AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two GPUs, with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 taking the only direct head-to-head victory. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 580 scores 15,283 against the AMD Radeon Pro 555X's 12,628, a 21% advantage. That is the sole recorded comparison between the two, and it belongs entirely to NVIDIA.

However, the AMD Radeon Pro 555X shows a broader software ecosystem in its own benchmark results. The Radeon Pro 555X records scores across three different APIs: Geekbench Metal at 14,479, Geekbench Vulkan at 12,855, and Geekbench OpenCL at 12,628. The GTX 580, by contrast, has only a single OpenCL entry in the database. This means the Radeon Pro 555X can be evaluated under Metal and Vulkan workloads, while the GTX 580's recorded data is limited to OpenCL only. For users targeting Apple's Metal API or Vulkan applications, the Radeon Pro 555X is the only one of the two with direct measurements in those categories.

Looking at the percentile rankings, the GTX 580 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, while the Radeon Pro 555X sits at the 54th. The gap is modest but consistent with the OpenCL result. The average benchmark score for the GTX 580 is 15,283, while the Radeon Pro 555X averages 13,321 across its three tests. That is a 14.7% difference in average performance, slightly smaller than the 21% OpenCL delta because the Radeon Pro 555X performs better in Metal than it does in OpenCL.

In terms of use cases, the GTX 580 is the stronger choice for raw OpenCL compute throughput, which often matters for general-purpose GPU workloads. The Radeon Pro 555X, being a mobile-class part with a 75 W TDP, is positioned for portable systems where the GTX 580's 244 W desktop design is impractical. The data does not show any test where the Radeon Pro 555X beats the GTX 580, but it does show API flexibility that the older NVIDIA card lacks in the recorded results.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 uses the GF110 chip built on Fermi 2.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 40 nm process. The die is 520 mm² with 3,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 5.8 million per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro 555X uses the Polaris 21 chip on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. Its die is 123 mm² with the same 3,000 million transistor count, resulting in a much higher density of 24.4 million per mm². The process node difference is stark: 14 nm versus 40 nm, which explains why AMD packs the same transistor count into less than a quarter of the silicon area.

The memory subsystems diverge significantly. The GTX 580 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 192.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 94.08 GB/s. The NVIDIA card more than doubles the memory bandwidth, while the AMD card offers nearly three times the capacity. The GTX 580's memory clock is 1,002 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the Radeon Pro 555X runs at 1,470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective). The AMD part's faster memory clock partially compensates for its narrower bus, but not enough to close the bandwidth gap.

Compute unit configurations differ as well. The GTX 580 has 512 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The Radeon Pro 555X has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having 50% more shading units, the AMD card delivers lower peak throughput: 1,393.2 GFLOPS FP32 versus 1,581 TFLOPS for the GTX 580. The Radeon Pro 555X does offer 1:1 FP16 performance at 1,393.2 GFLOPS, a feature the GTX 580 lacks entirely (its FP16 field is null). Pixel rate favors NVIDIA at 24.70 GPixel/s versus 14.51 GPixel/s, and texture rate favors NVIDIA at 49.41 GTexel/s versus 43.54 GTexel/s.

Power and physical design are completely different classes. The GTX 580 has a 244 W TDP, dual-slot cooling, requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The Radeon Pro 555X has a 75 W TDP, is labeled as an IGP (integrated graphics processor), requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU rating. The GTX 580 measures 267 mm in length, while the Radeon Pro 555X has no listed dimensions, reflecting its mobile and integrated nature. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA versus PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD.

API support shows the generational gap. The GTX 580 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan entry. The Radeon Pro 555X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The AMD card supports a higher DirectX feature level and adds Vulkan, which is notable given that the GTX 580 was released in 2010 and the Radeon Pro 555X in 2018.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15,283, while the AMD Radeon Pro 555X scores 12,628. The delta is 21% in favor of NVIDIA. This is a substantial margin, placing the GTX 580 clearly ahead in OpenCL compute performance.

