GPU Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 scores 68562 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Intel Arc A550M scores 49894. The AMD part leads by 37.4 percent.

Q: How do these two GPUs compare in overall performance percentiles?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 sits at the 90th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Intel Arc A550M lands at the 86th percentile.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 offers 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 436.2 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Arc A550M boosts to 2050 MHz, whereas the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 reaches 1500 MHz. The Intel part's base clock is 900 MHz versus 1400 MHz for the AMD card.

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. The Intel Arc A550M includes 16 ray tracing cores, while the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 has none listed.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is rated at 300 W, while the Intel Arc A550M is rated at 60 W.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is built on the Vega 10 chip using the GCN 5.0 architecture. Fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, the die measures 495 mm² and contains 12,500 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 25.3M per mm². The Intel Arc A550M, by contrast, uses the DG2-512 chip with the Xe-HPG architecture, manufactured on a 6 nm process at TSMC. Its die size is 406 mm², yet it packs 21,700 million transistors, yielding a density of 53.4M per mm².

The compute layout differs significantly. The AMD card provides 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The Intel part halves shading units to 2048 and TMUs to 128, while keeping ROPs at 64. The Intel GPU adds 16 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the AMD design.

Clock behavior also diverges. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 runs at a 1400 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost, while the Intel Arc A550M has a 900 MHz base but a much higher 2050 MHz boost. Memory clocks are notably different: the AMD card operates at 852 MHz with 1704 Mbps effective, while the Intel part runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

The memory subsystem is fundamentally different. AMD uses HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus and 16 GB capacity, delivering 436.2 GB/s. Intel uses GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 8 GB capacity, providing 224.0 GB/s. Interface and power delivery also differ: the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and requires two 8-pin power connectors, while the Intel part uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and has no dedicated power connectors. The AMD card is a dual-slot unit with no display outputs, whereas the Intel part is an IGP with portable-device-dependent outputs.

API support shows a generation gap. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 scores 68562, while the Intel Arc A550M scores 49894. This gives the AMD card a 37.4 percent advantage, a substantial margin in raw compute throughput.

Context from the nearest rivals clarifies what these numbers mean. The AMD card sits just 0.4 percent behind the Intel Arc A770 (68809) and 0.6 percent behind the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69000). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69870) by 1.9 percent and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69986) by 2 percent. These are tight margins, indicating the MI25 is competitive with high-end workstation and mining-focused GPUs from its era.

The Intel Arc A550M, despite its lower raw score, is not far off from some powerful desktop parts. It sits 0.4 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (49957) and 0.5 percent behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50001). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (50951) by 2.4 percent but leads the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (48477) by 2.6 percent. This places the mobile Intel GPU in an unusual position: its compute performance is comparable to some of the fastest desktop cards of recent generations, despite its modest 60 W power envelope.

The pixel and texture rates reinforce the AMD card's lead in raw fill rate. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 achieves 96.00 GPixel/s and 384.0 GTexel/s, while the Intel Arc A550M reaches 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s. Interestingly, the Intel part has a higher pixel rate despite fewer ROPs, likely due to its higher boost clock. The AMD card wins texture rate by a wide margin thanks to double the TMUs.

FP32 and FP16 compute figures favor AMD as well. The MI25 delivers 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.58 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the A550M provides 8.397 TFLOPS FP32 and 16.79 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The AMD card is roughly 46 percent ahead in both precision formats, which aligns with its OpenCL advantage.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 | Intel Arc A550M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process node | 14 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,500 million | 21,700 million |

| Die size | 495 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor density | 25.3M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1400 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1500 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory clock | 852 MHz / 1704 Mbps effective | 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 16 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory bus width | 2048 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 436.2 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 4096 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 256 | 128 |

| ROPs | 64 | 64 |

| Ray tracing cores | None | 16 |

| Pixel rate | 96.00 GPixel/s | 131.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 384.0 GTexel/s | 262.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 12.29 TFLOPS | 8.397 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) | 16.79 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 60 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | None |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release date | 2017-06-26 | Not recorded |

The Verdict

The data shows two GPUs optimized for completely different roles. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is a compute-first accelerator from 2017, built for data center workloads where raw throughput matters more than power efficiency. Its 37.4 percent OpenCL lead over the Intel Arc A550M, combined with double the memory capacity and nearly double the bandwidth, makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks that fit within its 300 W envelope.

The Intel Arc A550M counters with a radically different design philosophy. It delivers competitive performance relative to modern desktop GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (0.4 percent behind) and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (2.4 percent behind), all within a 60 W power budget. Its higher boost clock of 2050 MHz and ray tracing support give it features the AMD card lacks. The Intel part also supports newer APIs, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4.

For users who prioritize compute throughput, memory capacity, and bandwidth, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is the stronger option. Its 16 GB HBM2 configuration and 436.2 GB/s bandwidth are well suited for large datasets. For those who need modern API features, ray tracing, and efficiency, the Intel Arc A550M is the more balanced choice, despite its lower raw scores. The Intel GPU wins on pixel rate (131.2 GPixel/s versus 96.00 GPixel/s), which may benefit certain graphics workloads.

The production status for both is end-of-life, and neither has a recorded launch MSRP. The AMD card is the older design, released in June 2017, while the Intel part has no recorded release date. The AMD card's nearest rivals are all within 2 percent, indicating it was competitive with top-tier workstation GPUs of its time. The Intel part's nearest rivals span a wider range, from 2.6 percent ahead to 2.4 percent behind, showing it lands in a crowded mid-to-high performance bracket.

In summary, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is the compute champion, while the Intel Arc A550M is the efficiency and feature leader. The choice depends on whether the workload favors raw number-crunching or modern graphics capabilities with low power draw.