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AMD Instinct MI210 vs AMD Radeon R7 250X: Comparison
Instinct MI210 vs Radeon R7 250X tdp compared
On tdp the spread is 216%, Instinct MI210 300 W against Radeon R7 250X 95 W, so Radeon R7 250X takes it. Memory bandwidth runs the same way, 1600 GB/s on the Instinct MI210 versus 72 GB/s on the Radeon R7 250X, another win for Instinct MI210. Instinct MI210 also leads on boost clock, 1700 MHz on the Instinct MI210 versus 1000 MHz on the Radeon R7 250X. Add memory bus width to that, 4096 bit on the Instinct MI210 versus 128 bit on the Radeon R7 250X, and the pattern holds.
Instinct MI210 vs Radeon R7 250X: which one fits your build
Buy the Instinct MI210 for double-precision workloads that don't need MI250X-level throughput, though it is not the pick for any desktop or workstation build - compute-only, no display output and maximum-throughput HPC nodes (use MI250X instead). It also earns its place with HPC and AI deployments in standard PCIe-slot servers without OAM sled support. The Radeon R7 250X 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 built for overclocking-focused enthusiasts (reference clocks only). It is not the one for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. Our rating of the Instinct MI210 (7.3/10): A practical, PCIe-slot-friendly way to get CDNA 2 compute into a standard server, useful for smaller HPC and AI deployments, but clearly the entry point of its generation next to the dual-die MI250X and now well behind the MI300 series.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Instinct MI210 and Radeon R7 250X differ on board partner?
Yes. Board Partner reads AMD Reference on the Instinct MI210 versus AMD on the Radeon R7 250X.
Is the GPU Brand the same on the Instinct MI210 and Radeon R7 250X?
It is. Both are listed at AMD, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
GPU Brand
- AMD Instinct MI210
- AMD
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- AMD
Series
- AMD Instinct MI210
- Instinct MI200
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- Radeon R7 200 Series
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI210
- AMD Reference (PCIe dual-slot card, data center/OEM only)
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- AMD (Reference)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI210
- HBM2E
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- GDDR5Best
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 1700 MHzBest
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- 1000 MHz-41%
TDP
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 300 W-216%
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- 95 WBest
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI210
- CDNA 2 (single Graphics Compute Die)
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- GCN
Process Node
- AMD Instinct MI210
- TSMC 6nm
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- Other
Slot Width
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 2
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- 2
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 4096 bitBest
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- 128 bit-97%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 1600 GB/sBest
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- 72 GB/s-95%
Launch Date
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 2022-03
- AMD Radeon R7 250X
- February 2014
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI210 if you want the higher boost clock (1700 MHz vs 1000 MHz), the lower slot width (2 vs 2) and the higher memory bus width (4096 bit vs 128 bit).
Choose AMD Radeon R7 250X if you want the lower TDP (95 W vs 300 W).
Verdict
AMD Instinct MI210
7.3 / 10 Expert Rating
A practical, PCIe-slot-friendly way to get CDNA 2 compute into a standard server, useful for smaller HPC and AI deployments, but clearly the entry point of its generation next to the dual-die MI250X and now well behind the MI300 series.