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AMD Instinct MI250 vs AMD Radeon R9 M280X: Comparison

What is the difference between Instinct MI250 and Radeon R9 M280X?

The gap that matters here is memory bandwidth: Instinct MI250 3200 GB/s against Radeon R9 M280X 96 GB/s, which puts Instinct MI250 97% ahead. Memory bus width runs the same way, 8192 bit on the Instinct MI250 versus 128 bit on the Radeon R9 M280X, another win for Instinct MI250. There is a split on product type as well, Datacenter Accelerator on the Instinct MI250 versus Laptop GPU on the Radeon R9 M280X. Board partner is not the same on both, Reference on the Instinct MI250 versus AMD on the Radeon R9 M280X. Memory type is closer, HBM2E on the Instinct MI250 versus GDDR5 on the Radeon R9 M280X. There is a split on architecture as well, CDNA2 on the Instinct MI250 versus GCN on the Radeon R9 M280X. Shader units is not the same on both, 13312 on the Instinct MI250 versus 896 on the Radeon R9 M280X. They differ on form factor too, OAM Module on the Instinct MI250 versus Component on the Radeon R9 M280X.

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 not built for overclocking-focused enthusiasts (reference clocks only). Avoid it for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. The Radeon R9 M280X 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.

Where the two are identical

The common ground is wider than the gap: gpu brand are identical here.

Specs and benchmarks

  • GPU Brand

    AMD Instinct MI250
    AMD
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    AMD
  • Product Type

    AMD Instinct MI250
    Datacenter Accelerator
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    Laptop GPU
  • Series

    AMD Instinct MI250
    Instinct
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    Legacy
  • Board Partner

    AMD Instinct MI250
    Reference
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    AMD (Reference)
  • Memory Type

    AMD Instinct MI250
    HBM2E
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    GDDR5Best
  • Architecture

    AMD Instinct MI250
    CDNA2
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    GCN
  • Process Node

    AMD Instinct MI250
    TSMC 6nm FinFET
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    Other
  • Shader Units

    AMD Instinct MI250
    13312
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    896
  • Memory Bus Width

    AMD Instinct MI250
    8192 bitBest
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    128 bit-98%
  • Memory Bandwidth

    AMD Instinct MI250
    3200 GB/sBest
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    96 GB/s-97%
  • Launch Date

    AMD Instinct MI250
    11/08/2021
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    February 2015
  • Form Factor

    AMD Instinct MI250
    OAM Module
    AMD Radeon R9 M280X
    Component

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher memory bus width (8192 bit vs 128 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 96 GB/s).

    Choose AMD Radeon R9 M280X if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

    More comparisons in Graphics Cards