AMD Radeon Pro 580 vs AMD Radeon RX 590 GME Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct comparison points between the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME, and the results are split evenly. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Radeon Pro 580 posts a score of 38,457 against the RX 590 GME's 36,294, a 6% advantage. This is a meaningful margin in compute-oriented workloads, where the Pro 580's architecture configuration clearly holds an edge over its rival despite the RX 590 GME's higher clock speeds.

The picture reverses sharply in Geekbench Vulkan. Here, the RX 590 GME scores 60,508 against the Pro 580's 43,285, which translates to a 28.5% lead for the RX 590 GME. That is a substantial gap, one that dwarfs the Pro 580's OpenCL victory in percentage terms. The Vulkan result suggests the RX 590 GME is significantly better optimized for modern graphics APIs, likely due to its higher boost clock and memory throughput, both of which are recorded in the database.

Looking at average benchmark scores across all recorded tests, the Pro 580 sits at 40,318, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The RX 590 GME averages 32,601, landing in the 77th percentile. The Pro 580's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, averages 40,377, a mere 0.1% delta, meaning the Pro 580 is effectively neck-and-neck with that card. The RX 590 GME's closest competitor, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, averages 32,540, a 0.2% delta, so the RX 590 GME is also tightly clustered with its nearest peers.

What the head-to-head data reveals is a tale of two personalities. The Pro 580 is a compute-focused card that wins in OpenCL, while the RX 590 GME is a graphics-oriented card that dominates in Vulkan. Neither card is universally superior; each leads in exactly one test, and the win tally is 1-1. The magnitude of the Vulkan win, however, is far larger than the OpenCL win, which may weigh more heavily in real-world gaming and graphics workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 580 is the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks, specifically those that rely on OpenCL. Its 6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with its higher average benchmark score (40,318 vs. 32,601), indicates that professionals running OpenCL-based rendering, simulation, or scientific workloads would see measurable benefits. The Pro 580's 82nd percentile ranking versus the RX 590 GME's 77th also reinforces its broader strength across the database's test suite.

The AMD Radeon RX 590 GME, by contrast, is the pick for Vulkan-based graphics workloads. Its 28.5% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan is decisive, and its higher pixel rate (45.44 GPixel/s vs. 38.40 GPixel/s) and texture rate (204.5 GTexel/s vs. 172.8 GTexel/s) in the specification data support this outcome. For gaming or any application that leverages Vulkan, the RX 590 GME is substantially faster. Its higher memory bandwidth (256.0 GB/s vs. 217.0 GB/s) and faster effective memory speed (8 Gbps vs. 6.8 Gbps) also contribute to its graphics superiority.

In terms of raw throughput, the RX 590 GME leads in FP32 and FP16 performance, both rated at 6.543 TFLOPS versus the Pro 580's 5.530 TFLOPS. This is an 18.3% advantage in theoretical compute, yet the Pro 580 still wins in OpenCL, suggesting that the Pro 580's memory subsystem or driver optimization favors that specific API. The RX 590 GME's base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1420 MHz are both higher than the Pro 580's 1100 MHz and 1200 MHz, respectively, which explains its lead in pixel and texture rates.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580, with an average score of 40,318 compared to the RX 590 GME's 32,601.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two cards?

A: The RX 590 GME leads by 28.5% in Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 60,508 versus the Pro 580's 43,285.

Q: Does the Pro 580 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, it wins Geekbench OpenCL by 6%, scoring 38,457 against the RX 590 GME's 36,294.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Pro 580 ranks in the 82nd percentile, while the RX 590 GME ranks in the 77th percentile.

Q: What is the closest rival to each card based on average score?

A: The Pro 580's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, with a 0.1% delta, while the RX 590 GME's closest rival is the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, with a 0.2% delta.

Q: Are the two cards identical in memory size and type?

A: Yes, both have 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, but the RX 590 GME has higher bandwidth at 256.0 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s.

