AMD Instinct MI355X vs AMD Radeon RX 9070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a fundamental asymmetry: the AMD Instinct MI355X has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 has a full suite of ten benchmark results. Consequently, all quantitative head-to-head comparisons are based on the RX 9070's measured performance and its position relative to its nearest rivals, as the MI355X has no comparable scores.

The RX 9070 delivers an average benchmark score of 23,877, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs tracked in the database. Its strongest result comes from the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scores 131,539. The Vulkan test shows a score of 58,705, indicating a significant gap between compute-oriented and graphics-oriented workloads within the same suite. In DirectX 12 workloads, the 3DMark Steel Nomad test yields a score of 6,290.

The Passmark suite provides a broader picture of the RX 9070's capabilities. The G3D test produces a score of 25,381, while the GPU Compute test scores 14,737. Older DirectX APIs show a different scaling pattern: DirectX 11 scores 281, DirectX 9 scores 343, and DirectX 10 scores 141, while DirectX 12 scores just 74. The G2D test, measuring 2D graphics performance, reports 1,280.

The nearest rival data confirms that the RX 9070 sits in a tightly contested performance band. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER trails by 1.2 percent with an average score of 24,170, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800S trails by 0.8 percent with 24,063. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z is 0.6 percent behind with 23,736, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is 1.1 percent ahead with 23,628. These deltas, all within a narrow 2.3 percentage point spread, indicate that the RX 9070 is closely matched with this group of rivals, holding a slight edge over three of the four.

The MI355X, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of zero and sits at the 50th percentile in the database, with no rival comparisons available. This is not an indication of poor performance; rather, it reflects the absence of recorded measurements for this accelerator in the database. The data simply does not contain any benchmark runs for the MI355X, so no win counts can be assigned in either direction. The head-to-head benchmark array is empty, and both wins counters are zero.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23,877, while the AMD Instinct MI355X has an average benchmark score of 0 because no benchmark results are recorded for it in the database.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9070 leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z by 0.6 percent (23,736), the AMD Radeon RX 6800S by 0.8 percent (24,063), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER by 1.2 percent (24,170). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile by 1.1 percent (23,628).

Q: What is the RX 9070's best single benchmark result?

A: The highest recorded score for the RX 9070 is 131,539 on the Geekbench OpenCL test, which far exceeds its Geekbench Vulkan score of 58,705.

Q: Does the MI355X have any display outputs?

A: No. The MI355X lists "No outputs" as its display configuration, whereas the RX 9070 provides 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs.

Q: What is the difference in transistor density between the two chips?

A: The MI355X has a transistor density of 77.7 million transistors per square millimeter, while the RX 9070 has 151.0 million transistors per square millimeter.

Q: What percentile ranking does each GPU hold in the database?

A: The RX 9070 ranks in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, while the MI355X ranks in the 50th percentile.

Architecture Differences

The two accelerators are built on entirely different architectural foundations. The AMD Instinct MI355X uses CDNA 4.0 architecture, designed for compute acceleration, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 uses RDNA 4.0 architecture, designed for graphics rendering. This distinction shapes every other difference between them.

The MI355X employs the MI350 256CU chip, fabricated on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It contains 185,000 million transistors on a die size of 2,380 square millimeters. The RX 9070 uses the Navi 48 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 53,900 million transistors on a die size of 357 square millimeters. Despite the smaller process node, the MI355X has a lower transistor density of 77.7 million transistors per square millimeter compared to the RX 9070's 151.0 million, because the MI355X die is vastly larger and dominated by memory and compute resources rather than dense logic.

The MI355X is built around an 8,192-bit memory bus with 288 GB of HBM3e memory, delivering 8.19 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 9070 uses a 256-bit bus with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, delivering 644.6 GB/s. This represents a more than twelvefold difference in memory bandwidth, reflecting the MI355X's role as a data-center accelerator handling massive datasets.

Shader resources diverge sharply. The MI355X has 16,384 shading units and 1,024 texture mapping units, but reports 0 ROPs and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s, confirming it is not designed for rasterized graphics output. The RX 9070 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s. The RX 9070 also includes 56 ray tracing cores, a feature class entirely absent from the MI355X's specification sheet.

