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AMD Instinct MI250 vs AMD FirePro W4170M: Comparison
Instinct MI250 vs FirePro W4170M memory bandwidth compared
The gap that matters here is memory bandwidth: Instinct MI250 3200 GB/s against FirePro W4170M 64 GB/s, which puts Instinct MI250 98% ahead. Instinct MI250 also leads on boost clock, 1700 MHz on the Instinct MI250 versus 900 MHz on the FirePro W4170M. Instinct MI250 also leads on memory bus width, 8192 bit on the Instinct MI250 versus 128 bit on the FirePro W4170M. Product type is not the same on both, Datacenter Accelerator on the Instinct MI250 versus Laptop GPU on the FirePro W4170M. There is a split on board partner as well, Reference on the Instinct MI250 versus AMD on the FirePro W4170M. The memory type figures are near enough to ignore, HBM2E on the Instinct MI250 versus GDDR5 on the FirePro W4170M. They differ on architecture too, CDNA2 on the Instinct MI250 versus Graphics Core Next on the FirePro W4170M. There is a split on shader units as well, 13312 on the Instinct MI250 versus 384 on the FirePro W4170M. There is a split on compute blocks as well, 208 on the Instinct MI250 versus 6 on the FirePro W4170M.
Instinct MI250 vs FirePro W4170M: which one fits your build
The 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. Buy the FirePro W4170M 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.
Where the two are identical
Everything else lines up. Gpu brand read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Instinct MI250 and FirePro W4170M differ on pcie generation?
Yes. PCIe Generation reads PCIe 4.0 on the Instinct MI250 versus PCIe 3.0 x8 on the FirePro W4170M.
Specs and benchmarks
GPU Brand
- AMD Instinct MI250
- AMD
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- AMD
Product Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Datacenter Accelerator
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- Laptop GPU
Series
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Instinct
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- Legacy
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Reference
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- AMD (Reference)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- HBM2E
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- GDDR5Best
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 1700 MHzBest
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- 900 MHz-47%
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI250
- CDNA2
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- Graphics Core Next (GCN)
Process Node
- AMD Instinct MI250
- TSMC 6nm FinFET
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- Other
Shader Units
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 13312
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- 384
Compute Blocks
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 208
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- 6
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 8192 bitBest
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- 128 bit-98%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 3200 GB/sBest
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- 64 GB/s-98%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI250
- PCIe 4.0
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- PCIe 3.0 x8
ECC Memory
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Yes
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- No
Form Factor
- AMD Instinct MI250
- OAM Module
- AMD FirePro W4170M
- Laptops
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher boost clock (1700 MHz vs 900 MHz), the higher memory bus width (8192 bit vs 128 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 64 GB/s).
Choose AMD FirePro W4170M if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.