Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more
AMD Instinct MI250 vs Apple M4 Pro GPU: Comparison
What is the difference between AMD Instinct MI250 and Apple M4 Pro GPU?
Memory bandwidth is where these two genuinely part company, AMD Instinct MI250 3200 GB/s against Apple M4 Pro GPU 273 GB/s, a 91% lead for AMD Instinct MI250. Gpu brand is not the same on both, AMD on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus Apple on the Apple M4 Pro GPU. Product type is not the same on both, Datacenter Accelerator on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus SoC GPU on the Apple M4 Pro GPU. There is a split on tier as well, Datacenter on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus Upper Mid-Range on the Apple M4 Pro GPU. Memory type is closer, HBM2E on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus Unified LPDDR5 on the Apple M4 Pro GPU. There is a split on architecture as well, CDNA2 on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus Apple Silicon on the Apple M4 Pro GPU. There is a split on pcie generation as well, PCIe 4.0 on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus Not Applicable on the Apple M4 Pro GPU.
Which should you buy, AMD Instinct MI250 or Apple M4 Pro GPU?
The AMD Instinct MI250 suits 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 not the one for buyers wanting a specific retail card with cooler and warranty details. it is not the pick for native Windows gaming or direct discrete-GPU benchmark comparisons. It also earns its place with prosumer creative work (video, 3D) on macOS that has outgrown the base M4. Our rating of the Apple M4 Pro GPU (8/10): roughly double the base M4's graphics cores, with the memory bandwidth to actually feed them.
Specs and benchmarks
GPU Brand
- AMD Instinct MI250
- AMD
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- Apple
Product Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Datacenter Accelerator
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- SoC GPU
Series
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Instinct
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- Apple Silicon
Tier
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Datacenter
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- Upper Mid-Range
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- HBM2E
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- Unified LPDDR5 (shared with CPU)Best
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI250
- CDNA2
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- Apple Silicon (3rd-gen, 3nm)
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 3200 GB/sBest
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- 273 GB/s-91%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI250
- PCIe 4.0
- Apple M4 Pro GPU
- Not Applicable
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 273 GB/s).
Choose Apple M4 Pro GPU if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Verdict
Apple M4 Pro GPU
8 / 10 Expert Rating
Roughly double the base M4's graphics cores, with the memory bandwidth to actually feed them.