AMD Radeon 780M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Comparison

The AMD Radeon 780M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 represent two very different answers to the same question of graphics capability, separated by more than a decade of silicon evolution. The recorded data shows the 780M, an integrated RDNA 3.0 GPU built on TSMC's 4 nm node, beating the dedicated Fermi 2.0 card in the one head-to-head benchmark both share, while the GTX 580 counters with a dedicated memory subsystem that the integrated solution simply cannot match. This analysis walks through the measured results, the architectural gulf between them, and which use case each one serves better according to the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Only one test appears in both products' records: Geekbench OpenCL. The Radeon 780M scores 18602 against the GTX 580's 15283, a 21.7 percent margin in favor of the integrated AMD GPU. That is a decisive win, not a rounding error, and it aligns with the raw compute figures. The 780M delivers 8.909 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput while the GTX 580 manages 1.581 TFLOPS, which means the OpenCL result actually understates the theoretical gap.

Context matters here. The 780M sits at the 61st percentile across all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 17588. Its nearest rivals cluster within a fraction of a percent: the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (a 0.2 percent delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 17639 (0.3 percent behind the 780M's average), the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 at 17509. In other words, the 780M performs in the neighborhood of entry-level dedicated cards from recent generations, an impressive standing for a 15 W integrated part.

The GTX 580 lands at the 58th percentile with an average benchmark score of 15283. Its own rival set is tighter still: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 at 15290 sits at effectively a zero percent delta, the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 is 0.1 percent off, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and AMD Radeon RX 7600 trail by 0.6 and 0.7 percent respectively. A Fermi-era flagship scoring next to the 680M, the 780M's architectural predecessor family, tells the story of how far integrated graphics have closed the gap on once-flagship discrete cards.

The head-to-head record stands at one win for the 780M and zero for the GTX 580. The 780M also posts scores in tests the GTX 580 does not have recorded: 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) at 480 and Geekbench Vulkan at 33683. The Vulkan result is notable because the GTX 580 has no Vulkan support listed at all, so that workload category is closed to it entirely.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs could hardly be more different structurally. The 780M is built on the Phoenix chip using TSMC's 4 nm process, packing 25,390 million transistors into a 178 mm² die for a density of 142.6M transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 580's GF110 die uses TSMC's 40 nm node, holds 3,000 million transistors across 520 mm², and achieves just 5.8M per square millimeter. That is roughly a 25-fold density advantage for the modern part, and it shows up in every downstream metric.

The shader configuration also diverges sharply. The 780M has 768 shading units running at a boost clock of 2900 MHz, with 48 texture mapping units and 32 render output units. The GTX 580 has 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, but Fermi 2.0 has no boost clock recorded and relies on a fixed frequency design. The throughput consequence is stark: 92.80 GPixel/s and 139.2 GTexel/s for the 780M versus 24.70 GPixel/s and 49.41 GTexel/s for the GTX 580. The integrated GPU nearly triples the old flagship in both fill-rate categories.

The GTX 580's counterargument is its memory. It carries 1536 MB of dedicated GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 192.4 GB/s of bandwidth running at an effective 4 Gbps. The 780M has no memory of its own: size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all system shared and system dependent. Any workload that exceeds a modest memory footprint depends entirely on the host platform's RAM configuration, and the database records no fixed bandwidth figure for the integrated part.

Feature support also splits along generational lines. The 780M offers DirectX 12 Ultimate (feature level 12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4, and 12 ray tracing cores. The GTX 580 lists DirectX 12 at feature level 11_0, OpenGL 4.6, no Vulkan, and no RT or tensor cores. Ray tracing workloads are hardware-supported on one side and absent on the other.

Power and form factor differences are equally dramatic. The 780M is an IGP with a 15 W TDP, no power connectors, a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, and motherboard-dependent display outputs. The GTX 580 is a dual-slot discrete card with a 244 W TDP, one 6-pin plus one 8-pin power connector, a suggested 550 W PSU, a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, and physical dimensions of 267 mm long by 111 mm tall. Its outputs are two DVI ports and one mini-HDMI 1.3a.

