AMD Radeon Pro 580 vs AMD Radeon RX 560 XT Comparison

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Pro 580 and AMD Radeon RX 560 XT share a common foundation, both built on the Ellesmere chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture. Both are manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with identical transistor counts of 5,700 million and matching die sizes of 232 mm². The transistor density is likewise the same at 24.6M / mm². The API support is identical as well: DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. Neither GPU features dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

The first major difference lies in the compute configuration. The Radeon Pro 580 carries 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The RX 560 XT reduces this to 1792 shading units and 112 TMUs, while keeping the same 32 ROPs. This means the Pro 580 has roughly 28.6% more shaders and the same 28.6% increase in texture units, a significant architectural advantage for parallel workloads.

Clock speeds separate the two further. The Pro 580 runs a base clock of 1100 MHz with a boost of 1200 MHz. The RX 560 XT has a lower base of 1074 MHz but a higher boost of 1226 MHz. The memory clocks also differ: the Pro 580 uses 1695 MHz memory (6.8 Gbps effective), while the RX 560 XT runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). Despite the RX 560 XT having faster memory clocks, the Pro 580's larger memory configuration changes the bandwidth picture. The Pro 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 217.0 GB/s. The RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, but the higher clock gives it 224.0 GB/s. So the RX 560 XT actually has a 3.2% bandwidth advantage, while the Pro 580 doubles the capacity.

The pixel rates are nearly identical: 38.40 GPixel/s for the Pro 580 and 39.23 GPixel/s for the RX 560 XT. Texture throughput, however, favors the Pro 580 at 172.8 GTexel/s versus 137.3 GTexel/s, a 25.9% difference. FP32 compute follows the same pattern: the Pro 580 delivers 5.530 TFLOPS, while the RX 560 XT manages 4.394 TFLOPS, a 25.9% gap. Both have 1:1 FP16 ratios, so their FP16 numbers are identical to their FP32 figures.

Physical design and power delivery differ as well. The Pro 580 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors and a slot width listed as IGP. The RX 560 XT is a dual-slot card measuring 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length, requiring a single 6-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W power supply. The TDP reflects this: the Pro 580 draws 185 W, while the RX 560 XT draws 150 W, a 35 W difference. The display outputs also differ: the Pro 580 is portable device dependent, while the RX 560 XT provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct benchmark comparisons between these GPUs, both using Geekbench. The first is Geekbench OpenCL, where the AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 38457 against the RX 560 XT's 31387. This gives the Pro 580 a decisive 22.5% lead. The second is Geekbench Vulkan, where the Pro 580 scores 43285 and the RX 560 XT scores 36879. The margin here is 17.4% in favor of the Pro 580. Across these two tests, the Pro 580 wins both, with a clean 2-0 record.

Looking at the aggregate benchmark score, the Pro 580 averages 40318 across all recorded tests, while the RX 560 XT averages 34133. This is a difference of 18.1% in average performance. The percentile rankings reinforce the gap: the Pro 580 sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 560 XT sits at the 79th percentile. These are both respectable positions, but the Pro 580 holds a clear edge in the overall distribution.

For context, the Pro 580's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (average score 40377, a 0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063, a 0.6% delta in favor of the Pro 580), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870, a 1.4% delta against it), and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39568, a 1.9% delta in favor of the Pro 580). The RX 560 XT's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (34154, a 0.1% delta against it), the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34207, a 0.2% delta against it), the AMD Radeon RX 480 (33997, a 0.4% delta in its favor), and the AMD Radeon HD 7950 (33951, a 0.5% delta in its favor).

What the deltas show is that the Pro 580 is positioned in a higher performance tier. Its average score is close to modern NVIDIA workstation cards like the RTX 5070, while the RX 560 XT sits near older and lower-tier cards like the RX 480 and HD 7950. The 22.5% OpenCL win is the largest margin in the head-to-head data, indicating that compute-heavy workloads particularly favor the Pro 580's larger shader array.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 580 wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its 5.530 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is 25.9% higher than the RX 560 XT's 4.394 TFLOPS. Texture fill rate follows the same pattern, with the Pro 580 achieving 172.8 GTexel/s versus 137.3 GTexel/s. This makes the Pro 580 the stronger choice for any workload that scales with shading units and TMUs, such as general compute, rendering, or complex shader effects.

