AMD Instinct MI455X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries for the AMD Instinct MI455X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The MI455X has an empty benchmark array, producing an average benchmark score of zero and a percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs. The RTX 5090, by contrast, has ten recorded benchmark results and an average benchmark score of 79,842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

Without shared test data, the comparison relies on the RTX 5090's measured results and the MI455X's architectural specifications. The RTX 5090 delivers 18,355 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 334,370 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 376,728 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its Passmark results include 39,650 in G3D, 26,756 in GPU compute, 1,413 in G2D, 395 in DirectX 9, 341 in DirectX 11, 226 in DirectX 10, and 185 in DirectX 12.

The MI455X has no comparable scores in the database, so its performance cannot be quantified against the RTX 5090 in any test. The RTX 5090's nearest rivals in average score are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79,605 (0.3% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79,396 (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (1.1% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X at 80,959 (1.4% ahead). The RTX 5090 sits within a narrow 2.5% band across these four rivals, indicating that its measured average score is closely clustered with older professional compute cards.

The MI455X's zero average and 50th percentile reflect the absence of recorded benchmark data, not a measured performance level. The RTX 5090's 92nd percentile confirms it ranks among the top scoring GPUs in the database. The data shows no scenario where the MI455X has a recorded win, and no scenario where the RTX 5090 has a recorded loss, because no common test exists.

FAQ

Q: Does the AMD Instinct MI455X have any recorded benchmark scores?

A: No. The MI455X has an empty benchmark array, an average benchmark score of zero, and a percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs. The RTX 5090 has ten recorded scores and an average of 79,842.

Q: What is the RTX 5090's highest and lowest recorded benchmark score?

A: The highest is 376,728 in Geekbench Vulkan, and the lowest is 185 in Passmark DirectX 12. Other scores range from 226 in Passmark DirectX 10 to 39,650 in Passmark G3D.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rivals in average score?

A: The RTX 5090 averages 79,842. The Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 (0.3% lower), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (0.6% lower), the RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.1% lower), and the Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959 (1.4% higher).

Q: What memory configurations do the two cards use?

A: The MI455X uses 432 GB of HBM4 on a 24576-bit bus with 23.3 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5090 uses 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 5090 boosts to 2407 MHz, while the MI455X boosts to 2400 MHz. The RTX 5090 also has a higher base clock at 2017 MHz versus 1000 MHz for the MI455X.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The MI455X has a TDP of 2300 W and a suggested PSU of 2700 W, with no power connectors listed. The RTX 5090 has a TDP of 575 W, a suggested PSU of 950 W, and uses one 16-pin connector.

Architecture Differences

The MI455X is built on AMD's CDNA 5.0 architecture with the MI450 256CU chip, while the RTX 5090 uses NVIDIA's Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip. The process nodes differ: the MI455X uses a 2 nm process, and the RTX 5090 uses a 5 nm process, both fabricated by TSMC. Transistor counts diverge sharply, with the MI455X at 320,000 million transistors on a 2990 mm² die, versus 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die for the RTX 5090. Transistor density favors the RTX 5090 at 122.9 million per mm², compared to 107.0 million per mm² for the MI455X.

The MI455X has 32,768 shading units and 1,024 texture mapping units, but zero ROPs and no listed RT or tensor cores. The RTX 5090 has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. The MI455X's texture rate is 2,457.6 GTexel/s, and its FP32 and FP16 throughput are both 157.3 TFLOPS, indicating a 1:1 ratio. The RTX 5090 delivers 1,636.8 GTexel/s and 104.8 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16, also at a 1:1 ratio. The MI455X reports a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s due to the absence of ROPs, while the RTX 5090 reaches 423.6 GPixel/s.

