AMD Radeon Pro 570X vs AMD Radeon RX 480 Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon Pro 570X: two Ellesmere-based GPUs from AMD, but they target very different worlds. The RX 480 is a consumer desktop card from the Arctic Islands generation, while the Pro 570X is a mobile professional part from the Radeon Pro Mac series. Despite sharing the same 14 nm process node and GCN 4.0 architecture, the benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, with the RX 480 winning all three head-to-head tests by substantial margins.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 480 dominates every shared benchmark in the data. In Geekbench Metal, the RX 480 scores 51,057 against the Pro 570X’s 40,066, a 27.4% advantage. This is the smallest gap between the two, but it is still a commanding lead in Apple’s graphics API. Moving to Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 480 posts 37,998 versus 27,604, widening the delta to 37.7%. The most lopsided result comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 480 hits 45,968 while the Pro 570X manages only 28,859 — a massive 59.3% difference.

That Vulkan gap is particularly telling. It suggests the RX 480’s higher clocks and full 2304 shading units translate into far stronger compute throughput in modern cross-platform APIs. The Pro 570X, with 1792 shading units and lower boost clocks, simply cannot keep pace. Across all three tests, the RX 480 wins 3-0, with no test going the Pro 570X’s way.

Looking at aggregate scores, the RX 480 averages 33,997 across its benchmark suite, while the Pro 570X averages 32,176. The RX 480’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7950 at 33,951 (0.1% behind) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 33,849 (0.4% behind), placing it in a tight cluster around the 34,000 mark. The Pro 570X, meanwhile, sits near the AMD FirePro S10000 at 32,388 (0.7% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE at 32,456 (0.9% ahead). While both cards rank in the 76th-78th percentile of all GPUs, the RX 480’s average is roughly 5.7% higher than the Pro 570X’s, reinforcing the per-test results.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the Ellesmere chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. Transistor counts are identical at 5,700 million, and die size matches at 232 mm², yielding the same transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The core differences lie in configuration and clock speeds.

The RX 480 is fully enabled: 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock runs at 1120 MHz with a boost of 1266 MHz. The Pro 570X is cut down to 1792 shading units and 112 TMUs, keeping 32 ROPs, but its clocks are significantly lower — 1000 MHz base and 1105 MHz boost. That combination of fewer shaders and lower clocks explains most of the performance delta.

Memory configurations also diverge. The RX 480 carries 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, running at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Pro 570X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, but memory clocks drop to 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), yielding 217.0 GB/s. Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, so API feature sets are identical. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores, and both deliver FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Compute rates reflect the hardware disparity. The RX 480 achieves 5.834 TFLOPS FP32 and 182.3 GTexel/s texture fill, with a pixel rate of 40.51 GPixel/s. The Pro 570X drops to 3.960 TFLOPS FP32, 123.8 GTexel/s, and 35.36 GPixel/s. Power draw is nominally equal at 150 W TDP, but the Pro 570X is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, while the RX 480 is a dual-slot card requiring a single 6-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 480 wins every benchmark in the head-to-head data, so the use-case split is largely about context rather than performance. The RX 480 is the clear choice for raw compute and gaming. Its 59.3% lead in Vulkan makes it particularly strong for Vulkan-based games and applications, while the 37.7% OpenCL advantage suits general-purpose compute workloads. The 8 GB frame buffer and higher bandwidth (256.0 GB/s vs 217.0 GB/s) provide more headroom for texture-heavy scenes and larger datasets.

The Pro 570X, despite losing all benchmarks, has its own niche. As an IGP with no power connectors, it is designed for portable Mac systems where space and power delivery are constrained. Its 150 W TDP matches the RX 480, but the integrated form factor means it can be deployed in laptops without discrete card slots. The lower average score of 32,176 still places it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, so it is not a weak part — it is simply outclassed by the fully enabled RX 480.

For users who need a desktop card with display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the RX 480), the choice is obvious. The Pro 570X’s display outputs are listed as “Portable Device Dependent,” meaning they rely on the host laptop’s implementation. This makes the RX 480 the only option for standalone multi-monitor setups, while the Pro 570X trades flexibility for integration.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench Metal?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 480 scores 51,057 versus the Pro 570X’s 40,066, a 27.4% lead for the RX 480.

Q: How big is the performance gap in OpenCL?

A: The RX 480 posts 37,998 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Pro 570X manages 27,604. That is a 37.7% difference in favor of the RX 480.

Q: Does the Pro 570X win any benchmark?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows 3 wins for the RX 480 and 0 wins for the Pro 570X across Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The RX 480 has 8 GB of GDDR5, while the Pro 570X has 4 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the RX 480’s memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) versus 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective).

Q: Are these cards the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use GCN 4.0 on the Ellesmere chip with a 14 nm process and 5,700 million transistors. The RX 480 has more shading units (2304 vs 1792) and higher clocks.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each?

A: The RX 480 averages 33,997, while the Pro 570X averages 32,176. The RX 480 sits in the 78th percentile of all GPUs, and the Pro 570X sits in the 76th percentile.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification fields. Clock speeds: the RX 480 runs at 1120 MHz base and 1266 MHz boost, while the Pro 570X runs at 1000 MHz base and 1105 MHz boost. Memory: the RX 480 has 8 GB GDDR5 at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth; the Pro 570X has 4 GB GDDR5 at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective) with 217.0 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units: 2304 on the RX 480 versus 1792 on the Pro 570X. TMUs: 144 versus 112. ROPs are the same at 32.

Compute rates diverge sharply: the RX 480 achieves 5.834 TFLOPS FP32, 182.3 GTexel/s texture rate, and 40.51 GPixel/s pixel rate; the Pro 570X drops to 3.960 TFLOPS FP32, 123.8 GTexel/s, and 35.36 GPixel/s. Physical design differs completely: the RX 480 is a dual-slot card measuring 240 mm x 95 mm x 35 mm with a 1x 6-pin power connector and a 450 W suggested PSU; the Pro 570X is an IGP with no power connectors, no dimensions listed, and no suggested PSU. Display outputs: the RX 480 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Pro 570X’s outputs are portable-device dependent. Release dates are also different: the RX 480 launched on 2016-06-28, and the Pro 570X launched on 2019-03-17.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 480 outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro 570X in every measurable benchmark. The RX 480’s 27.4% lead in Metal, 37.7% in OpenCL, and 59.3% in Vulkan make it the superior compute part by a wide margin. Its higher average score of 33,997 versus 32,176, combined with double the memory (8 GB vs 4 GB) and higher bandwidth, means it handles both gaming and compute workloads better.

The Pro 570X is not without merit — its 76th percentile ranking and 150 W TDP show it is a capable mobile solution — but it is fundamentally a cut-down Ellesmere with lower clocks and fewer shaders. If you need a desktop card with dedicated display outputs and full compute performance, the RX 480 is the only choice here. If you are constrained to an integrated mobile form factor with no power connectors, the Pro 570X fits that specific niche, but you are sacrificing roughly 27-59% performance depending on the API. For any workload where performance matters, the RX 480 wins outright.