AMD Radeon HD 8950M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M, using the Geekbench OpenCL workload. In this test, the GTX 580 produced a score of 15283 points, while the HD 8950M scored 13772 points. This gives the NVIDIA card an 11% advantage in the only directly comparable measurement.

The GTX 580's score of 15283 places it at the 58th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, which scores 15290, a delta of 0%. The GTX 580 essentially matches the RTX 2060 in this workload, sitting just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon 680M (15270) and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199). It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15171) by 0.7%. These are extremely tight margins, indicating that the GTX 580, despite its age, operates in the same performance tier as modern midrange hardware in OpenCL compute tasks.

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M, with its average benchmark score of 13376 across two tests (13772 in OpenCL and 12979 in Vulkan), sits at the 54th percentile. Its nearest rivals are clustered around the same narrow band. The AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores 13356, a delta of 0.2%, while the AMD FirePro M6100 scores 13354, also 0.2% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro 555 scores 13407, which is 0.2% ahead of the HD 8950M, and the AMD Radeon Pro 555X scores 13321, 0.4% behind. The HD 8950M's position within this group shows that it is competitive with several later mobile and professional parts, though it trails the GTX 580 by a meaningful margin in the OpenCL test.

The delta between the two cards in the head-to-head OpenCL test is 11%, which is a substantial gap in GPU benchmarking terms. For context, the differences between the GTX 580 and its nearest rivals are all under 1%, as are the differences between the HD 8950M and its nearest rivals. An 11% lead therefore represents a clear, measurable performance separation between these two specific products, not a statistical tie.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 wins the only direct comparison available. The Geekbench OpenCL result shows it ahead by 11%, and this is the sole head-to-head benchmark in the database. The GTX 580 also has a higher percentile ranking (58th vs 54th) and a higher average benchmark score (15283 vs 13376).

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M does hold one advantage in the data: it has a Vulkan benchmark score of 12979, while the GTX 580 has no recorded Vulkan result. This means the HD 8950M is the only one of the two with demonstrated Vulkan compute capability in the database. For workloads that rely on Vulkan, the HD 8950M has verified performance data, while the GTX 580's Vulkan performance is unmeasured.

In terms of memory capacity, the HD 8950M offers 2 GB of GDDR5, whereas the GTX 580 has 1536 MB. The larger frame buffer could benefit workloads that require more resident data, though the GTX 580 compensates with a much wider 384-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 192.4 GB/s, more than double the HD 8950M's 88.00 GB/s. The GTX 580 also has a higher pixel rate (24.70 GPixel/s vs 17.20 GPixel/s) but a slightly lower texture rate (49.41 GTexel/s vs 51.60 GTexel/s). The HD 8950M has more shading units (768 vs 512) and a slightly higher FP32 throughput (1.651 TFLOPS vs 1.581 TFLOPS), though these advantages do not translate into a win in the recorded OpenCL benchmark.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 in the head-to-head comparison. The 11% lead in OpenCL performance is the only direct benchmark between the two, and it is decisive. The GTX 580 also holds a higher percentile rank (58th vs 54th) and a higher average score. For users prioritizing raw compute performance in OpenCL workloads, the GTX 580 is the stronger choice based on the recorded measurements.

However, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M is not without merit. It is the only card with a recorded Vulkan score (12979), making it the better option for anyone specifically targeting Vulkan compute tasks. The HD 8950M also has a higher transistor density (13.0M per mm² vs 5.8M per mm²) and a smaller die (160 mm² vs 520 mm²), which suggests a more modern design. Its 100 W TDP is substantially lower than the GTX 580's 244 W, making it more suitable for portable systems, as reflected in its MXM module form factor.

The GTX 580 is a desktop card with a dual-slot cooler, a 267 mm length, and power requirements that include a 550 W suggested PSU. The HD 8950M is a mobile part with no fixed dimensions, designed for laptop integration. The choice between them depends entirely on the use case. For a desktop user seeking maximum OpenCL performance, the GTX 580 wins. For a mobile user needing Vulkan support and lower power draw, the HD 8950M is the appropriate pick. The benchmark data supports the GTX 580 in raw compute, but the HD 8950M's feature set addresses a different segment.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, while the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13772. The GTX 580 leads by 11%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon HD 8950M have any benchmark result that the GTX 580 lacks?

A: Yes, the HD 8950M has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 12979. The GTX 580 has no recorded Vulkan benchmark in the database.

Q: How does the GTX 580 compare to modern GPUs in the database?

A: The GTX 580's score of 15283 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15290, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.1% delta). It also leads the RTX 3050 OEM by 0.6% and the RX 7600 by 0.7%.

Q: What memory bandwidth does each card have?

A: The GTX 580 has a 384-bit bus and 192.4 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 8950M has a 128-bit bus and 88.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and higher FP32 throughput?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M has 768 shading units and 1.651 TFLOPS FP32. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has 512 shading units and 1.581 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the form factor of each card?

A: The GTX 580 is a dual-slot desktop card with a length of 267 mm. The HD 8950M is an MXM module, which is designed for portable devices.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 is built on the GF110 chip using the Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the AMD Radeon HD 8950M uses the Saturn chip with GCN 2.0 architecture. This represents a fundamental design split: Fermi 2.0 was NVIDIA's high-performance compute-oriented architecture for the GeForce 500 generation, while GCN 2.0 was AMD's unified shader architecture designed for the Solar System (HD 8900M) generation.

The manufacturing processes differ significantly. The GTX 580 uses a 40 nm process at TSMC, while the HD 8950M uses a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This results in a large difference in die size and transistor density. The GTX 580 has 3,000 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, yielding a density of 5.8 million transistors per mm². The HD 8950M has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, yielding a density of 13.0 million transistors per mm². The newer process node allows the HD 8950M to pack over twice the transistor density into a much smaller die.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The GTX 580 has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with a memory clock of 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 192.4 GB/s. The HD 8950M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with a memory clock of 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 88.00 GB/s. The GTX 580's wider bus gives it a decisive bandwidth advantage, while the HD 8950M's higher effective memory clock and larger capacity reflect its newer design.

Compute resources are distributed differently. The GTX 580 has 512 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The HD 8950M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The HD 8950M has 50% more shading units, but the GTX 580 has more TMUs and three times the ROP count. The pixel rate favors the GTX 580 at 24.70 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s, while the texture rate slightly favors the HD 8950M at 51.60 GTexel/s versus 49.41 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is close: 1.581 TFLOPS for the GTX 580 and 1.651 TFLOPS for the HD 8950M.

Power and form factor differences are pronounced. The GTX 580 has a 244 W TDP, requires a 550 W suggested PSU, uses a dual-slot cooler with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, and measures 267 mm in length. The HD 8950M has a 100 W TDP, no listed power connectors, and comes as an MXM module, making it suitable for portable systems. The GTX 580 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the HD 8950M uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

API support differs in key areas. The GTX 580 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan listing. The HD 8950M supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. This means the HD 8950M has a more complete modern API feature set. Display outputs also differ: the GTX 580 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the HD 8950M's outputs are portable device dependent.

Both cards are end-of-life products. The GTX 580 was released on 2010-11-08 with a launch MSRP of 499 USD, succeeding the GeForce 400 series and preceding the GeForce 600 series. The HD 8950M was released on 2013-05-13, succeeding the London chip and preceding the Gem System, with no launch MSRP recorded. The GTX 580's transistor count is higher (3,000 million vs 2,080 million), but the HD 8950M achieves better density on a smaller die.