AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs Intel Arc A570M Comparison

AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs Intel Arc A570M: the data shows a 17.7% gap in the single available benchmark, but the two cards are built for entirely different worlds. The MI25 is a 2017-era data-center accelerator with a 300 W TDP and no display outputs, while the Arc A570M is a 2023 mobile GPU with 75 W power draw and a feature set aimed at laptops. Benchmark results indicate that raw compute is not the only differentiator here.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 scores 68562, beating the Intel Arc A570M’s 58239 by a 17.7% margin. The MI25 has a win count of 1 in head-to-head tests, while the Arc A570M has 0.

Q: How does the MI25 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The MI25’s nearest rival is the Intel Arc A770, which scores 68809, a delta of -0.4% relative to the MI25. Other close competitors include the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69000, -0.6%), AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69870, -1.9%), and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69986, -2%).

Q: What is the performance gap between the Arc A570M and its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc A570M sits near the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT, which scores 58392, a delta of -0.3%. It is also within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (58085), and trails the NVIDIA P102-100 (58528, -0.5%) and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58657, -0.7%).

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The MI25 uses 16 GB of HBM2 across a 2048-bit bus, delivering 436.2 GB/s. The Arc A570M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s — less than half the MI25’s bandwidth.

Q: What are the architectural differences in process node and transistor density?

A: The MI25 is built on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process with 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, giving a density of 25.3M / mm². The Arc A570M uses TSMC’s 6 nm process with 11,500 million transistors on a 269 mm² die, reaching 42.8M / mm² — a significantly higher density.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The MI25 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the Arc A570M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Arc also supports Vulkan 1.4 versus the MI25’s Vulkan 1.3.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is built on the Vega 10 chip using the GCN 5.0 architecture, a 14 nm design from GlobalFoundries. It packs 12,500 million transistors into a 495 mm² die, with a transistor density of 25.3M / mm². The compute layout includes 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Clock speeds are set at 1400 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost, with memory clocked at 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective). The architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

The Intel Arc A570M uses the DG2-256 chip with the Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 6 nm process. It has 11,500 million transistors on a 269 mm² die, achieving 42.8M / mm² density — a 69% higher transistor density than the MI25. The Arc A570M features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and notably includes 16 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the MI25. Base clock is 900 MHz, boost is 1300 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). API support is more modern: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The process node gap is stark. The MI25 uses 14 nm versus the Arc’s 6 nm, which explains the difference in die size and density. Despite having fewer transistors (11,500 million vs 12,500 million), the Arc A570M crams them into a much smaller area. The MI25’s HBM2 memory is a server-oriented choice, while the Arc uses GDDR6, typical for mobile. The MI25’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is older than the Arc’s PCIe 4.0 x8.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the data is unambiguous. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 scores 68562, while the Intel Arc A570M scores 58239. That is a 17.7% advantage for the MI25, a decisive lead in compute throughput. The MI25 wins the sole head-to-head test, giving it a 1-0 record.

For context, the MI25’s score places it at the 90th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the Arc A570M sits at the 88th percentile. In the MI25’s rival list, the Intel Arc A770 is nearly identical at 68809, just -0.4% behind. The NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69000) is -0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69870) is -1.9% behind. The MI25’s lead over these cards is within 2%, suggesting it is competitive with that tier.

The Arc A570M’s rivals tell a different story. It is nearly tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58392, -0.3%) and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (58085, +0.3%). This means the Arc A570M’s compute performance is on par with a high-end desktop GPU from AMD, despite being a mobile part. However, the 17.7% gap to the MI25 is substantial — the MI25 delivers roughly one-sixth more compute in this test.

The FP32 and FP16 figures reinforce this. The MI25 offers 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.58 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The Arc A570M provides 5.325 TFLOPS FP32 and 10.65 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). This means the MI25 has more than double the FP32 throughput of the Arc A570M. Pixel rate favors the MI25 at 96.00 GPixel/s versus 83.20 GPixel/s, but texture rate is a different story: the MI25 hits 384.0 GTexel/s, while the Arc manages 166.4 GTexel/s — the MI25 is 2.3 times faster in texture fill.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The MI25 has 16 GB of HBM2 memory, while the Arc A570M has 8 GB of GDDR6. Memory bus width is 2048-bit for the MI25 versus 128-bit for the Arc. Bandwidth is 436.2 GB/s on the MI25, compared to 224.0 GB/s on the Arc.

Shading units: 4096 on the MI25, 2048 on the Arc. TMUs: 256 versus 128. ROPs are identical at 64. The MI25 has no ray tracing cores; the Arc A570M has 16. Clock speeds differ: the MI25 runs at 1400 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost, while the Arc operates at 900 MHz base and 1300 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective) on the MI25 versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) on the Arc.

Power and physical specs are major separators. The MI25 has a 300 W TDP, requires a 700 W suggested PSU, is dual-slot, and uses 2x 8-pin power connectors. The Arc A570M has a 75 W TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics package), and requires no power connectors or suggested PSU. The MI25 is a 267 mm (10.5 inches) long card with a height of 111 mm (4.4 inches); the Arc has no listed dimensions. The MI25 has no display outputs, while the Arc’s outputs are portable-device dependent.

Process node: 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) for the MI25 versus 6 nm (TSMC) for the Arc. Transistor density is 25.3M / mm² versus 42.8M / mm². Die size is 495 mm² versus 269 mm². Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8. Production status: the MI25 is end-of-life, released in 2017; the Arc is active, released in 2023.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 wins in raw compute performance. The benchmark data shows a 17.7% lead over the Arc A570M in Geekbench OpenCL, and the FP32 figures back this up: 12.29 TFLOPS versus 5.325 TFLOPS. Memory bandwidth is also a decisive win — 436.2 GB/s is nearly double the Arc’s 224.0 GB/s. This makes the MI25 the choice for compute-heavy workloads like data-center inference or scientific simulation, where memory bandwidth and FP32 throughput are critical. Its 16 GB of HBM2 also provides more capacity for large datasets. The MI25’s 90th percentile ranking, compared to the Arc’s 88th, shows it sits higher in the overall GPU hierarchy.

The Intel Arc A570M wins in efficiency and feature modernity. Its 75 W TDP is one-quarter of the MI25’s 300 W, making it suitable for laptops where power is at a premium. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI25 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The Arc also has 16 ray tracing cores, which the MI25 lacks entirely — a significant advantage for any workload involving ray-traced graphics. The 6 nm process node and higher transistor density (42.8M / mm²) indicate a more advanced manufacturing approach. The Arc’s performance is competitive with the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT and RX 5600 OEM, showing it holds its own against desktop-class parts. For gaming or portable devices, the Arc A570M is the practical option, despite its lower compute scores.

In summary, the MI25 is a compute specialist with a clear benchmark win, while the Arc A570M is a versatile, power-efficient mobile GPU with superior API support and ray tracing. The choice depends on whether the priority is brute-force compute or feature-rich, low-power operation.