AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single direct head-to-head comparison between the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation and the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25, using the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA card posts a score of 124812, while the AMD card reaches 68562. This gives NVIDIA a decisive 82% advantage in this specific workload. The margin is substantial, and it reflects a generational leap in compute efficiency rather than a close contest.

Looking at the database averages, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation holds an average benchmark score of 117088 across its recorded tests. The MI25, by contrast, averages 68562. That is a gap of roughly 71% in favor of the NVIDIA product. The NVIDIA card also sits at the 95th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the MI25 sits at the 90th percentile. Although both are high-ranking parts, the NVIDIA card is clearly positioned further up the performance curve.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation help contextualize its standing. The NVIDIA GB10, with an average score of 117393, is essentially tied with the RTX 4000 SFF at a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Radeon PRO W7700, averaging 118976, is 1.6% ahead. The NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, at 114395, trails by 2.4%, and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile, at 113944, trails by 2.8%. This cluster of results indicates that the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation sits squarely in a competitive band of workstation and data-center GPUs, with no single rival dominating it by more than a couple of percentage points.

The MI25's nearest rivals tell a different story. The Intel Arc A770, averaging 68809, is only 0.4% ahead. The NVIDIA CMP 90HX, at 69000, leads by 0.6%. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200, at 69870, is 1.9% ahead, and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000, at 69986, is 2% ahead. The MI25 is thus grouped with a set of GPUs whose average scores fall in the high 68,000 to low 70,000 range. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is not in that neighborhood at all; its average is roughly 71% higher than the MI25's average.

The OpenCL result is the only test where both cards appear in the same benchmark. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation also has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 109364, but no corresponding Vulkan result exists for the MI25 in the database, so no direct comparison can be made on that API. Still, the OpenCL delta alone is enough to establish the overall performance hierarchy between these two products.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation wins the only directly comparable benchmark, and it does so by a wide margin. Its 82% lead in OpenCL is the single most important data point in this comparison. The NVIDIA card also demonstrates versatility through its additional Vulkan score of 109364, which is lower than its OpenCL result but still a strong showing. In the database, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation records two benchmark entries, both of which are above 100,000.

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 has no benchmark wins in this comparison. Its single recorded OpenCL score of 68562 is below the NVIDIA card's Vulkan score, let alone its OpenCL score. The MI25 does have a higher texture rate in raw specifications, 384.0 GTexel/s versus 299.5 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card, and a higher memory bandwidth of 436.2 GB/s versus 280.0 GB/s. However, these specification advantages do not translate into a benchmark victory in the recorded data. The MI25 also has a higher FP16 throughput at 24.58 TFLOPS versus 19.17 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card, but again, this does not appear as a win in any recorded test.

For users focused on OpenCL compute workloads, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the clear choice based on the data. For users who might have hoped the MI25's higher bandwidth or texture rate would compensate, the benchmark results do not support that expectation. The MI25 remains competitive only within its own peer group of older data-center accelerators, where it sits within 2% of the Arc A770, CMP 90HX, Pro WX 8200, and Quadro P6000.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation than the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA card scores 124812, while the AMD card scores 68562, giving NVIDIA an 82% higher score in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 117088, compared to 68562 for the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25.

Q: How does the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation compare to its nearest rivals?

A: It is within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 (which leads by that margin), within 0.3% of the NVIDIA GB10, and ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB by 2.4% and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile by 2.8%.

Q: Where does the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 sit relative to its nearest rivals?

A: It trails the Intel Arc A770 by 0.4%, the NVIDIA CMP 90HX by 0.6%, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 by 1.9%, and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 by 2%.

Q: Does the AMD card have any benchmark win over the NVIDIA card?

A: No. The only shared benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and the NVIDIA card wins that test outright. The AMD card has no recorded wins in the head-to-head data.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU in the database?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation ranks in the 95th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 ranks in the 90th percentile.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation uses an AD104 chip built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 uses a Vega 10 chip built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die. The transistor density reflects this: the NVIDIA card achieves 121.8M transistors per mm², while the AMD card achieves 25.3M per mm².

