AMD Radeon Pro 570 vs AMD Radeon RX 570 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench Metal benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 570 wins the Metal test with a score of 39945, which is 1.5% ahead of the RX 570's 39349. This is a narrow margin, essentially a tie in practical terms.

Q: How much faster is the RX 570 in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The RX 570 scores 32084 in Geekbench OpenCL, beating the Pro 570's 27702 by a substantial 13.7%. This is a clear win for the consumer card in general-purpose compute.

Q: What about Vulkan performance?

A: The RX 570 dominates here, scoring 42752 versus the Pro 570's 31974. That is a 25.2% advantage, the largest performance gap between the two cards in any recorded benchmark.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory configuration?

A: Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. The RX 570 has a slightly higher memory clock (7 Gbps effective versus 6.8 Gbps), giving it 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth compared to the Pro 570's 217.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card has higher overall average benchmark scores?

A: The Pro 570 has a higher average benchmark score of 33207, placing it in the 78th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 570 averages 28766, in the 74th percentile. However, the RX 570 wins two of the three head-to-head tests.

Q: Are these cards still in production?

A: No, both are marked as end-of-life. The RX 570 was released on April 17, 2017, and the Pro 570 followed on June 4, 2017.

Architecture Differences

Both the AMD Radeon Pro 570 and the AMD Radeon RX 570 are built on the same fundamental architecture: GCN 4.0, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. They share the same transistor count of 5,700 million and an identical die size of 232 mm², resulting in the same transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The underlying silicon is essentially the same, but the two cards are configured differently for their respective markets.

The Pro 570 uses the Ellesmere chip, while the RX 570 uses Polaris 20. Both are part of AMD's 500-series generation, but the Pro 570 is classified under the "Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series)" generation, indicating its intended use in Apple Mac systems. The RX 570 belongs to the "Polaris (RX 500)" generation, the mainstream consumer lineup.

The most significant architectural difference lies in the compute unit configuration. The RX 570 has 2048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units, while the Pro 570 is cut down to 1792 shading units and 112 TMUs. Both cards have 32 ROPs, so pixel output capability is closer, but the RX 570 has a clear advantage in shader and texture throughput. This is reflected in the raw specs: the RX 570 delivers 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s, versus the Pro 570's 3.960 TFLOPS and 123.8 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds also differ. The Pro 570 runs at a base of 1000 MHz and boosts to 1105 MHz, while the RX 570 runs higher at 1168 MHz base and 1244 MHz boost. The RX 570's higher clocks, combined with more shaders, explain its large lead in compute-heavy tasks.

Memory is similar but not identical. Both use 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, but the RX 570's memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus the Pro 570's 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), giving the RX 570 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 217.0 GB/s.

The cards also differ in physical design and power delivery. The Pro 570 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors and a slot width listed as "IGP", meaning it is designed to be soldered onto a motherboard, likely in a Mac. The RX 570 is a dual-slot add-in card with a single 6-pin power connector and a recommended 450 W PSU. The RX 570 also has a defined length of 241 mm (9.5 inches), while the Pro 570's dimensions are listed as portable device dependent. Display outputs differ as well: the Pro 570's outputs are portable device dependent, while the RX 570 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, so API compatibility is identical.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a split result between these two cards. The Pro 570 takes one benchmark, while the RX 570 wins two, and the margins vary widely.

In Geekbench Metal, the Pro 570 scores 39945 against the RX 570's 39349. The Pro 570 wins by 1.5%, a very small edge that could be attributed to driver optimizations for Apple's Metal API rather than raw hardware capability. This is the only test where the Pro 570 comes out ahead.

The Geekbench OpenCL test tells a different story. The RX 570 scores 32084, while the Pro 570 manages only 27702. That is a 13.7% advantage for the RX 570. Given that the RX 570 has 2048 shading units versus 1792, and higher clocks, this result aligns with the hardware specifications.

The largest gap appears in Geekbench Vulkan. The RX 570 scores 42752, which is 25.2% higher than the Pro 570's 31974. This is a decisive victory for the RX 570 and suggests that the consumer card is significantly better optimized for Vulkan workloads, or that the Pro 570's drivers are less mature for this API.

Across all three tests, the RX 570's average score is 28766, but that average is dragged down by the inclusion of the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scores 880. The Pro 570 does not have a 3DMark result in the database, so a direct comparison on that test is not possible. When looking only at the shared benchmarks, the RX 570 clearly holds the performance lead in OpenCL and Vulkan, while the Pro 570 narrowly edges out the Metal test.

