AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE and the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 occupy very different corners of the GPU landscape, yet their benchmark scores place them in a near-dead heat. The RX 6600 LE edges out the Instinct MI25 in the only shared benchmark, but the data reveals two fundamentally different designs: a modern, efficient gaming GPU versus an older, compute-focused accelerator. The benchmark results indicate that raw performance is nearly identical, but the architecture, memory subsystem, and feature set create a clear divide in intended use cases.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

In the single head-to-head benchmark available, the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE scores 69,229 against the Instinct MI25’s 68,562. This gives the RX 6600 LE a narrow 1% victory. This is a marginal win, well within the margin of error for most synthetic workloads, yet it is a significant data point given the massive specification differences between the two cards. The RX 6600 LE achieves this with 1,792 shading units and 8 GB of memory, while the MI25 brings 4,096 shading units and 16 GB of HBM2 to the table.

The RX 6600 LE’s average benchmark score across all tests is 70,829, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69,986, 1.2% slower) and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69,870, 1.4% slower). The Instinct MI25’s average score is 68,562, which places it in the 90th percentile. Its closest competitor is the Intel Arc A770 (68,809, 0.4% faster) and the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69,000, 0.6% faster). When viewed against these rivals, both cards are clustered in the same performance tier, but the MI25 sits slightly lower, trailing the RX 6600 LE by roughly 3.3% in average score (70,829 vs 68,562).

The data shows that the RX 6600 LE also performs favorably against its own rival set. It is 1% faster than the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile and 1.3% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M (71,768, where the RX 6600 LE is 1.3% slower). This suggests that despite its lower transistor count and smaller die, the RX 6600 LE’s RDNA 2.0 architecture delivers competitive compute throughput. The MI25, by contrast, is 1.9% slower than the Radeon Pro WX 8200 and 2% slower than the Quadro P6000, indicating it is at the lower end of its performance bracket in this legacy test.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental split between these two cards is generational. The RX 6600 LE is built on the Navi 23 chip using TSMC’s 7 nm process, packing 11,060 million transistors into a 237 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 46.7M per mm². The Instinct MI25 uses the older Vega 10 chip fabricated on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process, with 12,500 million transistors spread across a much larger 495 mm² die, resulting in a significantly lower density of 25.3M per mm². The RX 6600 LE is a product of the RDNA 2.0 architecture, part of the Navi II (RX 6000) generation, while the MI25 is based on GCN 5.0 from the Radeon Instinct (MIx) generation.

Memory architecture is another major divider. The RX 6600 LE uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The MI25 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a massive 2048-bit bus, providing 436.2 GB/s of bandwidth — nearly double the throughput. Clock speeds tell the opposite story: the RX 6600 LE has a base clock of 1626 MHz and a boost of 2495 MHz, while the MI25 is significantly slower at 1400 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. The RX 6600 LE also has a game clock of 2045 MHz, a feature absent on the MI25.

Compute unit configurations differ wildly. The MI25 has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, but no ray tracing cores. The RX 6600 LE has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray tracing cores. The MI25’s raw shader count is higher, but its FP32 throughput of 12.29 TFLOPS is only about 37% higher than the RX 6600 LE’s 8.942 TFLOPS, due to the latter’s much higher clock speeds. The MI25 also supports FP16 at 24.58 TFLOPS, versus the RX 6600 LE’s 17.88 TFLOPS.

FAQ

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 69,229, which is 1% higher than the Instinct MI25’s 68,562.

Q: Does the Instinct MI25 have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the MI25 has a 2048-bit bus with HBM2 memory providing 436.2 GB/s, while the RX 6600 LE has a 128-bit GDDR6 bus with 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the RX 6600 LE has dedicated ray tracing cores, with 28 of them. The Instinct MI25 has no ray tracing hardware.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RX 6600 LE has a TDP of 132 W and requires a 300 W PSU with a single 8-pin connector. The MI25 has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W PSU with two 8-pin connectors.

Q: Which GPU is newer?

A: The RX 6600 LE was released on December 7, 2023, and is still in active production. The Instinct MI25 was released on June 26, 2017, and is now end-of-life.

Q: Do both cards have display outputs?

A: No. The RX 6600 LE has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the Instinct MI25 has no display outputs at all.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights only the fields where the two cards differ:

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE | AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | GCN 5.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm (TSMC) | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 12,500 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 495 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 25.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1626 MHz | 1400 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2495 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2045 MHz | None |

| Memory Size | 8 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB HBM2 |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 2048 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 436.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 4096 |

| TMUs | 112 | 256 |

| RT Cores | 28 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 159.7 GPixel/s | 96.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 279.4 GTexel/s | 384.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.942 TFLOPS | 12.29 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 17.88 TFLOPS | 24.58 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 132 W | 300 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 700 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DP 1.4a | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2023-12-07 | 2017-06-26 |

| Length | 190 mm | 267 mm |

| Height | 110 mm | 111 mm |

| Width | 40 mm | Not specified |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE wins on efficiency and modern feature support. Its 7 nm process allows for a 132 W TDP, less than half of the MI25’s 300 W draw, and it requires only a 300 W PSU versus 700 W. The RX 6600 LE also has a decisive advantage in connectivity, offering HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, which the MI25 lacks entirely. The inclusion of 28 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support makes the RX 6600 LE the clear choice for gaming and consumer workloads that leverage ray tracing or the latest graphics APIs. Its smaller physical footprint (190 mm vs 267 mm) also makes it easier to install in compact systems.

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 wins on raw compute throughput and memory capacity. With 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.58 TFLOPS FP16, it offers 37% and 37% more compute respectively than the RX 6600 LE. Its 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus delivers 436.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 95% higher than the RX 6600 LE’s 224.0 GB/s. This combination of higher memory capacity and bandwidth makes the MI25 more suitable for data-center or scientific workloads that require large datasets and high memory throughput. Its 4,096 shading units and 256 TMUs provide a higher texture rate of 384.0 GTexel/s versus 279.4 GTexel/s for the RX 6600 LE.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear bifurcation: the RX 6600 LE is a modern consumer GPU, while the Instinct MI25 is a legacy compute accelerator. If the priority is gaming, display output, ray tracing, or energy efficiency, the RX 6600 LE is the only viable option. It wins the OpenCL benchmark, consumes 56% less power, and offers full display connectivity. Its active production status and 2023 release date also mean it is a current product with contemporary API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4).

If the priority is raw compute capability, memory bandwidth, or handling very large datasets, the Instinct MI25 holds the advantage. Its 16 GB of HBM2 memory and 436.2 GB/s bandwidth are unmatched by the RX 6600 LE’s 8 GB GDDR6 at 224.0 GB/s. The MI25 also delivers 12.29 TFLOPS FP32, which is 37% higher than the RX 6600 LE’s 8.942 TFLOPS. However, its end-of-life status, lack of display outputs, and 300 W TDP make it a niche product for server racks where compute density matters more than power efficiency or modern features. Benchmark results show they are nearly equal in OpenCL, but the architecture tells the real story: one is a gaming card, the other is an accelerator. Choose accordingly.