AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data leaves no ambiguity in the head-to-head comparison: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 wins both recorded tests outright. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4080 scores 214,739 against the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60's 92,488, a delta of 56.9% in NVIDIA's favor. The gap widens further in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 4080 posts 263,779 versus 92,444, making it 65% faster than the MI60. These are decisive margins, not marginal wins; the MI60 trails by more than half in both compute and graphics API workloads.

The MI60's own benchmark profile shows it is not a weak card in absolute terms. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 92,488 and Vulkan score of 92,444 are nearly identical, indicating consistent performance across both APIs. The RTX 4080, however, scales much better in Vulkan relative to OpenCL, jumping from 214,739 to 263,779, a gain of roughly 23% between APIs. The MI60 shows essentially no such scaling, which suggests the NVIDIA architecture extracts more from the Vulkan path.

Looking at the broader database context, the MI60 sits at the 93rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4080 sits at the 86th percentile. This is a curious inversion: the MI60 ranks higher in percentile despite losing both head-to-head tests. The explanation lies in the rival sets. The MI60's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro VII (97,131 average score, 4.8% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900M (97,487, 5.2% ahead), while it edges out the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91,671, 0.9% behind) and the RTX A4500 Mobile (91,134, 1.5% behind). The RTX 4080's nearest rivals, by contrast, are much closer in average score: the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209, 0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, 1.1% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, 2.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, 2.7% behind). The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 is dragged down by a wide set of Passmark tests, whereas the MI60's average of 92,466 reflects only its two strong Geekbench results. The percentile figures therefore reflect test mix, not raw head-to-head superiority.

The delta percentages in the head-to-head table are unambiguous. The RTX 4080 is 56.9% ahead in OpenCL and 65% ahead in Vulkan. No recorded test favors the MI60. The database records zero wins for the AMD card and two wins for the NVIDIA card. For any workload represented by these benchmarks, the RTX 4080 is the faster processor by a wide margin.

The Verdict

The data supports one clear conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the faster card in every benchmark the database records. It wins Geekbench OpenCL by 56.9% and Geekbench Vulkan by 65%. Anyone choosing between these two strictly on measured performance should select the RTX 4080. The MI60's higher percentile ranking (93rd versus 86th) does not translate into a single head-to-head victory, and its average benchmark score of 92,466 is built from only two tests, both of which the RTX 4080 beats by huge margins.

However, the verdict is not purely about speed. The MI60 is an end-of-life data center product from 2018, built on GCN 5.1, while the RTX 4080 is a 2022 consumer GeForce card. The MI60 offers 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus and 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth, figures that dwarf the RTX 4080's 16 GB GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s. If the workload is memory-capacity bound, the MI60 has a structural advantage that the benchmark scores do not capture. The RTX 4080 counters with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, features the MI60 lacks entirely. The RTX 4080 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI60 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

Pick the RTX 4080 for raw compute throughput, ray tracing, and modern API support. Pick the MI60 only if the 32 GB memory pool and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth are the deciding factors, and the workload fits within the GCN 5.1 feature set. The benchmark data does not show the MI60 winning any test, but the memory specification is a legitimate, data-backed reason for specific use cases.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 uses the Vega 20 chip on GCN 5.1 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It packs 13,230 million transistors into a 331 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.0 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 uses the AD103 chip on Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, for a density of 121.1 million per mm². The RTX 4080's die is only 14.5% larger physically, but holds more than three times the transistors.

Core counts differ substantially. The MI60 has 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 4080 has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. NVIDIA's card also carries 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, neither of which exist on the MI60. Clock speeds reflect the architectural gap: the MI60 runs at a 1200 MHz base and 1800 MHz boost, while the RTX 4080 runs at 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost. The RTX 4080's boost clock is 39% higher than the MI60's.

Memory architecture is where the MI60 fights back. It uses 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, achieving 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4080 uses 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, achieving 716.8 GB/s. The MI60 has twice the capacity and 42% more bandwidth. Its memory clock is listed at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective, versus 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective for the RTX 4080, but the bus width difference flips the effective bandwidth advantage to AMD.

