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AMD Instinct MI100 vs NVIDIA CMP 90HX: Comparison
AMD Instinct MI100 vs NVIDIA CMP 90HX memory bandwidth compared
The gap that matters here is memory bandwidth: AMD Instinct MI100 1200 GB/s against NVIDIA CMP 90HX 720 GB/s, which puts AMD Instinct MI100 40% ahead. Add memory bus width to that, 4096 bit on the AMD Instinct MI100 versus 320 bit on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX, and the pattern holds. Board partner is not the same on both, Reference on the AMD Instinct MI100 versus ASUS, Colorful, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, Palit, Zotac on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX. They differ on tier too, Datacenter on the AMD Instinct MI100 versus High-End Mining on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX.
Who each one is for
The AMD Instinct MI100 is the one to take for buyers comparing AMD's official reference specifications and researching a chip before choosing a board-partner card, though it is not the pick for overclocking-focused enthusiasts (reference clocks only). Avoid it for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. The NVIDIA CMP 90HX suits secondary-market buyers mining non-Ethereum proof-of-work coins and repurposing as a cheap compute card for non-graphics CUDA workloads. It is not the one for gaming, no display output at all, cannot drive a monitor under any configuration. Our rating of the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (4/10): the most powerful card in the original 2021 CMP wave, built on genuine flagship-class GA102 silicon, but now a legacy product with no display output and a use case that mostly disappeared with Ethereum's Merge.
Frequently asked questions
Do the AMD Instinct MI100 and NVIDIA CMP 90HX differ on boost clock?
Yes. Boost Clock reads 1502 MHz on the AMD Instinct MI100 versus 1440 MHz on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX.
Is the Slot Width the same on the AMD Instinct MI100 and NVIDIA CMP 90HX?
It is. Both are listed at 2, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
GPU Brand
- AMD Instinct MI100
- AMD
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- NVIDIA
Series
- AMD Instinct MI100
- Instinct
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- CMP (Cryptocurrency Mining Processor)
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI100
- Reference
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- ASUS, Colorful, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, Palit, Zotac (reference blower design)
Tier
- AMD Instinct MI100
- Datacenter
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- High-End Mining (2021)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI100
- HBM2
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- GDDR6XBest
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 1502 MHzBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 1440 MHz-4%
TDP
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 300 WBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 320 W-7%
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI100
- CDNA
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- Ampere (GA102), the second-largest Ampere die, shared with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090
Process Node
- AMD Instinct MI100
- TSMC 7nm FinFET
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- Samsung 8nm (8N)
Card Length
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 267 mmBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 285 mm-7%
Slot Width
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 2
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 2
Shader Units
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 7680
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 5248
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 4096 bitBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 320 bit-92%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 1200 GB/sBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 720 GB/s-40%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI100
- PCIe 4.0
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- PCIe 4.0 x16
Launch Date
- AMD Instinct MI100
- 11/16/2020
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 2021-03
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI100 if you want the higher boost clock (1502 MHz vs 1440 MHz), the lower TDP (300 W vs 320 W) and the lower card length (267 mm vs 285 mm).
Choose NVIDIA CMP 90HX if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Verdict
NVIDIA CMP 90HX
4 / 10 Expert Rating
The most powerful card in the original 2021 CMP wave, built on genuine flagship-class GA102 silicon, but now a legacy product with no display output and a use case that mostly disappeared with Ethereum's Merge.