API support separates the two completely. The MI455X lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan all as N/A, reflecting its compute-oriented design with no display outputs. The RTX 5090 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and includes one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b outputs. The MI455X uses a PCIe 6.0 x16 interface, while the RTX 5090 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The MI455X is an EAM Module with no power connectors, whereas the RTX 5090 is a dual-slot card with one 16-pin connector.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Instinct MI455X | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Architecture | CDNA 5.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process node | 2 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 320,000 million | 92,200 million |

| Die size | 2990 mm² | 750 mm² |

| Shading units | 32768 | 21760 |

| TMUs | 1024 | 680 |

| ROPs | 0 | 176 |

| RT cores | None listed | 170 |

| Tensor cores | None listed | 680 |

| Base clock | 1000 MHz | 2017 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2400 MHz | 2407 MHz |

| Memory size | 432 GB | 32 GB |

| Memory type | HBM4 | GDDR7 |

| Memory bus | 24576 bit | 512 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 23.3 TB/s | 1.79 TB/s |

| FP32 | 157.3 TFLOPS | 104.8 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 157.3 TFLOPS (1:1) | 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Pixel rate | 0 MPixel/s | 423.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 2,457.6 GTexel/s | 1,636.8 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 2300 W | 575 W |

| Suggested PSU | 2700 W | 950 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 6.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b |

| DirectX | N/A | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Slot width | EAM Module | Dual-slot |

| Release date | 2026-07-22 | 2025-01-29 |

| Predecessor | Radeon Instinct | GeForce 40 |

| Successor | None listed | GeForce 60 |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5090 wins in every measurable benchmark category because it is the only card with recorded scores. Its 92nd percentile rank and average score of 79,842 give it a clear position in the database's performance hierarchy. It also wins on features relevant to graphics workloads: 176 ROPs enable a 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate, 170 RT cores support ray tracing, 680 tensor cores accelerate AI workloads, and API support covers DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The card includes display outputs, making it functional for graphics output, and its dual-slot design with a 304 mm length, 137 mm height, and 40 mm width fits standard expansion slots. Its 575 W TDP and 950 W suggested PSU are far lower than the MI455X's requirements. The RTX 5090's launch MSRP is 1,999 USD.

The MI455X wins on raw compute specifications. It has more shading units (32,768 versus 21,760), more TMUs (1,024 versus 680), and higher FP32 and FP16 throughput (157.3 TFLOPS versus 104.8 TFLOPS in both). Its memory subsystem is substantially larger: 432 GB of HBM4 versus 32 GB of GDDR7, with a 24576-bit bus versus 512-bit, and 23.3 TB/s bandwidth versus 1.79 TB/s. The MI455X also has a higher texture rate at 2,457.6 GTexel/s versus 1,636.8 GTexel/s. It uses a newer PCIe 6.0 x16 interface versus PCIe 5.0 x16, and its 2 nm process node is smaller than the RTX 5090's 5 nm node. The MI455X has no display outputs and no graphics API support, so its wins are confined to compute-oriented specifications.

The Verdict

The data divides these two cards into entirely different categories. The RTX 5090 is the only one with measured performance, and those measurements place it in the 92nd percentile with an average score of 79,842, closely matched against the Tesla P100 variants and the Radeon Pro Vega 64X. Any user requiring recorded benchmark validation, graphics APIs, display output, or ray tracing capability must select the RTX 5090, as the MI455X offers none of these in the database.

The MI455X is the choice for compute density and memory capacity. Its 432 GB of HBM4, 23.3 TB/s bandwidth, and 157.3 TFLOPS FP32 throughput exceed the RTX 5090's specifications in every compute category, and its 2300 W TDP with a 2700 W suggested PSU indicates a system designed for maximum throughput rather than efficiency. The RTX 5090, with a 575 W TDP and 950 W suggested PSU, delivers its performance at a fraction of the power envelope.

The release timeline shows the RTX 5090 arriving on 2025-01-29 with an active production status, while the MI455X is dated 2026-07-22 with no production status listed. The RTX 5090 has a successor in the GeForce 60 series, while the MI455X lists none. The MI455X's predecessor is the Radeon Instinct line, and the RTX 5090's predecessor is the GeForce 40 series. For graphics, gaming, and general GPU workloads with verified scores, the RTX 5090 is the only option with evidence. For massive memory capacity and peak compute throughput, the MI455X holds the specification advantage, but its lack of benchmark data means its real-world performance remains unmeasured in this database.