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AMD Instinct MI250 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080: Comparison
AMD Instinct MI250 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080: the tdp difference
Start with tdp, because it is the widest measured gap between them: AMD Instinct MI250 500 W against NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 180 W, 178% in favour of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080. AMD Instinct MI250 also leads on memory bandwidth, 3200 GB/s on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus 320 GB/s on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080. AMD Instinct MI250 also leads on memory bus width, 8192 bit on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus 256 bit on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080.
Who each one is for
The AMD 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 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 for secondhand budget builds where the GPU is nearly free and 1080p gaming on older titles without ray tracing demands, though it is not the pick for modern AAA titles at 1440p or higher and anyone wanting ray tracing, DLSS, or frame generation. It also earns its place with upgrading a pre-built PC that still has a weaker GPU than this. It is not the one for new GPU purchases in 2026 - budget RTX 30-series cards outperform it for similar used pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Do the AMD Instinct MI250 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 differ on boost clock?
Yes. Boost Clock reads 1700 MHz on the AMD Instinct MI250 versus 1733 MHz on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080.
Specs and benchmarks
GPU Brand
- AMD Instinct MI250
- AMD
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- NVIDIA
Series
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Instinct
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- GeForce GTX 10
Board Partner
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Reference
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- NVIDIA Founders Edition
Tier
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Datacenter
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- High-End (2016, legacy)
Memory Type
- AMD Instinct MI250
- HBM2E
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- GDDR5XBest
Boost Clock
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 1700 MHz-2%
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 1733 MHzBest
TDP
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 500 W-178%
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 180 WBest
Architecture
- AMD Instinct MI250
- CDNA2
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- Pascal
Slot Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- Not Applicable
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 2
Shader Units
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 13312
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 2560
Memory Bus Width
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 8192 bitBest
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 256 bit-97%
Memory Bandwidth
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 3200 GB/sBest
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 320 GB/s-90%
PCIe Generation
- AMD Instinct MI250
- PCIe 4.0
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- PCIe 3.0 x16
Launch Date
- AMD Instinct MI250
- 11/08/2021
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- 2016-05
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Instinct MI250 if you want the higher memory bus width (8192 bit vs 256 bit) and the higher memory bandwidth (3200 GB/s vs 320 GB/s).
Choose NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 if you want the higher boost clock (1733 MHz vs 1700 MHz) and the lower TDP (180 W vs 500 W).
Price comparison
| Retailer | AMD Instinct MI250 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 |
|---|---|---|
| Consumercarts listing | $599.00 View on Consumercarts listing |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
4.6 / 10 Expert Rating
A legacy budget card at this point - reliable and still functional, but well behind anything you'd want to buy new today.