AMD Radeon Pro 580 vs NVIDIA Quadro GV100 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 580 and NVIDIA Quadro GV100 are both end-of-life professional workstation GPUs, but they occupy vastly different tiers of performance and capability. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the Quadro GV100 dominates in every shared benchmark, leveraging its Volta architecture and massive memory subsystem to deliver scores that are roughly three to four times higher than the Radeon Pro 580. However, the Radeon Pro 580 is not without merit; it remains a competent performer for its era, and this analysis breaks down exactly where each card stands based on the benchmark results and specifications.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are unambiguous. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 scores 150,004, while the AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 38,457. That is a delta of -74.4% for the AMD card, meaning the Quadro GV100 is nearly four times faster in raw compute throughput. The gap is similarly stark in Geekbench Vulkan: the Quadro GV100 posts 139,526 against the Radeon Pro 580’s 43,285, a -69% delta. These are not marginal wins; they represent a generational and architectural chasm.

It is notably the Radeon Pro 580’s average benchmark score across all tests is 40,318, which places it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The Quadro GV100’s average score is 35,520, but this figure is dragged down by its poor Passmark DirectX scores (140 in DirectX 10, 168 in DirectX 11, 84 in DirectX 12, and 207 in DirectX 9). If you isolate the compute-oriented Geekbench results, the Quadro GV100 is the clear winner, but its legacy driver optimizations for professional OpenGL and compute workloads do not translate to legacy DirectX performance.

The Radeon Pro 580’s best benchmark result is its Geekbench Vulkan score of 43,285, which is higher than its OpenCL score of 38,457. This suggests the GCN 4.0 architecture handles Vulkan compute reasonably well for its age. However, even that best-case score is less than one-third of the Quadro GV100’s worst Geekbench score. In short, the head-to-head data shows a landslide victory for NVIDIA, with the only question being whether the AMD card can justify its existence in any modern workload where the GV100 is available.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0, a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries. It packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm². The NVIDIA Quadro GV100, by contrast, uses the GV100 chip on the Volta architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 12 nm process. It houses 21,100 million transistors on a massive 815 mm² die, with a density of 25.9 million per mm². The GV100 is physically enormous, over 3.5 times the die area of the Ellesmere.

The compute resources differ just as dramatically. The Radeon Pro 580 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Quadro GV100 has 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs — roughly double, double, and quadruple respectively. The GV100 also brings 640 Tensor Cores, which the Radeon Pro 580 lacks entirely. These Tensor Cores are a hallmark of Volta, designed for AI and deep learning workloads, though the benchmark data does not directly test them. The Radeon Pro 580 has no ray tracing cores, and neither does the Quadro GV100; both rely on traditional rasterization.

Memory architecture is another major split. The Radeon Pro 580 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 217.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro GV100 uses 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 868.4 GB/s — four times the capacity and exactly four times the bandwidth. Clock speeds are closer than expected: the Radeon Pro 580 runs at 1100 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost, while the Quadro GV100 runs at 1132 MHz base and 1627 MHz boost. The NVIDIA card’s higher boost clock, combined with its wider execution resources, explains the massive FP32 throughput gap: 16.66 TFLOPS for the GV100 versus 5.530 TFLOPS for the Radeon Pro 580. For FP16, the GV100 hits 33.32 TFLOPS with a 2:1 rate, while the Radeon Pro 580 manages only 5.530 TFLOPS at a 1:1 rate.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has an average benchmark score of 40,318, which is higher than the NVIDIA Quadro GV100’s average of 35,520. However, this is misleading because the GV100’s average is heavily penalized by its extremely low Passmark DirectX scores (84-207), while the Radeon Pro 580 has no such legacy tests dragging it down.

Q: What is the single biggest performance delta between the two cards?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 scores 150,004 versus the AMD Radeon Pro 580’s 38,457, a delta of -74.4%. This is the largest margin in any shared benchmark.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 580 support Vulkan 1.3?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon Pro 580 lists Vulkan 1.3 support. The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 lists Vulkan 1.4 support, which is a newer version of the API specification.

Q: How much memory does each card have, and what type?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 has 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus. The GV100’s memory bandwidth is 868.4 GB/s versus 217.0 GB/s for the Radeon Pro 580.