Specification Differences

The two cards share a surprising number of core specifications. Both use 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, both are built on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries, and both have 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The memory configuration is also identical in size (8 GB), type (GDDR5), and bus width (256 bit). They both support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, and both use a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

The differences emerge in clocks and derived rates. The RX 590 GME has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1420 MHz, while the Pro 580 operates at 1100 MHz and 1200 MHz, respectively. Memory speed differs as well: the RX 590 GME runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) versus the Pro 580's 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective). This yields a bandwidth advantage for the RX 590 GME (256.0 GB/s vs. 217.0 GB/s). Pixel rate is 45.44 GPixel/s for the RX 590 GME versus 38.40 GPixel/s for the Pro 580, and texture rate is 204.5 GTexel/s versus 172.8 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance are both 6.543 TFLOPS for the RX 590 GME and 5.530 TFLOPS for the Pro 580.

Power and physical characteristics also diverge. The RX 590 GME has a TDP of 175 W, while the Pro 580 is rated at 185 W. The RX 590 GME is a dual-slot card requiring a single 8-pin power connector and a 450 W suggested power supply; the Pro 580 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors. The RX 590 GME measures 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length and offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the Pro 580's display outputs are described as portable device dependent. The RX 590 GME has a predecessor named Arctic Islands and a successor named Vega, while the Pro 580 lists neither.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on AMD's GCN 4.0 architecture, which is a critical point of similarity. They use the same transistor count, die size, and transistor density (24.6M per mm²), indicating they are derived from the same underlying design philosophy. The chip identifiers differ: the Pro 580 uses the Ellesmere chip, while the RX 590 GME uses the Polaris 20 chip. Both are 14 nm parts from GlobalFoundries.

The generational placement differs. The Pro 580 belongs to the "Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series)" generation, while the RX 590 GME belongs to the "Polaris (RX 500)" generation. This reflects their intended markets: the Pro 580 is positioned for professional Mac environments, as evidenced by its IGP form factor and portable device dependent outputs, while the RX 590 GME is a mainstream desktop graphics card with conventional display outputs and a dual-slot cooler.

Neither card features ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as those are absent from the database for both. The compute architecture is identical in terms of shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, so the performance differences observed in benchmarks stem from clock speeds, memory speeds, and potentially driver optimizations for each card's target use case. The RX 590 GME's higher clocks and faster memory directly explain its Vulkan and fill-rate advantages, while the Pro 580's OpenCL win indicates that its lower clocked but possibly more compute-optimized configuration excels in that specific API.

The RX 590 GME's release date of 2020-03-08 places it after the Pro 580's 2017-06-04 launch, yet both are marked as end-of-life in production status. The RX 590 GME explicitly lists its predecessor and successor, suggesting a clear product lineage, while the Pro 580 does not.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the AMD Radeon Pro 580 is the stronger option, evidenced by its 6% head-to-head win and its higher average benchmark score (40,318 vs. 32,601). Its 82nd percentile ranking versus the RX 590 GME's 77th percentile further supports its overall compute superiority. The Pro 580 is also the only one of the two with a positive delta against its nearest rival, sitting just 0.1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070.

For anyone focused on Vulkan graphics, the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME is the unambiguous choice. Its 28.5% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is the largest performance gap in the entire comparison, and its higher pixel rate, texture rate, and memory bandwidth all corroborate this result. The RX 590 GME also offers a more conventional desktop form factor with standard display outputs, making it easier to integrate into a typical PC build.

There is no overall winner; the benchmark results are split 1-1. The Pro 580 is the compute specialist, the RX 590 GME is the graphics specialist. The choice depends entirely on which API and workload matters more to the user. If OpenCL compute is the priority, the Pro 580's higher average score and percentile ranking make it the safer bet. If Vulkan gaming or graphics acceleration is the goal, the RX 590 GME's massive Vulkan lead is impossible to ignore. The recorded data does not support a single recommendation; it supports two distinct recommendations based on use case.