The Verdict

The benchmark data favors the Radeon 780M without qualification. It wins the only shared test by 21.7 percent, holds a higher percentile ranking (61 versus 58), and posts the higher average score (17588 versus 15283). It also delivers far higher fill rates, vastly higher FP32 throughput, and a modern API and feature set including hardware ray tracing and Vulkan support. Anyone choosing between these two on performance grounds picks the 780M.

The GTX 580's case rests on two things the data supports. First, dedicated memory: 1536 MB of GDDR5 with 192.4 GB/s of guaranteed bandwidth does not depend on host RAM allocation the way a system-shared design does. Second, it is an end-of-life product while the 780M is in active production, which means platform availability favors the modern part. The 780M launched in 2024 versus the GTX 580's 2010 release, and it succeeds the Navi II IGP line while the GTX 580 was succeeded by GeForce 600 long ago. There is no realistic scenario in the recorded data where the Fermi card is the better performer; its relevance is strictly as a historical reference point.

Specification Differences

• Manufacturer: AMD (780M) versus NVIDIA (GTX 580)
• Chip: Phoenix versus GF110
• Architecture: RDNA 3.0 versus Fermi 2.0
• Generation: Navi III IGP (Phoenix) versus GeForce 500
• Process node: 4 nm versus 40 nm, both on TSMC
• Transistors: 25,390 million versus 3,000 million
• Die size: 178 mm² versus 520 mm²
• Transistor density: 142.6M/mm² versus 5.8M/mm²
• Clocks: 800 MHz base, 2900 MHz boost (780M) versus no base or boost recorded; memory at 1002 MHz, 4 Gbps effective (GTX 580)
• Memory: System shared versus 1536 MB GDDR5, 384-bit, 192.4 GB/s
• Shading units: 768 versus 512
• TMUs: 48 versus 64
• ROPs: 32 versus 48
• RT cores: 12 versus none
• Pixel rate: 92.80 GPixel/s versus 24.70 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 139.2 GTexel/s versus 49.41 GTexel/s
• FP32: 8.909 TFLOPS versus 1.581 TFLOPS
• FP16: 8.909 TFLOPS (1:1) versus not recorded
• TDP: 15 W versus 244 W
• Slot width: IGP versus dual-slot
• Power connectors: None versus 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: not specified versus 550 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 2.0 x16
• Display outputs: motherboard dependent versus 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a
• DirectX: 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (11_0)
• Vulkan: 1.4 versus not supported
• Dimensions: not recorded versus 267 mm length, 111 mm height
• Production status: Active versus End-of-life
• Release date: 2024 versus 2010
• Launch MSRP: not recorded for the 780M; 499 USD for the GTX 580

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in benchmark results?

A: The Radeon 780M. It beats the GTX 580 by 21.7 percent in Geekbench OpenCL (18602 versus 15283), the only test recorded for both, and holds a higher average benchmark score (17588 versus 15283) and percentile ranking (61 versus 58).

Q: Does the GTX 580 have any hardware advantage?

A: Yes, memory. It has 1536 MB of dedicated GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 192.4 GB/s of bandwidth, while the 780M shares system memory with no guaranteed bandwidth figure. The GTX 580 also has more TMUs (64 versus 48) and ROPs (48 versus 32), though the 780M's clock speeds deliver far higher actual fill rates.

Q: How large is the power difference?

A: Enormous. The 780M has a 15 W TDP and needs no power connectors, while the GTX 580 has a 244 W TDP, requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, and carries a suggested 550 W PSU.

Q: Can the GTX 580 run Vulkan or ray tracing workloads?

A: No. The database lists no Vulkan support and no RT cores for the GTX 580. The 780M supports Vulkan 1.4 and includes 12 ray tracing cores, along with DirectX 12 Ultimate versus the GTX 580's feature level 11_0.

Q: Which GPUs does each one compete with in the database rankings?

A: The 780M scores within a fraction of a percent of the AMD Radeon Pro 560, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, AMD Radeon HD 7790, and AMD Radeon Pro 460. The GTX 580 sits essentially level with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, AMD Radeon 680M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, and AMD Radeon RX 7600 in average score.

Q: Are both products still in production?

A: No. The GTX 580 is end-of-life and was released in 2010; the 780M is active and was released in 2024.