The RX 560 XT, despite losing both head-to-head benchmarks, does hold advantages in specific areas. Its memory clock is higher at 1750 MHz versus 1695 MHz, and its memory bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s. This means that in scenarios where memory bandwidth is the limiting factor, the RX 560 XT has a slight edge, provided the workload does not require more than 4 GB of VRAM. Its boost clock is also higher at 1226 MHz versus 1200 MHz, which helps narrow the gap in lightly threaded or latency-sensitive tasks. The pixel rate is marginally higher as well: 39.23 GPixel/s versus 38.40 GPixel/s, a 2.2% advantage.

For gaming, the RX 560 XT's higher memory bandwidth and boost clock could make it competitive in titles that are bandwidth-bound, but the Pro 580's compute lead is substantial enough that it likely wins in most modern workloads. For professional applications, the Pro 580's 8 GB of VRAM is a major factor over the RX 560 XT's 4 GB, especially for large textures, datasets, or multi-monitor setups. The Pro 580's IGP form factor means it is designed for integrated systems, whereas the RX 560 XT is a standalone card with its own cooling and power requirements.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has an average benchmark score of 40318, while the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT has an average of 34133. The Pro 580 leads by 18.1% in aggregate performance.

Q: What is the largest performance gap in the head-to-head tests?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the Pro 580 scores 38457 against the RX 560 XT's 31387, a 22.5% difference. This is the largest margin recorded between the two.

Q: Does the RX 560 XT have any advantage over the Pro 580?

A: Yes, the RX 560 XT has a higher memory clock (1750 MHz versus 1695 MHz) and higher memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s). It also has a higher boost clock (1226 MHz versus 1200 MHz) and a slightly higher pixel rate (39.23 GPixel/s versus 38.40 GPixel/s).

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare?

A: The Pro 580 has 2304 shading units, while the RX 560 XT has 1792. This gives the Pro 580 a 28.6% advantage in shader count, which directly contributes to its higher FP32 compute of 5.530 TFLOPS versus 4.394 TFLOPS.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use the Ellesmere chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. They share the same transistor count of 5,700 million and die size of 232 mm².

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity?

A: The Pro 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the RX 560 XT's faster memory clock gives it higher bandwidth.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro 580 | AMD Radeon RX 560 XT |

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

| Generation | Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series) | Polaris (RX 500) |

| Base Clock | 1100 MHz | 1074 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1200 MHz | 1226 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 217.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 144 | 112 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 38.40 GPixel/s | 39.23 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 172.8 GTexel/s | 137.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 5.530 TFLOPS | 4.394 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | 5.530 TFLOPS (1:1) | 4.394 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 185 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | Not listed | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2017-06-04 | 2019-03-12 |

| Predecessor | Not listed | Arctic Islands |

| Successor | Not listed | Vega |

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner in raw performance: the AMD Radeon Pro 580. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 22.5% lead in OpenCL and a 17.4% lead in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score of 40318 places it at the 82nd percentile, while the RX 560 XT's 34133 places it at the 79th percentile. The Pro 580's larger shader array (2304 versus 1792) and higher texture rate (172.8 GTexel/s versus 137.3 GTexel/s) are the structural reasons for this advantage.

The RX 560 XT is not without merit. Its higher memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s) and higher boost clock (1226 MHz versus 1200 MHz) mean it can be competitive in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios. Its lower TDP of 150 W versus 185 W also makes it more power-efficient, and its dual-slot design with display outputs makes it a conventional add-in card. The Pro 580, by contrast, is an IGP with no power connectors and portable device dependent outputs, meaning it is intended for integrated systems rather than desktop builds.

For users who need maximum compute throughput and 8 GB of VRAM, the Pro 580 is the superior choice based on the recorded data. For users who prefer a standalone card with higher memory bandwidth and a lower power draw, the RX 560 XT is the more practical option, though it will deliver lower benchmark scores. The Pro 580's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, scores nearly identically, which places it in a significantly higher performance tier than the RX 560 XT's nearest rivals. The verdict is straightforward: choose the Pro 580 for performance, choose the RX 560 XT for bandwidth and form factor flexibility.