AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X Comparison

AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X and AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 are two professional-grade graphics cards built on the same fundamental silicon, yet they serve distinctly different purposes in the data center and workstation markets. The Pro Vega 64X is a Mac-oriented integrated graphics processor, while the Instinct MI25 is a standalone accelerator designed for compute-heavy environments. Benchmark data shows the Pro Vega 64X holds a clear performance advantage in the available head-to-head test, but the architectural and physical differences between these two Vega 10-based cards dictate which one is appropriate for a given workload.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X wins the only directly comparable benchmark in the data set. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Pro Vega 64X scores 78,467 points against the Instinct MI25's 68,562 points, a margin of 14.4%. This places the Pro Vega 64X in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Instinct MI25 sits slightly lower at the 90th percentile. The Pro Vega 64X also has a higher average benchmark score of 80,959 across multiple tests, compared to the MI25's 68,562 from a single OpenCL result.

However, the Instinct MI25 wins in raw compute specifications that matter for certain specialized workloads. Its boost clock of 1500 MHz exceeds the Pro Vega 64X's 1468 MHz, resulting in higher peak throughput figures: 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 versus 12.03 TFLOPS, and 24.58 TFLOPS FP16 versus 24.05 TFLOPS. The MI25 also has a slightly higher pixel rate (96.00 GPixel/s vs 93.95 GPixel/s) and texture rate (384.0 GTexel/s vs 375.8 GTexel/s). These differences are small—roughly 2% in most cases—but they indicate that the MI25 was tuned for maximum compute throughput per clock, while the Pro Vega 64X appears optimized for memory bandwidth and system integration.

The Pro Vega 64X's memory subsystem is notably stronger. It runs at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective speed, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth over a 2048-bit HBM2 bus. The Instinct MI25's memory runs slower at 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective), yielding 436.2 GB/s. This 17.4% bandwidth advantage for the Pro Vega 64X likely explains its significant lead in the OpenCL benchmark, which often stresses memory throughput as much as compute throughput.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same Vega 10 chip fabricated on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, with identical transistor counts of 12,500 million and die sizes of 495 mm². The transistor density works out to 25.3 million transistors per square millimeter for both. The architecture is GCN 5.0 for each, and both feature 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines. Neither has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

The core clock behavior differs substantially. The Pro Vega 64X has a base clock of 1250 MHz and a boost clock of 1468 MHz, while the Instinct MI25 operates at 1400 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. This means the MI25's base clock is 150 MHz higher than the Pro Vega 64X's base, and its boost clock is 32 MHz higher. Despite this clock advantage, the MI25's lower memory speed holds back its overall benchmark performance.

Physical design is where these cards diverge most dramatically. The Pro Vega 64X is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no slot width, no power connectors, and portable-device-dependent display outputs. It draws 250 W. The Instinct MI25 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, requiring two 8-pin power connectors and a 700 W suggested power supply. It consumes 300 W. The MI25 has no display outputs whatsoever, confirming its role as a compute-only accelerator, while the Pro Vega 64X's outputs depend on the host device.

The production timelines reflect their different market positions. The Instinct MI25 was released on 2019-03-18 and has the predecessor designation "FirePro Data Center." The Pro Vega 64X came later, on 2019-03-18, and belongs to the Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series) generation. Both are end-of-life products. Neither has a successor listed in the data.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X. Its HBM2 memory runs at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective speed, providing 512.0 GB/s over a 2048-bit bus. The Instinct MI25's memory runs at 852 MHz with 1704 Mbps effective speed, providing 436.2 GB/s over the same bus width.

Q: Are these cards the same silicon?

A: Yes. Both use the Vega 10 chip with GCN 5.0 architecture, 12,500 million transistors, and a 495 mm² die size on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. They also share identical core configurations of 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

Q: Why does the Pro Vega 64X score higher in OpenCL despite lower clocks?

A: The Pro Vega 64X has a substantial memory bandwidth advantage (512.0 GB/s vs 436.2 GB/s), which appears to more than compensate for its slightly lower clock speeds. Its boost clock is 1468 MHz versus 1500 MHz for the MI25, but the benchmark result shows a 14.4% performance lead for the Pro Vega 64X.

Q: Can the Instinct MI25 output video to a display?

