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AMD Instinct MI250 vs AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600: Comparison
What is the difference between Instinct MI250 and Radeon AI PRO R9600?
Tdp is where these two genuinely part company, Instinct MI250 500 W against Radeon AI PRO R9600 150 W, a 233% lead for Radeon AI PRO R9600. Instinct MI250 also leads on memory bandwidth, 3200 GB/s on the Instinct MI250 versus 640 GB/s on the Radeon AI PRO R9600. Memory bus width runs the same way, 8192 bit on the Instinct MI250 versus 256 bit on the Radeon AI PRO R9600, another win for Instinct MI250. Add boost clock to that, 1700 MHz on the Instinct MI250 versus 2020 MHz on the Radeon AI PRO R9600, and the pattern holds. They differ on shader units too, 13312 on the Instinct MI250 versus 3072 on the Radeon AI PRO R9600. There is a split on compute blocks as well, 208 on the Instinct MI250 versus 48 on the Radeon AI PRO R9600.
Which should you buy, Instinct MI250 or Radeon AI PRO R9600?
The Instinct MI250 suits 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). It is not the one for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. The Radeon AI PRO R9600 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). Avoid it for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Instinct MI250 and Radeon AI PRO R9600 differ on board partner?
Yes. Board Partner reads Reference on the Instinct MI250 versus AMD on the Radeon AI PRO R9600.
Is the GPU Brand the same on the Instinct MI250 and Radeon AI PRO R9600?
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 MI250
- AMD
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- AMD
Series
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Instinct
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- Radeon AI PRO R9000 Series
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Reference
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- AMD (Reference)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- HBM2E
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- GDDR6Best
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 1700 MHz-16%
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- 2020 MHzBest
TDP
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 500 W-233%
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- 150 WBest
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI250
- CDNA2
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- AMD RDNA 4
Shader Units
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 13312
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- 3072
Compute Blocks
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 208
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- 48
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 8192 bitBest
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- 256 bit-97%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 3200 GB/sBest
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- 640 GB/s-80%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI250
- PCIe 4.0
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- PCIe 5.0 x16
Cooling Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Passive
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- Active
ECC Memory
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Yes
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- Yes
Form Factor
- AMD Instinct MI250
- OAM Module
- AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600
- Desktops
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher memory bus width (8192 bit vs 256 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 640 GB/s).
Choose AMD Radeon AI PRO R9600 if you want the higher boost clock (2020 MHz vs 1700 MHz) and the lower TDP (150 W vs 500 W).