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AMD Instinct MI250 vs AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT: Comparison
Instinct MI250 vs Radeon RX 5600 XT tdp compared
On tdp the spread is 233%, Instinct MI250 500 W against Radeon RX 5600 XT 150 W, so Radeon RX 5600 XT takes it. Instinct MI250 also leads on memory bandwidth, 3200 GB/s on the Instinct MI250 versus 288 GB/s on the Radeon RX 5600 XT. Add memory bus width to that, 8192 bit on the Instinct MI250 versus 192 bit on the Radeon RX 5600 XT, and the pattern holds. They differ on architecture too, CDNA2 on the Instinct MI250 versus RDNA 1 on the Radeon RX 5600 XT. They differ on slot width too, Not Applicable on the Instinct MI250 versus 2 on the Radeon RX 5600 XT.
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). It is the wrong buy for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. The Radeon RX 5600 XT suits budget 1080p gaming builds and esports titles at high refresh rates, though it is not the pick for ray tracing or upscaling-dependent titles and 1440p gaming ambitions. Our rating of the Radeon RX 5600 XT (5.5/10): A solid 1080p card in its day; the lack of ray tracing and only 6GB VRAM make it a budget-tier pick against newer RDNA 2/3 options today.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Instinct MI250 and Radeon RX 5600 XT differ on boost clock?
Yes. Boost Clock reads 1700 MHz on the Instinct MI250 versus 1750 MHz on the Radeon RX 5600 XT.
Is the GPU Brand the same on the Instinct MI250 and Radeon RX 5600 XT?
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 RX 5600 XT
- AMD
Series
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Instinct
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Radeon RX 5000
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Reference
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- AMD Reference
Tier
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Datacenter
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- Mainstream (Legacy)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- HBM2E
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- GDDR6Best
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 1700 MHz-3%
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 1750 MHzBest
TDP
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 500 W-233%
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 150 WBest
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI250
- CDNA2
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- RDNA 1
Slot Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Not Applicable
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 2
Shader Units
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 13312
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 2304
Compute Blocks
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 208
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 36
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 8192 bitBest
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 192 bit-98%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 3200 GB/sBest
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 288 GB/s-91%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI250
- PCIe 4.0
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
- PCIe 4.0 x16
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher memory bus width (8192 bit vs 192 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 288 GB/s).
Choose AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT if you want the higher boost clock (1750 MHz vs 1700 MHz) and the lower TDP (150 W vs 500 W).
Verdict
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
5.5 / 10 Expert Rating
A solid 1080p card in its day; the lack of ray tracing and only 6GB VRAM make it a budget-tier pick against newer RDNA 2/3 options today.