AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X vs Intel Arc G3 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X and the Intel Arc G3?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, while the Intel Arc G3 uses the Xe3-LPG architecture on Intel's 3 nm process. The MI308X is built on the Aqua Vanjaram chip, whereas the Arc G3 is built on the Panther Lake chip.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X has 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus with 10.3 TB/s bandwidth. The Intel Arc G3 uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth rated as System Dependent.

Q: What is the power draw of each part?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X has a TDP of 750 W, while the Intel Arc G3 has a TDP of 25 W. The MI308X suggests a 1150 W power supply, while the Arc G3 lists no suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU has higher texture and pixel rates?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X delivers 2,553.6 GTexel/s of texture rate, far above the Intel Arc G3's 96.00 GTexel/s. In pixel rate, the MI308X shows 0 MPixel/s, while the Arc G3 shows 48.00 GPixel/s.

Q: What are the release dates for these GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X was released on 2023-12-05, and the Intel Arc G3 is dated for release on 2026-05-31.

Q: What form factors do they use?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X is an OAM Module with no display outputs, while the Intel Arc G3 is an IGP with outputs described as Portable Device Dependent.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X and the Intel Arc G3 represent two distinct design philosophies in the database. The MI308X is a discrete accelerator built around the CDNA 3.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. Its chip, Aqua Vanjaram, contains 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 150.4M per mm². The Intel Arc G3, by contrast, is an integrated graphics processor using the Xe3-LPG architecture, produced by Intel on a 3 nm process. Its transistor count and die size are listed as unknown.

The MI308X operates with a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2100 MHz, with memory clocked at 2525 MHz or 10.1 Gbps effective. The Arc G3 has a lower base clock of 300 MHz but a higher boost clock of 2400 MHz. The MI308X employs 19,456 shading units and 1,216 TMUs, while the Arc G3 has 1,280 shading units and 40 TMUs. The MI308X reports no ROPs, whereas the Arc G3 has 20 ROPs and 10 ray tracing cores. The MI308X lists no API support in the database, while the Arc G3 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The memory subsystem is another major divide. The MI308X uses 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus, delivering 10.3 TB/s of bandwidth. The Arc G3 relies entirely on System Shared memory, with bus width and bandwidth dependent on the host system. The MI308X requires an OAM Module slot with no power connectors, while the Arc G3 is an IGP with no dedicated power connectors. The MI308X suggests a 1150 W power supply and has a TDP of 750 W; the Arc G3 has a TDP of 25 W and no suggested PSU.

The Verdict

The data shows two parts with almost no overlap in purpose. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X is a high-throughput compute accelerator. Its FP32 performance of 81.72 TFLOPS and FP16 performance of 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) place it in an entirely different performance class from the Intel Arc G3, which delivers 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The MI308X also offers 192 GB of HBM3 memory with 10.3 TB/s bandwidth, a configuration suited for large data sets. The Arc G3, with System Shared memory and a 25 W TDP, is designed for integrated graphics duties in portable devices.

The MI308X is the choice when the workload demands massive memory capacity, extreme bandwidth, and compute throughput. The Arc G3 is the choice when the requirement is an integrated graphics solution with low power draw and API support for modern graphics features. The MI308X has no display outputs, confirming its role as a compute-only accelerator, while the Arc G3's outputs are Portable Device Dependent, confirming its role in mobile systems. The production status of the Arc G3 is Active, while the MI308X does not list a production status.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measured field. The MI308X uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process; the Arc G3 uses Xe3-LPG on Intel's 3 nm process. The MI308X has 153,000 million transistors and a 1017 mm² die; the Arc G3's transistor count and die size are unknown. The MI308X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz; the Arc G3 has a base clock of 300 MHz and boost of 2400 MHz. Memory clocks are 2525 MHz (10.1 Gbps effective) for the MI308X versus System Shared for the Arc G3.

Memory capacity is 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus with 10.3 TB/s bandwidth for the MI308X, versus System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth for the Arc G3. The MI308X has 19,456 shading units and 1,216 TMUs, with 0 ROPs; the Arc G3 has 1,280 shading units, 40 TMUs, 20 ROPs, and 10 ray tracing cores. Pixel rate is 0 MPixel/s for the MI308X and 48.00 GPixel/s for the Arc G3. Texture rate is 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 96.00 GTexel/s. FP32 is 81.72 TFLOPS versus 6.144 TFLOPS. FP16 is 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) versus 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1).

TDP is 750 W for the MI308X and 25 W for the Arc G3. The MI308X is an OAM Module with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 1150 W; the Arc G3 is an IGP with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The MI308X uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Arc G3 uses IGP. Display outputs are absent on the MI308X and Portable Device Dependent on the Arc G3. The MI308X lists no API support; the Arc G3 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates are 2023-12-05 for the MI308X and 2026-05-31 for the Arc G3.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no head-to-head benchmark results between these two GPUs, and neither part has an average benchmark score or rival list. The comparison must therefore rest on the recorded specification data, which shows a decisive split by workload type.

In raw compute throughput, the MI308X dominates. Its FP32 output of 81.72 TFLOPS is more than 13 times the Arc G3's 6.144 TFLOPS. In FP16, the MI308X reaches 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) versus 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1) for the Arc G3, a gap of roughly 53 times. Texture rate follows the same pattern: the MI308X's 2,553.6 GTexel/s is about 26.6 times the Arc G3's 96.00 GTexel/s. Memory bandwidth is also lopsided, with the MI308X offering 10.3 TB/s against the Arc G3's System Dependent figure.

The Arc G3 holds advantages in specific areas. Its pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s far exceeds the MI308X's 0 MPixel/s, which reflects the MI308X having no ROPs. The Arc G3 also has ray tracing cores (10 of them), a feature the MI308X does not list. The Arc G3's boost clock of 2400 MHz is higher than the MI308X's 2100 MHz, and its TDP of 25 W is drastically lower than 750 W. The Arc G3 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI308X lists no graphics API support.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X wins in every metric tied to raw compute and memory capacity. Applications that require large memory pools will favor the MI308X, given its 192 GB of HBM3. Workloads that depend on FP32 or FP16 throughput will favor the MI308X, given its 81.72 TFLOPS and 653.7 TFLOPS figures. Texture-heavy workloads will also favor the MI308X, as its 2,553.6 GTexel/s rate is orders of magnitude above the Arc G3. The MI308X's 10.3 TB/s of memory bandwidth makes it the clear choice for data movement at scale.

The Intel Arc G3 wins in areas related to graphics output, power efficiency, and portability. Its 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 10 ray tracing cores give it a functional graphics pipeline, while the MI308X has no ROPs and no display outputs. The Arc G3's 25 W TDP is 30 times lower than the MI308X's 750 W, making it suitable for integrated deployments. The Arc G3's API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 enables modern graphics features on portable devices. The MI308X, by contrast, is a compute-only accelerator with no display capability.

The production status also differs: the Arc G3 is listed as Active, while the MI308X has no production status recorded. The release timeline shows the MI308X arriving on 2023-12-05 and the Arc G3 on 2026-05-31, indicating the Arc G3 is a newer design. The MI308X's predecessor is listed as FirePro Data Center, while the Arc G3 has no predecessor. Each part wins in the domain its architecture was built for: the MI308X for data center compute, the Arc G3 for integrated graphics.