AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs AMD Radeon Pro VII Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro VII has an average benchmark score of 97,131, while the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 has an average score of 68,562. The Pro VII wins the only shared test, Geekbench OpenCL, with 90,148 versus 68,562, a delta of 31.5%.

Q: How do these cards rank against all other GPUs?

A: The Radeon Pro VII sits at the 93rd percentile of all GPUs, while the Instinct MI25 sits at the 90th percentile. Despite the significant score gap, both cards rank in the top 10% of the database.

Q: What are the closest competitors to the Radeon Pro VII?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (101,872 average score, 4.7% higher), AMD Radeon RX 7900M (97,487, 0.4% higher), AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 (92,466, 5% lower), and NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91,671, 6% lower).

Q: What are the closest competitors to the Instinct MI25?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69,986 average score, 2% higher), AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69,870, 1.9% higher), NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69,000, 0.6% higher), and Intel Arc A770 (68,809, 0.4% higher).

Q: Which card has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The Radeon Pro VII has a bandwidth of 1.02 TB/s, while the Instinct MI25 has 436.2 GB/s. The Pro VII's bandwidth is more than double that of the MI25.

Q: Do both cards support the same API versions?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent different generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture. The Radeon Pro VII uses the Vega 20 chip built on GCN 5.1, while the Instinct MI25 uses the Vega 10 chip on GCN 5.0. This architectural gap is tied to manufacturing technology: the Pro VII is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, whereas the MI25 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries.

The die sizes reflect this process difference. The Vega 20 die in the Pro VII measures 331 mm² and packs 13,230 million transistors, yielding a density of 40.0 million transistors per mm². The Vega 10 die in the MI25 is larger at 495 mm² but contains fewer transistors at 12,500 million, resulting in a lower density of 25.3 million per mm². This means the Pro VII achieves higher transistor density on a smaller physical die, which contributes to its lower power draw despite higher performance.

Clock behavior differs notably between the two. Both have the same 1400 MHz base clock, but the Pro VII boosts to 1700 MHz, while the MI25 boosts to only 1500 MHz. Memory clocks also diverge: the Pro VII runs its HBM2 at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective), while the MI25 runs at 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective).

The memory subsystem is a major architectural differentiator. The Pro VII has a 4096-bit memory bus with 16 GB of HBM2, delivering 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. The MI25 also has 16 GB of HBM2 but with a narrower 2048-bit bus, resulting in 436.2 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage is central to the Pro VII's performance lead.

Shader resources are configured differently. The MI25 actually has more shading units (4096 versus 3840), more texture mapping units (256 versus 240), and the same 64 ROPs. However, the Pro VII's higher boost clock and faster memory compensate for the slight shader deficit, giving it higher peak rates: 108.8 GPixel/s and 408.0 GTexel/s, versus 96.00 GPixel/s and 384.0 GTexel/s for the MI25.

Compute throughput follows the same pattern. The Pro VII delivers 13.06 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.11 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the MI25 delivers 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.58 TFLOPS FP16. The power envelope is reversed: the Pro VII has a TDP of 250 W, while the MI25 draws 300 W, despite being the slower card.

Feature differences are also visible in connectivity and outputs. The Pro VII uses PCIe 4.0 x16, whereas the MI25 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The Pro VII provides six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the MI25 has no display outputs at all, confirming its compute-focused design. Power connectors differ as well: the Pro VII uses one 6-pin plus one 8-pin, while the MI25 requires two 8-pin connectors. The suggested PSU rating is 600 W for the Pro VII and 700 W for the MI25.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records only one shared benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The results show a decisive win for the Radeon Pro VII, which scores 90,148 against the Instinct MI25's 68,562. This represents a 31.5% advantage for the newer card.

This margin is substantial in practical terms. The Pro VII's OpenCL score is closer to its own Vulkan score (92,862) and Metal score (108,383), indicating consistent performance across different compute APIs. The MI25's OpenCL score of 68,562 is its only recorded benchmark, so no cross-API comparison is possible for that card.

