AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 and NVIDIA Tesla T4 are both end-of-life data center accelerators, but they represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The MI25 is a high-power, high-throughput compute card built on AMD’s GCN architecture, while the T4 is a low-power, feature-rich Turing card aimed at inference and virtualized workloads. The benchmark data shows a clear split: the MI25 dominates in raw OpenCL compute, while the T4 counters with superior API support and efficiency metrics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark between the two cards is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are decisively in favor of the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25. The MI25 scores 68,562 points, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 manages 61,276 points. That is a delta of 11.9% in favor of AMD, making this a one-sided head-to-head contest. The MI25 wins the sole comparative test, giving it a 1-0 record in the head-to-head benchmarks.

This OpenCL advantage is consistent with the cards’ raw compute specifications. The MI25 delivers 12.29 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the T4’s 8.141 TFLOPS. That is a 51% gap in raw shader throughput. The MI25 also leads in texture rate, posting 384.0 GTexel/s against the T4’s 254.4 GTexel/s. However, the T4 fights back in pixel rate, achieving 101.8 GPixel/s versus the MI25’s 96.00 GPixel/s, a 6% advantage that suggests better efficiency in rasterization-heavy tasks.

Looking at the broader rival landscape, the MI25’s score places it just behind the Intel Arc A770 (68,809, a -0.4% delta) and the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (69,000, a -0.6% delta). It also trails the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69,870, -1.9%) and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69,986, -2%). This means the MI25 is competitive with, but not at the top of, its immediate performance tier. The T4, meanwhile, sits at 61,276 in OpenCL, which is 2.7% behind the MI25 and 3% behind the Intel Arc A770. It does, however, beat the AMD Radeon VII (66,004, +1.1%) and the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (65,095, +2.5%) in that specific test.

Notably, the T4 has a second benchmark result that the MI25 lacks: Geekbench Vulkan. In that test, the T4 scores 72,190, which is significantly higher than its OpenCL score. This suggests that the T4’s Turing architecture is particularly well-optimized for Vulkan workloads, even though the MI25 supports Vulkan 1.3. The MI25 has no Vulkan benchmark score in the data, so a direct comparison in that API is impossible. Still, the T4’s 72,190 Vulkan score is 17.8% higher than its own OpenCL result, indicating that NVIDIA’s driver and hardware stack favor Vulkan heavily.

The Verdict

The data presents a straightforward choice based on workload priorities. If raw OpenCL compute throughput is the primary requirement, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 is the clear winner. It is 11.9% faster than the T4 in the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, and its 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 figure is 51% higher than the T4’s 8.141 TFLOPS. For tasks that are heavily dependent on shader math and texture fetching, such as certain scientific simulations or rendering pipelines, the MI25 will deliver meaningfully higher performance.

However, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the better choice for users who need a broader feature set or who target Vulkan workloads. The T4’s 72,190 Geekbench Vulkan score is a strong indicator of its capability in that API, and it supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version than the MI25’s Vulkan 1.3. The T4 also includes 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the MI25. These hardware units enable ray tracing and AI acceleration, features that the MI25 cannot provide. For inference tasks or any workload that leverages TensorFlow or similar frameworks, the T4 is the only viable option on these specs.

Power consumption is another decisive factor, though it is not a performance metric per se. The T4 has a 70 W TDP and requires no power connectors, while the MI25 has a 300 W TDP and needs two 8-pin power connectors. The T4’s suggested PSU is 250 W, versus 700 W for the MI25. This makes the T4 dramatically easier to deploy in dense servers or edge environments. For users prioritizing power efficiency and thermal management, the T4 is the clear winner. The MI25 is a brute-force compute card; the T4 is a versatile, efficient accelerator.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on entirely different architectures and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 uses the Vega 10 chip, based on the GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 uses the TU104 chip, based on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. This process difference gives the T4 a slight density advantage, but the MI25 actually has a higher transistor density: 25.3M / mm² versus 25.0M / mm² for the T4. The MI25 packs 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, while the T4 packs 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die.

The most significant architectural divergence is in compute units. The MI25 has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The T4 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This means the MI25 has 60% more shading units and 60% more TMUs, explaining its lead in FP32 and texture rate. However, the T4 compensates with dedicated hardware: 40 RT cores for ray tracing and 320 tensor cores for AI matrix math. The MI25 has no RT cores and no tensor cores, making it a pure raster and compute processor.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The MI25 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 436.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The T4 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s. The MI25’s bandwidth advantage is 36%, which is substantial for memory-bound workloads. The T4’s GDDR6 memory runs at 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective), while the MI25’s HBM2 runs at 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective). The MI25’s wider bus compensates for its lower clock speed.

API support is another differentiator. The T4 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the MI25 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The T4 also supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the MI25 is limited to Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. This gives the T4 a modern API edge, particularly for ray tracing via DirectX 12 Ultimate.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The MI25 has a base clock of 1400 MHz and a boost clock of 1500 MHz, while the T4 has a much lower base clock of 585 MHz but a higher boost clock of 1590 MHz. This suggests the T4 is designed for bursty workloads with aggressive boosting, while the MI25 relies on sustained high clocks. The MI25’s memory clock is 852 MHz (1704 Mbps effective), while the T4’s is 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective).

Memory capacity is identical at 16 GB, but the type and bus width differ. The MI25 uses HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus, yielding 436.2 GB/s. The T4 uses GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus, yielding 320.0 GB/s. The MI25’s pixel rate is 96.00 GPixel/s, while the T4’s is 101.8 GPixel/s. The MI25’s texture rate is 384.0 GTexel/s, while the T4’s is 254.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 12.29 TFLOPS for the MI25 and 8.141 TFLOPS for the T4. FP16 performance is 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) for the MI25 and 16.28 TFLOPS (2:1) for the T4.

Power and physical characteristics differ sharply. The MI25 has a 300 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, and suggests a 700 W PSU. The T4 has a 70 W TDP, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The MI25 is 267 mm long (10.5 inches) and 111 mm tall (4.4 inches), while the T4 is 168 mm long (6.6 inches). Both use a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and have no display outputs.

Release timing also differs. The MI25 was released on 2017-06-26, while the T4 was released on 2018-09-12. The MI25’s predecessor is the FirePro Data Center, while the T4’s predecessor is the Tesla Volta and its successor is the Server Ampere. The MI25 has no listed successor.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 wins decisively with a score of 68,562, beating the NVIDIA Tesla T4’s 61,276 by 11.9%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA Tesla T4 have any benchmark advantage?

A: Yes. The T4 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 72,190, which is 17.8% higher than its own OpenCL score of 61,276. The MI25 has no Vulkan benchmark score in the data.

Q: Are there any hardware features on the T4 that are missing from the MI25?

A: Yes. The T4 includes 40 RT cores for ray tracing and 320 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The MI25 has neither of these hardware units.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The MI25 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 436.2 GB/s. The T4 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s. The MI25 has a 36% bandwidth advantage.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The MI25 has a 300 W TDP and requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, while the T4 has a 70 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The suggested PSU is 700 W for the MI25 and 250 W for the T4.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.