Compute throughput tells the opposite story. The MI60 delivers 14.75 TFLOPS of FP32 and 29.49 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio). The RTX 4080 delivers 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1 ratio). The RTX 4080 is 3.3 times faster in FP32 and 1.65 times faster in FP16. Pixel and texture rates follow: the MI60 posts 115.2 GPixel/s and 460.8 GTexel/s, while the RTX 4080 posts 280.6 GPixel/s and 761.5 GTexel/s.

API support differs in modern features. The RTX 4080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI60 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RTX 4080 also has a newer display output set: 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, versus the MI60's single mini-DisplayPort 1.4a.

Power and physical specs differ as well. The MI60 is rated at 300 W TDP with dual-slot width and 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. The RTX 4080 is rated at 320 W TDP with triple-slot width and a single 16-pin connector. Both recommend a 700 W PSU. The MI60 measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height; the RTX 4080 measures 310 mm by 140 mm by 61 mm. The NVIDIA card is longer, taller, and thicker.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 wins with a score of 214,739 versus 92,488 for the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60, a delta of 56.9%.

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 wins with a score of 263,779 versus 92,444 for the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60, a delta of 65%.

Q: Does the MI60 have any benchmark win over the RTX 4080?

A: No. The database records zero wins for the MI60 and two wins for the RTX 4080 in head-to-head tests.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 has 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. It has 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores. The MI60 has no RT cores and no tensor cores.

Q: Why does the MI60 have a higher percentile rank if it loses every head-to-head test?

A: The MI60 ranks at the 93rd percentile of all GPUs versus 86th for the RTX 4080, but its average benchmark score of 92,466 is based on only two Geekbench tests, while the RTX 4080's average of 54,247 includes several Passmark tests that lower its average.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 wins every recorded benchmark, so the useful question is where each card wins on specification. In raw compute throughput, the RTX 4080 dominates: 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 versus 14.75 TFLOPS, and 48.74 TFLOPS FP16 versus 29.49 TFLOPS. It also wins on pixel rate (280.6 GPixel/s versus 115.2 GPixel/s), texture rate (761.5 GTexel/s versus 460.8 GTexel/s), and shading units (9,728 versus 4,096). Any workload that scales with shader count, clock speed, or FP32 throughput will favor the RTX 4080.

The MI60 wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 32 GB of HBM2 doubles the RTX 4080's 16 GB, and its 1.02 TB/s bandwidth beats 716.8 GB/s by 42%. For large datasets that exceed 16 GB, or for workloads that saturate memory bandwidth, the MI60 has the structural edge. The 4096-bit bus is a fundamental advantage that the RTX 4080 cannot overcome with its 256-bit bus, regardless of the faster GDDR6X clock.

The RTX 4080 wins on modern features: 76 RT cores for ray tracing, 304 tensor cores for AI acceleration, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI60 lacks all of these. The RTX 4080 also has more display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) versus a single mini-DisplayPort on the MI60. The MI60 is end-of-life with no successor listed, while the RTX 4080's successor is the GeForce 50 series, though the RTX 4080 itself is also end-of-life.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every major specification. The MI60 uses GCN 5.1 on a 7 nm process; the RTX 4080 uses Ada Lovelace on 5 nm. Transistor count is 13,230 million versus 45,900 million, die size is 331 mm² versus 379 mm², and transistor density is 40.0M/mm² versus 121.1M/mm². Base clocks are 1200 MHz versus 2205 MHz, boost clocks are 1800 MHz versus 2505 MHz, and memory clocks are 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) versus 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration is starkly different: 32 GB HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth versus 16 GB GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s. Core counts show 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs for the MI60, against 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs for the RTX 4080. The RTX 4080 alone has 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores.

Compute rates: the MI60 delivers 14.75 TFLOPS FP32 and 29.49 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the RTX 4080 delivers 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 and 48.74 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). Pixel rates are 115.2 GPixel/s versus 280.6 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 460.8 GTexel/s versus 761.5 GTexel/s. TDP is 300 W versus 320 W. Slot width is dual-slot versus triple-slot. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin versus a single 16-pin. Both list a 700 W suggested PSU. Display outputs are 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. API support differs on DirectX (12_1 versus 12 Ultimate 12_2) and Vulkan (1.3 versus 1.4), with OpenGL 4.6 common to both. Release dates are 2018-11-17 for the MI60 and 2022-09-19 for the RTX 4080. The RTX 4080 has a launch MSRP of 1,199 USD.