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AMD Instinct MI210 vs AMD FirePro W7170M: Comparison
What is the difference between Instinct MI210 and FirePro W7170M?
Vram is where these two genuinely part company, Instinct MI210 64 GB against FirePro W7170M 4 GB, a 94% lead for Instinct MI210. Add memory bandwidth to that, 1600 GB/s on the Instinct MI210 versus 160 GB/s on the FirePro W7170M, and the pattern holds. Instinct MI210 also leads on memory bus width, 4096 bit on the Instinct MI210 versus 256 bit on the FirePro W7170M. Pcie generation is not the same on both, PCIe 4.0 x16 on the Instinct MI210 versus PCIe 3.0 x16 on the FirePro W7170M.
Which should you buy, Instinct MI210 or FirePro W7170M?
The Instinct MI210 is the one to take for double-precision workloads that don't need MI250X-level throughput, though it is the wrong buy for any desktop or workstation build - compute-only, no display output and maximum-throughput HPC nodes (use MI250X instead). It is equally the pick for HPC and AI deployments in standard PCIe-slot servers without OAM sled support. Buy the FirePro W7170M 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. 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 FirePro W7170M differ on board partner?
Yes. Board Partner reads AMD Reference on the Instinct MI210 versus AMD on the FirePro W7170M.
Is the GPU Brand the same on the Instinct MI210 and FirePro W7170M?
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 FirePro W7170M
- AMD
Series
- AMD Instinct MI210
- Instinct MI200
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- Legacy
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI210
- AMD Reference (PCIe dual-slot card, data center/OEM only)
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- AMD (Reference)
VRAM
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 64 GBBest
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- 4 GB-94%
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI210
- HBM2E
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- GDDR5Best
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI210
- CDNA 2 (single Graphics Compute Die)
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- Graphics Core Next (GCN) 3rd Gen
Process Node
- AMD Instinct MI210
- TSMC 6nm
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- Other
Compute Blocks
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 104
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- 32
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 4096 bitBest
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- 256 bit-94%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 1600 GB/sBest
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- 160 GB/s-90%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI210
- PCIe 4.0 x16
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- PCIe 3.0 x16
Launch Date
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 2022-03
- AMD FirePro W7170M
- 10/02/2015
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI210 if you want the higher VRAM (64 GB vs 4 GB), the higher memory bus width (4096 bit vs 256 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (1600 GB/s vs 160 GB/s).
Choose AMD FirePro W7170M if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
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.