To contextualize the GTX 580's score, its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 at 15,290 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M at 15,270 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15,199 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15,171 (0.7% delta). The GTX 580 essentially matches modern mid-range GPUs in this specific OpenCL test, which is remarkable for a card from 2010. The 15,283 score sits within 0.7% of all four listed rivals, meaning the GTX 580 is statistically tied with them in OpenCL compute.

The Radeon Pro 555X's nearest rivals paint a different picture. Its average score of 13,321 sits near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 at 13,300 (0.2% delta), the AMD FirePro M6100 at 13,354 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 5500M at 13,356 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M at 13,376 (-0.4% delta). The Radeon Pro 555X is essentially tied with these four cards, all within 0.4% of each other. Its best individual score, 14,479 in Metal, is notably higher than its OpenCL and Vulkan results, suggesting that the card performs better under Apple's Metal API than under cross-platform compute APIs.

The 21% OpenCL gap between the GTX 580 and Radeon Pro 555X is larger than the 14.7% gap between their average scores. This is because the Radeon Pro 555X's Metal score of 14,479 is much closer to the GTX 580's 15,283, a difference of only 5.5%. The Vulkan score of 12,855 and OpenCL score of 12,628 are both further behind. So while the GTX 580 wins the only head-to-head test, the Radeon Pro 555X would be competitive in Metal, had such a comparison been recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15,283 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 21% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555X's 12,628.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 555X support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Radeon Pro 555X supports Vulkan 1.3 and records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 12,855. The GTX 580 has no Vulkan support listed in the database.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The GTX 580 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 192.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 555X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 94.08 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The GTX 580 has a 244 W TDP, requires a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The Radeon Pro 555X has a 75 W TDP, requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU rating.

Q: Which GPU has higher pixel throughput?

A: The GTX 580 delivers 24.70 GPixel/s, which is substantially higher than the Radeon Pro 555X's 14.51 GPixel/s.

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

A: The GTX 580's OpenCL score of 15,283 is within 0.7% of the RTX 2060, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, and RX 7600, making it statistically tied with those modern cards in this specific test.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 | AMD Radeon Pro 555X |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GF110 | Polaris 21 |

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.8M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 1536 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.4 GB/s | 94.08 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) | 1470 MHz (5.9 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 512 | 768 |

| TMUs | 64 | 48 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 24.70 GPixel/s | 14.51 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 49.41 GTexel/s | 43.54 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.581 TFLOPS | 1,393.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 1,393.2 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 244 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | Not listed |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | Not listed | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2010-11-08 | 2018-07-15 |

| Launch MSRP | 499 USD | Not listed |

The Verdict

The data points to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 as the stronger compute performer in the only direct comparison available. Its 21% OpenCL lead over the Radeon Pro 555X is decisive, and its average score of 15,283 places it at the 58th percentile, four points above the Radeon Pro 555X's 54th percentile. The GTX 580 also delivers more than double the memory bandwidth (192.4 GB/s versus 94.08 GB/s), higher pixel rate, and higher texture rate, all of which contribute to its benchmark advantage.

However, the Radeon Pro 555X has clear advantages in specific contexts. Its 4 GB memory capacity is more than double the GTX 580's 1,536 MB, which matters for workloads with large working sets. Its 75 W TDP and IGP form factor make it suitable for portable systems, while the GTX 580 requires dual-slot cooling, dual power connectors, and a 550 W PSU. The Radeon Pro 555X also supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), both newer than the GTX 580's DirectX 12 (11_0) and lack of Vulkan. Its Metal score of 14,479 is within 5.5% of the GTX 580's OpenCL score, showing competitive performance in Apple's ecosystem.

Who should pick which? Users prioritizing raw OpenCL compute, memory bandwidth, and pixel throughput should choose the GTX 580, provided they can accommodate its power and cooling needs. Users needing a low-power, portable GPU with more memory capacity, Vulkan support, and Metal compatibility should choose the Radeon Pro 555X. The GTX 580 is the faster card by the recorded metrics, but the Radeon Pro 555X is the more versatile and modern part in terms of API coverage and power efficiency. The choice depends entirely on whether raw performance or platform compatibility matters more for the intended workload.