AMD Radeon Pro 5700 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Comparison

The Verdict

The data in the database presents a clear generational divide. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is the decisive winner across every measurable category. It outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 in the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by a massive 245.4%. The Radeon Pro 5700 also holds a higher average benchmark score of 18189 compared to the GTX 580's 15283, placing it at the 62nd percentile versus the 58th percentile for the older card.

For any user choosing between these two, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is the only logical pick based on performance data alone. It offers dramatically higher compute throughput, a more modern feature set, and significantly lower power consumption. The GTX 580, while a landmark product in its era, is now relegated to legacy status. Its only benchmark record in the database is the OpenCL score, where it is hopelessly outclassed. The Verdict is straightforward: the Radeon Pro 5700 is the superior product in every way that the recorded measurements can show.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is immense. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, using the Navi 10 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This is a stark contrast to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, which uses the GF110 chip based on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, built on a much older 40 nm process at the same foundry. The process node difference alone explains much of the performance and efficiency disparity.

The Radeon Pro 5700 integrates 10,300 million transistors on a die size of 251 mm². This results in a transistor density of 41.0M per mm². The GTX 580, by comparison, houses only 3,000 million transistors on a much larger 520 mm² die, yielding a density of just 5.8M per mm². This means the newer AMD chip packs more than three times the transistors into roughly half the silicon area.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The Radeon Pro 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 580 relies on 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a wider 384-bit bus, but its bandwidth is only 192.4 GB/s. The AMD card has over four times the memory capacity and double the bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5700 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 580 is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16. The Radeon Pro 5700 reports support for DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 580 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52787, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283. The delta is a staggering 245.4% in favor of the AMD card. This means the Radeon Pro 5700 achieves more than three times the OpenCL performance of the GTX 580.

This single result encapsulates the entire performance relationship. The Radeon Pro 5700 also has a broader benchmark profile, with scores in Geekbench Metal (60126), Geekbench Vulkan (51289), and multiple Passmark tests. The GTX 580 has no recorded scores in any of these other tests. The data shows a complete lack of competition, with the AMD card winning the only head-to-head comparison available. The GTX 580's nearest rivals in the database, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 and AMD Radeon 680M, have average scores around 15290 and 15270, respectively, indicating that the GTX 580's performance is in line with much more modern integrated and entry-level discrete GPUs, not with the Radeon Pro 5700's class.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards diverge on nearly every point. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The AMD card has over four times the shader count and more than double the texture units.

Clock speeds also tell the story. The Radeon Pro 5700 runs at a base clock of 1243 MHz and boosts to 1350 MHz. The GTX 580 has no base or boost clock listed in the database. Memory clocks differ as well: the AMD card runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective data rate, while the GTX 580's memory runs at 1002 MHz with 4 Gbps effective. Pixel fill rate for the Radeon Pro 5700 is 86.40 GPixel/s versus 24.70 GPixel/s for the GTX 580. Texture fill rate is 194.4 GTexel/s versus 49.41 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 6.221 TFLOPS versus 1.581 TFLOPS. The Radeon Pro 5700 also supports FP16 at 12.44 TFLOPS (2:1), while the GTX 580 has no FP16 capability listed.

Power requirements are another major differentiator. The Radeon Pro 5700 has a TDP of 130 W and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The GTX 580 has a TDP of 244 W, needs one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector, and requires a 550 W PSU. The AMD card is also an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no display outputs, while the GTX 580 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with outputs including 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The GTX 580 has a launch MSRP of 499 USD. The Radeon Pro 5700 was released on 2020-08-03, while the GTX 580 came out on 2010-11-08.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 52787 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 245.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580's score of 15283.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has 1536 MB of GDDR5. The AMD card also has a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s versus 192.4 GB/s for the GTX 580.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 has a TDP of 130 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has a TDP of 244 W. The AMD card also requires no power connectors and a 300 W PSU, compared to the GTX 580's need for 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors and a 550 W PSU.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 contains 10,300 million transistors, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 contains 3,000 million transistors. The AMD chip is built on a 7 nm process, while the GTX 580 uses a 40 nm process.

Q: Does the GTX 580 support Vulkan?

A: The database lists no Vulkan support for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 supports Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 has an average benchmark score of 18189, placing it at the 62nd percentile. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, at the 58th percentile.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 wins in every category where data exists. Its wins in the database are comprehensive. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a 245.4% advantage. It also has superior raw specifications in shading units, texture units, ROPs, memory bandwidth, and compute throughput. For any workload that relies on general compute, modern API support, or high-bandwidth memory access, the Radeon Pro 5700 is the clear choice.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 wins in one narrow area: physical connectivity. It has display outputs (2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a), while the Radeon Pro 5700 has no outputs at all. The GTX 580 is also a traditional dual-slot card that can be installed as a discrete component, whereas the Radeon Pro 5700 is an IGP with no power connectors. However, these are not performance wins; they are form factor differences.

For use-case analysis, the data suggests the Radeon Pro 5700 is suited for compute-heavy tasks like OpenCL acceleration, given its 6.221 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.44 TFLOPS FP16 performance. Its 8 GB memory capacity allows for larger working sets. The GTX 580, with its 1.581 TFLOPS FP32 and 1536 MB memory, is only viable for legacy applications or as a display adapter. Its Fermi architecture from 2010 places it in a different era entirely. The database shows no scenario where the GTX 580 outperforms the Radeon Pro 5700. The only reason to select the GTX 580 would be if a system requires its specific display outputs and cannot use an integrated solution. Otherwise, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 dominates on every measurable performance metric.