Q: Which card has Tensor Cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 has Tensor Cores, with a total of 640. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has none. These cores are designed for AI and deep learning workloads, but no benchmark data in this pack directly measures their performance.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of each card?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 is 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, and it is a dual-slot card requiring a single 8-pin power connector. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has no listed dimensions, no power connectors, and is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a slot width of "IGP."

Specification Differences

The most obvious difference is the memory subsystem. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 offers 8 GB GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 217.0 GB/s bandwidth; the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 offers 32 GB HBM2 with a 4096-bit bus and 868.4 GB/s bandwidth. The compute units follow suit: 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for AMD versus 5,120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 128 ROPs for NVIDIA. The GV100 adds 640 Tensor Cores; the Radeon Pro 580 has none.

The chips themselves are from different foundries and nodes: AMD uses GlobalFoundries at 14 nm, while NVIDIA uses TSMC at 12 nm. Transistor counts are 5,700 million versus 21,100 million, and die sizes are 232 mm² versus 815 mm². Clock speeds differ modestly in base (1100 MHz vs 1132 MHz) but significantly in boost (1200 MHz vs 1627 MHz). FP32 performance is 5.530 TFLOPS versus 16.66 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 5.530 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 33.32 TFLOPS (2:1). The TDP is 185 W for AMD versus 250 W for NVIDIA, and the power connector requirements differ: none for the Radeon Pro 580, one 8-pin for the Quadro GV100, which also suggests a 600 W PSU.

The Radeon Pro 580 is an IGP with no display outputs listed as "Portable Device Dependent," while the Quadro GV100 is a dual-slot card with four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. API support differs in DirectX (12_0 for AMD, 12_1 for NVIDIA) and Vulkan (1.3 vs 1.4), but both support OpenGL 4.6. The release dates are also different: the Radeon Pro 580 launched on 2017-06-04, and the Quadro GV100 launched on 2018-03-26.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 is the superior GPU in every measurable compute benchmark. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 150,004 is 290% higher than the Radeon Pro 580’s 38,457, and its Vulkan score of 139,526 is 222% higher than 43,285. The GV100 also has 4x the memory capacity, 4x the memory bandwidth, 3x the FP32 throughput, and 6x the FP16 throughput. If your workload is compute-heavy, OpenCL, or Vulkan-based, the GV100 is the only rational choice.

However, the Radeon Pro 580 has a higher average benchmark score (40,318 vs 35,520) and a higher percentile ranking (82nd vs 80th). This is entirely due to the GV100’s abysmal Passmark DirectX scores, which range from 84 to 207. The Radeon Pro 580 has no DirectX benchmarks in this pack, so its average is not penalized. If you are running legacy DirectX applications, the GV100’s drivers appear to be a liability, and the Radeon Pro 580 may actually perform better in that narrow context.

The Radeon Pro 580 is also more power-efficient in terms of TDP (185 W vs 250 W), and it is an IGP with no power connectors, which means it can slot into systems where the dual-slot, 8-pin Quadro GV100 cannot fit. For a portable device or a system with severe power constraints, the Radeon Pro 580 is the pragmatic option. But for raw performance, there is no contest.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro GV100 wins in Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, where it outperforms the Radeon Pro 580 by 74.4% and 69%, respectively. It is the obvious pick for AI research, scientific computing, or any workload that leverages FP16 with a 2:1 ratio, as it offers 33.32 TFLOPS versus the Radeon Pro 580’s 5.530 TFLOPS. The GV100’s 32 GB of HBM2 memory is also a decisive advantage for large datasets that exceed 8 GB, making it suitable for big simulations or rendering scenes that spill past the Radeon Pro 580’s VRAM limit. Its four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs also make it a better fit for multi-monitor professional setups.

The AMD Radeon Pro 580 wins in the aggregate benchmark average, thanks to its lack of legacy DirectX tests. It is the better choice for systems where the 185 W TDP and IGP form factor are mandatory — think laptops or all-in-one workstations. Its Vulkan score of 43,285 is respectable for a 2017 card, and its 8 GB GDDR5 memory is adequate for moderate workloads. The Radeon Pro 580 also holds the 82nd percentile ranking, slightly above the GV100’s 80th, which reflects its more consistent performance across the tests it actually runs. If your priority is compatibility with a portable device and you do not need the GV100’s extreme compute power, the Radeon Pro 580 is the sensible pick. Otherwise, the Quadro GV100 is the performance king.