AMD Radeon 540 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct head-to-head benchmark between the AMD Radeon 540 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, and the result is a narrow victory for the older NVIDIA part. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 580M scores 6,389 points while the Radeon 540 scores 6,184 points. That is a delta of -3.2% for the AMD card, meaning it trails by roughly 3 percentage points in this compute-oriented workload.

This is a close margin, not a rout. The 205-point gap between the two scores is well within the kind of variation one might expect between different driver versions or test runs, but the recorded data nonetheless credits the GTX 580M with the only head-to-head win. The Radeon 540 does not register a single win in any of the available benchmark comparisons.

Context from the nearest-rival tables helps interpret these numbers. The Radeon 540's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 7,673, which places it at the 41st percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, averages 7,723, a delta of just -0.6%, meaning the Radeon 540 is effectively tied with that much newer card in aggregate performance. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 sits 1.2% behind, the AMD Radeon R7 250 trails by 1.5%, and the Intel Arc A310 is 1.6% behind.

The GTX 580M, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 6,389, which puts it at the 37th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, which scores identically at 6,389 with a delta of 0%. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell is 0.3% behind, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 trails by 0.9%, and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 is 1% behind. So while the GTX 580M wins the head-to-head OpenCL test, its overall position in the database is lower, and its nearest rivals are a mix of old and new parts clustered within a single percentage point.

The story here is one of near parity in raw compute scores despite a massive generational gap. The Radeon 540 is a 2017 part built on a modern process, while the GTX 580M is a 2011 mobile chip. Yet in the one benchmark where both were measured, the older card edges ahead. This suggests that the GTX 580M's wider memory bus and higher texture throughput compensate for its architectural age in certain workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the head-to-head OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 6,389 against the AMD Radeon 540's 6,184, a delta of -3.2% for the AMD part.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in overall database percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 sits at the 41st percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M sits at the 37th percentile. The Radeon 540's average benchmark score is 7,673, versus 6,389 for the GTX 580M.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 32-bit bus with 24.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU in the database?

A: For the Radeon 540, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with an average score of 7,723 and a delta of -0.6%. For the GTX 580M, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE with an identical average score of 6,389 and a delta of 0%.

Q: Does either card support Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 supports Vulkan 1.3 and has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,162. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has no Vulkan support listed in the database.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 has a TDP of 50 W with a suggested PSU of 250 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has a TDP of 100 W and no suggested PSU listed.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural lineages. The AMD Radeon 540 uses the Lexa chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, part of the Polaris (RX 500) generation. It is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, packing 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die. That yields a transistor density of 21.4 million transistors per square millimeter.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M uses the GF114 chip based on Fermi 2.0 architecture, part of the GeForce 500M generation. It is built on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 1,950 million transistors spread across a much larger 332 mm² die. The transistor density is just 5.9 million per square millimeter, a reflection of the older, less dense manufacturing process.

The compute resources tell a more nuanced story. Both cards have 384 shading units, but the GTX 580M has 64 texture mapping units and 32 render output units, while the Radeon 540 has 24 TMUs and 16 ROPs. This means the GTX 580M can process textures and pixels at higher rates in parallel. The texture rate for the GTX 580M is 39.68 GTexel/s, versus 28.39 GTexel/s for the Radeon 540. The pixel rate, however, favors the AMD card: 18.93 GPixel/s versus 9.920 GPixel/s.

Floating-point performance is very close. The GTX 580M delivers 952.3 GFLOPS of FP32, while the Radeon 540 delivers 908.5 GFLOPS. The Radeon 540 also offers FP16 at 908.5 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, whereas the GTX 580M has no FP16 capability listed. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 580M lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but no Vulkan support.

