ROPs. The RX 9060 has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The MI355X has no ray tracing cores listed, while the RX 9060 has 28. Pixel rate is 0 MPixel/s for the MI355X and 191.4 GPixel/s for the RX 9060. Texture rate is 2,457.6 GTexel/s for the MI355X and 334.9 GTexel/s for the RX 9060.

Power and physical specifications diverge. The MI355X has a TDP of 1,400 W, uses an OAM Module slot, and has no power connectors. The RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W, uses a dual-slot design, and has a single 8-pin power connector. Suggested PSU is 1,800 W for the MI355X and 300 W for the RX 9060.

Display and API support differ completely. The MI355X has no display outputs and lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. The RX 9060 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support.

Release dates also differ. The MI355X was released on 2025-06-11, and the RX 9060 was released on 2025-08-04. The MI355X’s predecessor is Radeon Instinct, while the RX 9060’s predecessor is Navi III. The RX 9060 has an active production status, while the MI355X has no production status recorded. Neither product has a successor listed in the database.