The percentage deltas are worth emphasizing: 1.5% in favor of the Pro 570 on Metal, 13.7% in favor of the RX 570 on OpenCL, and 25.2% in favor of the RX 570 on Vulkan. The RX 570's wins are far larger than the Pro 570's single win, making the consumer card the overall performance winner in most workloads.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the faster card for most applications. It wins two of the three head-to-head benchmarks, and the margins of those wins are substantial: 13.7% in OpenCL and 25.2% in Vulkan. The Pro 570's only victory, a 1.5% lead in Metal, is too small to offset those losses.

The RX 570 also has superior raw hardware specifications, with more shading units (2048 versus 1792), more TMUs (128 versus 112), higher clock speeds, and more memory bandwidth. Its FP32 throughput of 5.095 TFLOPS is nearly 29% higher than the Pro 570's 3.960 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s is about 29% higher as well. These are not marginal differences; they represent a clear tier separation.

The Pro 570's higher average benchmark score of 33207 versus the RX 570's 28766 is misleading, because the RX 570's average includes a low 3DMark DX12 score of 880 that the Pro 570 does not have. In the tests where both cards appear, the RX 570 is stronger.

For a user choosing between these two, the RX 570 is the obvious pick for general performance, especially in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. The Pro 570 only makes sense if Metal performance is the sole priority, and even then the lead is just 1.5%. The RX 570 also offers a conventional dual-slot form factor with standard display outputs and a 6-pin power connector, making it far easier to install in a standard PC. The Pro 570's IGP design limits it to portable or integrated systems.

The RX 570's launch MSRP was 169 USD, though pricing should not be the deciding factor here. The data simply shows that the RX 570 is the stronger performer in most scenarios.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards:

• Chip: Ellesmere (Pro 570) versus Polaris 20 (RX 570)
• Generation: Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series) versus Polaris (RX 500)
• Base clock: 1000 MHz (Pro 570) versus 1168 MHz (RX 570)
• Boost clock: 1105 MHz (Pro 570) versus 1244 MHz (RX 570)
• Memory clock: 1695 MHz / 6.8 Gbps effective (Pro 570) versus 1750 MHz / 7 Gbps effective (RX 570)
• Memory bandwidth: 217.0 GB/s (Pro 570) versus 224.0 GB/s (RX 570)
• Shading units: 1792 (Pro 570) versus 2048 (RX 570)
• TMUs: 112 (Pro 570) versus 128 (RX 570)
• Pixel rate: 35.36 GPixel/s (Pro 570) versus 39.81 GPixel/s (RX 570)
• Texture rate: 123.8 GTexel/s (Pro 570) versus 159.2 GTexel/s (RX 570)
• FP32 performance: 3.960 TFLOPS (Pro 570) versus 5.095 TFLOPS (RX 570)
• FP16 performance: 3.960 TFLOPS (Pro 570) versus 5.095 TFLOPS (RX 570)
• Slot width: IGP (Pro 570) versus Dual-slot (RX 570)
• Power connectors: None (Pro 570) versus 1x 6-pin (RX 570)
• Suggested PSU: Not listed (Pro 570) versus 450 W (RX 570)
• Display outputs: Portable Device Dependent (Pro 570) versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a (RX 570)
• Length: Not listed (Pro 570) versus 241 mm / 9.5 inches (RX 570)
• Release date: June 4, 2017 (Pro 570) versus April 17, 2017 (RX 570)
• Predecessor: Not listed (Pro 570) versus Arctic Islands (RX 570)
• Successor: Not listed (Pro 570) versus Vega (RX 570)
• Launch MSRP: Not listed (Pro 570) versus 169 USD (RX 570)

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 570 wins in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. Its 13.7% OpenCL lead and 25.2% Vulkan lead make it the clear choice for compute tasks, gaming under Vulkan, and any application that leverages general-purpose GPU computing. The RX 570's higher shader count, TMU count, and clock speeds give it a decisive edge in raw throughput, which shows up directly in these benchmarks. It is also the better option for users who need standard display outputs and a conventional dual-slot card that fits into a typical desktop motherboard with a 6-pin power connector.

The AMD Radeon Pro 570 wins only in Geekbench Metal, and only by 1.5%. This makes it the better pick for workloads that rely exclusively on Apple's Metal API, such as certain macOS graphics and compute applications. Its IGP form factor, with no power connectors and portable device dependent outputs, suggests it is tailored for integration into Mac systems where a discrete card cannot be installed. For users in that specific ecosystem, the Pro 570's narrow Metal advantage is relevant, but it does not translate to broader performance gains.

In summary, the RX 570 is the stronger card for the vast majority of use cases, particularly compute and Vulkan rendering. The Pro 570's niche is limited to Metal-centric tasks in integrated or portable systems.