A: No. The Instinct MI25 has no display outputs at all, making it strictly a compute accelerator. The Pro Vega 64X's display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they rely on the host system.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Pro Vega 64X consumes 250 W and requires no external power connectors because it is an integrated part of a system. The Instinct MI25 consumes 300 W, needs two 8-pin power connectors, and requires a 700 W suggested power supply.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Pro Vega 64X's average score of 80,959 puts it 1.3% behind the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (81,995) but 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842) and 1.7-2.0% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants. The Instinct MI25's average score of 68,562 is 0.4% behind the Intel Arc A770 (68,809) and 1.9-2.0% behind the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 and NVIDIA Quadro P6000.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X | AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 |

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

| Base Clock | 1250 MHz | 1400 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1468 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 436.2 GB/s |

| FP32 Performance | 12.03 TFLOPS | 12.29 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 24.05 TFLOPS (2:1) | 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 93.95 GPixel/s | 96.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 375.8 GTexel/s | 384.0 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 250 W | 300 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 700 W |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| Dimensions | None listed | 267 mm x 111 mm |

| Release Date | 2019-03-18 | 2017-06-26 |

| Generation | Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series) | Radeon Instinct (MIx) |

| Predecessor | None | FirePro Data Center |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it decisively favors the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X. The Pro Vega 64X scores 78,467 points, while the Instinct MI25 manages 68,562 points. This represents a 14.4% performance delta, making the Pro Vega 64X the clear winner in this workload.

This result is interesting because the Instinct MI25 has higher clock speeds and higher theoretical compute throughput. The MI25's boost clock of 1500 MHz gives it 12.29 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 24.58 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, versus 12.03 TFLOPS and 24.05 TFLOPS for the Pro Vega 64X. Yet the Pro Vega 64X still wins by a wide margin in practice.

The explanation lies in memory bandwidth. The Pro Vega 64X delivers 512.0 GB/s, which is 75.8 GB/s more than the MI25's 436.2 GB/s. This 17.4% bandwidth advantage closely mirrors the 14.4% benchmark advantage, suggesting that the OpenCL workload is heavily memory-bound. The Pro Vega 64X's memory runs at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective speed, while the MI25's memory runs at 852 MHz with 1704 Mbps effective speed. The faster memory more than offsets the MI25's higher compute clocks.

In terms of competitive positioning, the Pro Vega 64X's average benchmark score of 80,959 places it among a cluster of high-end cards. It trails the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (81,995) by just 1.3%, but beats the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842) by 1.4% and both NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants by 1.7-2.0%. The Instinct MI25's average score of 68,562 puts it in a lower tier, slightly behind the Intel Arc A770 (68,809) by 0.4% and the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69,000) by 0.6%, with larger gaps of 1.9-2.0% behind the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 and NVIDIA Quadro P6000.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear picture: the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the more capable card in real-world benchmark performance, despite having lower theoretical compute specifications. Its 14.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with a higher average benchmark score (80,959 vs 68,562) and a higher percentile ranking (92nd vs 90th), makes it the better choice for users who prioritize measured performance in compute workloads.

However, the choice between these two cards depends heavily on the intended use case. The Pro Vega 64X is an integrated graphics processor designed for Apple Mac systems, consuming 250 W with no external power connectors and no physical slot footprint. It is not a standalone card that can be installed in a standard PCIe slot. The Instinct MI25, by contrast, is a full dual-slot accelerator with two 8-pin power connectors, a 700 W suggested power supply requirement, and dimensions of 267 mm by 111 mm. It was designed for data center deployment where dedicated compute accelerators are installed into servers.

For a user building a Mac workstation, the Pro Vega 64X is the only option that fits the integrated form factor. For a user building a rack-mounted compute server, the Instinct MI25 is the appropriate choice despite its lower benchmark scores. The MI25's higher FP32 and FP16 throughput (12.29 and 24.58 TFLOPS, respectively) may also provide advantages in specific compute workloads that are not memory-bound, even though the available benchmark data does not reflect this.

The production status of both cards is end-of-life, and neither has a successor listed. The Instinct MI25 was released earlier (2017-06-26) and is the predecessor to the FirePro Data Center line, while the Pro Vega 64X came later (2019-03-18) as part of the Radeon Pro Mac series. Ultimately, the benchmark data favors the Pro Vega 64X for raw performance, but the physical and power requirements make the Instinct MI25 the practical choice for standalone accelerator deployments.