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AMD Instinct MI210 vs NVIDIA CMP 90HX: Comparison
What is the difference between AMD Instinct MI210 and NVIDIA CMP 90HX?
The gap that matters here is vram: AMD Instinct MI210 64 GB against NVIDIA CMP 90HX 10 GB, which puts AMD Instinct MI210 84% ahead. AMD Instinct MI210 also leads on memory bandwidth, 1600 GB/s on the AMD Instinct MI210 versus 720 GB/s on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX. AMD Instinct MI210 also leads on memory bus width, 4096 bit on the AMD Instinct MI210 versus 320 bit on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX. Add boost clock to that, 1700 MHz on the AMD Instinct MI210 versus 1440 MHz on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX, and the pattern holds.
AMD Instinct MI210 vs NVIDIA CMP 90HX: which one fits your build
Buy the AMD Instinct MI210 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). The same goes for HPC and AI deployments in standard PCIe-slot servers without OAM sled support. The NVIDIA CMP 90HX is the one to take for secondary-market buyers mining non-Ethereum proof-of-work coins and repurposing as a cheap compute card for non-graphics CUDA workloads. It is the wrong buy for gaming, no display output at all, cannot drive a monitor under any configuration. Our rating of the AMD 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 AMD Instinct MI210 and NVIDIA CMP 90HX differ on tdp?
Yes. TDP reads 300 W on the AMD Instinct MI210 versus 320 W on the NVIDIA CMP 90HX.
Is the Slot Width the same on the AMD Instinct MI210 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 MI210
- AMD
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- NVIDIA
Series
- AMD Instinct MI210
- Instinct MI200
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- CMP (Cryptocurrency Mining Processor)
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI210
- AMD Reference (PCIe dual-slot card, data center/OEM only)
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- ASUS, Colorful, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, Palit, Zotac (reference blower design)
VRAM
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 64 GBBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 10 GB-84%
Tier
- AMD Instinct MI210
- Datacenter / AI Accelerator
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- High-End Mining (2021)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI210
- HBM2E
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- GDDR6XBest
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 1700 MHzBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 1440 MHz-15%
TDP
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 300 WBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 320 W-7%
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI210
- CDNA 2 (single Graphics Compute Die)
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- Ampere (GA102), the second-largest Ampere die, shared with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090
Process Node
- AMD Instinct MI210
- TSMC 6nm
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- Samsung 8nm (8N)
Card Length
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 267 mmBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 285 mm-7%
Slot Width
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 2
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 2
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 4096 bitBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 320 bit-92%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 1600 GB/sBest
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 720 GB/s-55%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI210
- PCIe 4.0 x16
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- PCIe 4.0 x16
Launch Date
- AMD Instinct MI210
- 2022-03
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- 2021-03
Display Outputs
- AMD Instinct MI210
- N/A - compute-only, no display output
- NVIDIA CMP 90HX
- None, no video output ports of any kind
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI210 if you want the higher VRAM (64 GB vs 10 GB), the higher boost clock (1700 MHz vs 1440 MHz) and the lower TDP (300 W vs 320 W).
Choose NVIDIA CMP 90HX 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.
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.