The memory architecture is a stark differentiator. The Radeon 540 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 32-bit bus, yielding 24.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s, exactly four times the bandwidth. The memory clocks differ accordingly: 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) for the AMD card versus 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) for the NVIDIA part, with the wider bus compensating for the lower clock.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification field. The process node is 14 nm for the AMD Radeon 540 versus 40 nm for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M. Transistor count is 2,200 million versus 1,950 million, and die size is 103 mm² versus 332 mm². Transistor density is 21.4 million per mm² versus 5.9 million per mm².

Memory size is 1024 MB versus 2 GB. Memory type is GDDR5 for both, but the bus width is 32 bit versus 256 bit, and bandwidth is 24.00 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. Memory clock is 1500 MHz versus 750 MHz.

Texture mapping units are 24 versus 64, and ROPs are 16 versus 32. Pixel rate is 18.93 GPixel/s versus 9.920 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 28.39 GTexel/s versus 39.68 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 908.5 GFLOPS versus 952.3 GFLOPS, and FP16 is available on the AMD card at 908.5 GFLOPS but absent on the NVIDIA card.

TDP is 50 W versus 100 W. The Radeon 540 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The GTX 580M is an MXM module with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x8 for the AMD card versus MXM-B (3.0) for the NVIDIA card.

Display outputs are 2x DisplayPort 1.4a for the Radeon 540, while the GTX 580M's outputs are listed as portable device dependent. The AMD card supports Vulkan 1.3; the NVIDIA card does not list Vulkan support. DirectX support is 12 (12_0) versus 12 (11_0). Release dates are 2017-04-19 for the AMD card and 2011-06-27 for the NVIDIA card. Both are end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 540 wins in efficiency and modern feature support. Its 50 W TDP is half the GTX 580M's 100 W, making it far more suitable for low-power systems. It has a smaller die, a more advanced 14 nm process, and supports Vulkan 1.3, which the NVIDIA card lacks. The Radeon 540 also has a higher pixel rate at 18.93 GPixel/s, so it can handle fill-rate-bound tasks better. Its FP16 support at 908.5 GFLOPS gives it an edge in workloads that can leverage reduced precision.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M wins in memory bandwidth and texture throughput. Its 96.00 GB/s bandwidth is four times that of the Radeon 540, and its 39.68 GTexel/s texture rate is nearly 40% higher. It also has double the VRAM at 2 GB, which matters for larger textures and data sets. Its FP32 output of 952.3 GFLOPS is slightly ahead of the AMD card. In the recorded OpenCL benchmark, it wins outright with a 3.2% margin.

The data also shows that the Radeon 540 has a higher overall average benchmark score (7,673 versus 6,389) despite losing the single head-to-head test. This is because the Radeon 540 has a second benchmark result in Vulkan at 9,162, which pulls its average up. The GTX 580M has no Vulkan result, so its average is based solely on the OpenCL score.

The Verdict

The database paints a clear picture of two different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon 540 is a modern, power-efficient part that sacrifices memory bandwidth for a small footprint and low power draw. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is an older, power-hungry mobile chip that compensates with a wide memory bus and high texture throughput.

For users who prioritize modern API support, low power consumption, and higher pixel fill rates, the Radeon 540 is the better choice. It supports Vulkan 1.3, draws only 50 W, and offers a smaller die with higher transistor density. Its higher average benchmark score of 7,673 reflects the benefit of its Vulkan performance.

For users who need maximum memory bandwidth and texture processing, the GTX 580M wins. Its 96.00 GB/s bandwidth and 39.68 GTexel/s texture rate are substantial advantages, and it holds a narrow lead in the head-to-head OpenCL test. The extra 1 GB of VRAM also helps in memory-heavy scenarios.

The verdict depends on the workload. In raw compute, the two cards are nearly equal, with the GTX 580M ahead by 3.2% in the one shared test. In modern API support and efficiency, the Radeon 540 is clearly ahead. The GTX 580M is a relic of a different era, but its memory subsystem still gives it relevance in bandwidth-bound tasks. The Radeon 540 is the more balanced, forward-looking part, but neither card can be recommended for demanding modern gaming given its age and specification limits.