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AMD Instinct MI250 vs AMD Radeon R5 M230: Comparison
Instinct MI250 vs Radeon R5 M230 memory bandwidth compared
Memory bandwidth is where these two genuinely part company, Instinct MI250 3200 GB/s against Radeon R5 M230 16 GB/s, a 100% lead for Instinct MI250. Instinct MI250 also leads on boost clock, 1700 MHz on the Instinct MI250 versus 855 MHz on the Radeon R5 M230. Memory bus width runs the same way, 8192 bit on the Instinct MI250 versus 64 bit on the Radeon R5 M230, another win for Instinct MI250. They differ on board partner too, Reference on the Instinct MI250 versus AMD on the Radeon R5 M230. Architecture is not the same on both, CDNA2 on the Instinct MI250 versus GCN on the Radeon R5 M230. There is a split on compute blocks as well, 208 on the Instinct MI250 versus 5 on the Radeon R5 M230.
Who each one is for
The Instinct MI250 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 the wrong buy for overclocking-focused enthusiasts (reference clocks only). It is the wrong buy for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. Buy the Radeon R5 M230 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). It is not the one for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Instinct MI250 and Radeon R5 M230 differ on vram capacity?
Yes. VRAM Capacity reads 128 GB on the Instinct MI250 versus 4 GB on the Radeon R5 M230.
Is the GPU Brand the same on the Instinct MI250 and Radeon R5 M230?
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 R5 M230
- AMD
Product Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Datacenter Accelerator
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- Laptop GPU
Series
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Instinct
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- Radeon R5 200 Series
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Reference
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- AMD (Reference)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- HBM2E
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- DDR3Best
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 1700 MHzBest
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- 855 MHz-50%
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI250
- CDNA2
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- GCN
Process Node
- AMD Instinct MI250
- TSMC 6nm FinFET
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- Other
Compute Blocks
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 208
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- 5
VRAM Capacity
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 128 GBBest
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- 4 GB
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 8192 bitBest
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- 64 bit-99%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 3200 GB/sBest
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- 16 GB/s-99%
Launch Date
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 11/08/2021
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- January 2014
Form Factor
- AMD Instinct MI250
- OAM Module
- AMD Radeon R5 M230
- Component
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher boost clock (1700 MHz vs 855 MHz), the higher memory bus width (8192 bit vs 64 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 16 GB/s).
Choose AMD Radeon R5 M230 if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.