The MI355X reports no API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, while the RX 9070 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The texture rates reflect the compute-versus-graphics split: the MI355X reaches 2,457.6 GTexel/s, while the RX 9070 reaches 564.5 GTexel/s. FP32 compute shows the MI355X at 78.64 TFLOPS and the RX 9070 at 36.13 TFLOPS, both with FP16 at a 1:1 ratio to FP32.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ across nearly every specification field. The process node differs: 3 nm for the MI355X, 4 nm for the RX 9070. Transistor counts differ by a factor of roughly 3.4, with the MI355X at 185,000 million and the RX 9070 at 53,900 million. Die size differs by a factor of roughly 6.7, at 2,380 square millimeters versus 357 square millimeters.

Clock speeds show a different pattern. The MI355X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, while the RX 9070 has a base clock of 1330 MHz, a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and a game clock of 2070 MHz. The RX 9070 runs faster at both base and boost, despite having fewer compute resources. Memory clocks diverge even more: the MI355X runs at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective transfer, while the RX 9070 runs at 2518 MHz with 20.1 Gbps effective.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The MI355X uses 288 GB of HBM3e across an 8,192-bit bus, while the RX 9070 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 across a 256-bit bus. Bandwidth is 8.19 TB/s versus 644.6 GB/s. Pixel rate is 0 MPixel/s for the MI355X versus 322.6 GPixel/s for the RX 9070. Texture rate is 2,457.6 GTexel/s versus 564.5 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 78.64 TFLOPS versus 36.13 TFLOPS.

Power requirements diverge dramatically. The MI355X has a TDP of 1400 W and requires a suggested PSU of 1800 W, while the RX 9070 has a TDP of 220 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W. The MI355X is an OAM module with no power connectors and no display outputs. The RX 9070 is a dual-slot card with 2x 8-pin power connectors and 1x HDMI 2.1b plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs. The MI355X measures 102 mm in length and 165 mm in width, while the RX 9070 has no recorded dimensions.

The API support differs completely. The MI355X lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, while the RX 9070 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates differ by roughly three months: the MI355X launched on 2025-06-11, while the RX 9070 launched on 2025-03-05. The RX 9070 is marked as Active in production status, while the MI355X has no recorded production status. The RX 9070 has a launch MSRP of 549 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Instinct MI355X wins in compute density and memory capacity. It delivers 78.64 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, more than double the RX 9070's 36.13 TFLOPS. Its 288 GB of HBM3e memory with 8.19 TB/s of bandwidth positions it for workloads that require holding and processing datasets far larger than any graphics card can accommodate. The 8,192-bit bus width and 1,024 TMUs reinforce this orientation toward massive parallel throughput. It also leads in texture rate at 2,457.6 GTexel/s, though this metric matters less for a chip with no display outputs.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 wins in graphics-specific capabilities and practical deployment. It has 128 ROPs and 56 ray tracing cores, producing a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and includes display outputs suitable for direct connection to monitors. Its 220 W TDP and dual-slot form factor make it suitable for standard desktop systems, whereas the MI355X requires an OAM module slot and an 1800 W PSU. The RX 9070 also holds the only recorded benchmark results in this comparison, with an average score of 23,877 across ten tests.

The RX 9070's transistor density of 151.0 million per square millimeter indicates a more logic-dense design, consistent with a graphics processor that must handle branching, ray tracing, and API-level features. The MI355X's lower density of 77.7 million per square millimeter reflects a design where memory controllers and compute arrays dominate the die area.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split by use case. The AMD Instinct MI355X is the choice for compute-heavy, data-center-style workloads where massive memory capacity, high FP32 throughput, and extreme bandwidth are the defining requirements. Its 288 GB of HBM3e, 8.19 TB/s bandwidth, and 78.64 TFLOPS of FP32 performance place it in a class that no graphics card can match. The absence of display outputs, API support, and benchmark scores in the database indicates that it is not intended for the same evaluation methods or application domains as a consumer GPU.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the choice for graphics rendering, gaming, and any workload that requires DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support. Its recorded benchmark results place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 23,877 and competitive results against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, AMD Radeon RX 6800S, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, all within a 2.3 percentage point band. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 128 ROPs, and 56 ray tracing cores make it a functional graphics solution with standard display outputs and a 220 W power envelope.

The MI355X's 1400 W TDP, OAM module form factor, and lack of display outputs make it unsuitable for desktop use, while the RX 9070's 220 W TDP, dual-slot design, and 2x 8-pin power connectors fit conventional systems. The MI355X has no benchmark scores, so any performance comparison must rely on its architectural specifications rather than measured results. The RX 9070 has a launch MSRP of 549 USD, which is the only pricing information available in the database.