Memory configurations are also very different. The NVIDIA card has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 280.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card has 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 436.2 GB/s. The AMD card has a wider bus and higher bandwidth, but the NVIDIA card has more total memory capacity.

Clock speeds show a mixed picture. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 720 MHz and a boost clock of 1560 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The AMD card has a base clock of 1400 MHz and a boost clock of 1500 MHz, with memory running at 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective). The AMD card has a higher base clock, but the NVIDIA card has a higher boost clock and much faster effective memory speed.

Compute unit counts differ as well. The NVIDIA card has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. The AMD card has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and no RT cores or tensor cores listed. Pixel rates are close: 99.84 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 96.00 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rates favor AMD: 384.0 GTexel/s versus 299.5 GTexel/s. FP32 compute favors NVIDIA at 19.17 TFLOPS versus 12.29 TFLOPS, while FP16 favors AMD at 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1).

Power and physical characteristics diverge sharply. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 70 W, requires no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 250 W. The AMD card has a TDP of 300 W, requires two 8-pin power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 700 W. Both are dual-slot cards, but the NVIDIA card is 168 mm (6.6 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) high, while the AMD card is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) high.

The bus interface also differs: the NVIDIA card uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are another differentiator: the NVIDIA card has four mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the AMD card has no display outputs at all.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, part of the GeForce 40-series family. Its chip, AD104, is fabricated on a 5 nm process, and the architecture includes dedicated RT cores (48 of them) and tensor cores (192 of them). The API support reflects a modern feature set: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The production status is Active, and it was released in 2023. Its predecessor is listed as Workstation Ampere, and its successor is Blackwell PRO W.

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is built on the GCN 5.0 architecture, part of the Radeon Instinct (MIx) generation. Its chip, Vega 10, is fabricated on a 14 nm process. The architecture has no RT cores and no tensor cores listed. API support is more limited: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The production status is End-of-life, and it was released in 2017. Its predecessor is listed as FirePro Data Center, and it has no listed successor.

The FP16 ratio difference is notable. The NVIDIA card computes FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, both at 19.17 TFLOPS. The AMD card computes FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, reaching 24.58 TFLOPS while its FP32 is 12.29 TFLOPS. This suggests the AMD card was designed with a specific focus on FP16 throughput, whereas the NVIDIA card treats FP16 and FP32 symmetrically.

The node difference is also central. The NVIDIA card's 5 nm TSMC process is significantly denser, allowing 35,800 million transistors in a 294 mm² die. The AMD card's 14 nm GlobalFoundries process places 12,500 million transistors in a 495 mm² die. The physical size difference is stark: the NVIDIA card is shorter, lower-profile, consumes 70 W, and needs no external power, while the AMD card is longer, taller, consumes 300 W, and requires two 8-pin connectors.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for most workloads. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the stronger performer in the only directly comparable benchmark, with an 82% lead in OpenCL. It also has a higher average benchmark score, a higher percentile ranking, and a more modern architecture with RT and tensor cores. Its lower power draw, smaller physical footprint, and lack of external power connectors make it the more flexible card for compact systems.

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 should be considered only in specific legacy or specialized contexts. It offers higher memory bandwidth (436.2 GB/s versus 280.0 GB/s), higher texture rate (384.0 GTexel/s versus 299.5 GTexel/s), and higher FP16 throughput (24.58 TFLOPS versus 19.17 TFLOPS). If a workload is limited by bandwidth or FP16 compute, the MI25's specifications could be relevant. However, no recorded benchmark in the database shows the MI25 winning against the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, and its nearest rivals are all in a much lower performance tier.

The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation also benefits from being an active product with a successor planned, while the MI25 is end-of-life. Users seeking a current-generation workstation card with a broad API feature set, display outputs, and modern compute capabilities should choose the NVIDIA card. Users maintaining existing MI25 deployments or requiring its particular memory and FP16 characteristics may still find it useful, but the benchmark data does not support choosing it over the NVIDIA card for general compute tasks.