Context from the nearest rivals helps interpret this gap. The Pro VII's average score of 97,131 places it within 0.4% of the Radeon RX 7900M (97,487) and 4.7% behind the Quadro RTX 6000 (101,872). It beats the Instinct MI60 by 5% and the RTX A4500 by 6%. The MI25's average score of 68,562 puts it within 0.4% of the Intel Arc A770 (68,809) and 0.6% of the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69,000). It trails the Radeon Pro WX 8200 by 1.9% and the Quadro P6000 by 2%.

The 31.5% delta between the two AMD cards is far larger than the differences between each card and its nearest rivals. For instance, the Pro VII is only 5% faster than the Instinct MI60, which is itself a Vega 20-based card. This suggests the gap between the Pro VII and MI25 is driven by more than just clock speeds; the memory bandwidth and bus width differences play a critical role.

Looking at component-level numbers reinforces this. The Pro VII's 1.02 TB/s bandwidth is roughly 2.34 times the MI25's 436.2 GB/s. The FP32 compute is 13.06 TFLOPS versus 12.29 TFLOPS, only about a 6% difference. Yet the benchmark delta is 31.5%, indicating that memory-bound workloads amplify the bandwidth advantage far beyond what raw compute numbers suggest.

The MI25's higher shader count (4096 versus 3840) does not translate into a benchmark win. This is a classic case where memory subsystem performance outweighs raw ALU count, particularly in OpenCL workloads that often stress memory throughput.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the Radeon Pro VII across every measured dimension. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 31.5%, has a higher average score (97,131 versus 68,562), and ranks in a higher percentile (93rd versus 90th). For any compute workload represented by Geekbench OpenCL, the Pro VII is the stronger choice.

The Pro VII is also more efficient in the recorded specifications. It delivers higher performance while drawing 250 W, compared to the MI25's 300 W. It uses a newer 7 nm process, a wider 4096-bit memory bus, and supports PCIe 4.0, all of which are meaningful architectural upgrades.

The Instinct MI25 retains one theoretical advantage: it has more shading units (4096 versus 3840) and more TMUs (256 versus 240). However, the benchmark data shows this does not translate into higher real-world performance. The MI25's narrower memory bus and lower boost clock are limiting factors that the extra shaders cannot overcome.

Who should pick the Radeon Pro VII? Any user running OpenCL compute workloads where the recorded 31.5% performance advantage matters. The card also offers display outputs, making it usable in workstation environments that require both compute and visualization. Its 16 GB of HBM2 memory matches the MI25's capacity, but with more than double the bandwidth.

Who should pick the Instinct MI25? The data does not present a strong case. It is slower, draws more power, has no display outputs, and lacks PCIe 4.0. Its only saving grace is that it might be available at a lower price point, but the database records no launch MSRP for this card, and pricing is not part of this analysis.

The verdict is straightforward: the Radeon Pro VII is the superior GPU by every measured metric. The MI25 is an older, less capable design that has been superseded not only by the Pro VII but also by several near-rivals within 2% of its score.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro VII | AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 |

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

| Chip | Vega 20 | Vega 10 |

| Architecture | GCN 5.1 | GCN 5.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 13,230 million | 12,500 million |

| Die Size | 331 mm² | 495 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 40.0M / mm² | 25.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1400 MHz | 1400 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1700 MHz | 1500 MHz |

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

| Memory Bus Width | 4096 bit | 2048 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.02 TB/s | 436.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3840 | 4096 |

| TMUs | 240 | 256 |

| Pixel Rate | 108.8 GPixel/s | 96.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 408.0 GTexel/s | 384.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 13.06 TFLOPS | 12.29 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 26.11 TFLOPS (2:1) | 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 300 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 700 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a | No outputs |

| Length | 305 mm (12 inches) | 267 mm (10.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2020-05-12 | 2017-06-26 |

| Launch MSRP | 1,899 USD | Not recorded |