AMD Radeon Pro 580 vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data presents a surprisingly lopsided picture. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB claims the only direct head-to-head victory, winning the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 66,998 against the AMD Radeon Pro 580’s 38,457. That is a 42.6% margin, a decisive gap that places the NVIDIA card firmly ahead in compute-oriented workloads measured through OpenCL.

However, the AMD Radeon Pro 580 has its own territory. It posts a Geekbench Metal score of 39,213 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 43,285, while the RTX A2000 has no recorded scores in those tests within the database. This means the AMD card is the only one of the two with verified performance data for Apple’s Metal API and the cross-platform Vulkan API. For users whose software stack relies on those interfaces, the Radeon Pro 580 is the only option with measured results, making it the default choice in those specific environments.

The average benchmark scores tell another story. The Radeon Pro 580 averages 40,318 across all recorded tests, while the RTX A2000 averages 34,154. That gives the AMD card a 15.3% higher aggregate score, but this is skewed by the fact that the two cards were tested on different suites. The Radeon Pro 580 has three scores (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan) while the RTX A2000 has only two (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and OpenCL). The NVIDIA card’s single 3DMark result of 1,309 drags its average down considerably, despite its strong OpenCL showing. The data suggests a use-case split: the RTX A2000 excels in raw OpenCL compute, while the Radeon Pro 580 holds the advantage in API coverage and overall consistency across multiple benchmark types.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 5,700 million transistors onto a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, by contrast, uses the GA106 chip with Ampere architecture, produced on Samsung’s 8 nm process. It contains 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, achieving a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip is more than twice as dense, reflecting the newer manufacturing node.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Radeon Pro 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 217.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A2000 offers 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus, achieving 288.0 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the faster GDDR6 memory gives NVIDIA a 32.7% bandwidth advantage. The AMD card’s memory clock is listed at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), while NVIDIA runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

Compute resources also differ. The Radeon Pro 580 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The RTX A2000 has 3,328 shading units, 104 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. NVIDIA also includes 26 ray tracing cores and 104 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the AMD chip. This makes the RTX A2000 the only one of the two capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor operations. In raw throughput, NVIDIA leads in FP32 with 7.987 TFLOPS versus AMD’s 5.530 TFLOPS, a 44.4% advantage. Both cards offer FP16 at the same rate as FP32 (1:1).

Power and physical design could not be more different. The Radeon Pro 580 has a 185 W TDP and is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, meaning it draws power through the motherboard. The RTX A2000 has a 70 W TDP, is a dual-slot card with no power connectors either, and has a suggested PSU rating of 250 W. The NVIDIA card is also a compact 167 mm long and 69 mm high, while the AMD card’s dimensions are not recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6 with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 with 217.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 580 support ray tracing?

A: No. The Radeon Pro 580 has no ray tracing cores. The RTX A2000 has 26 ray tracing cores, making it the only one of the two with hardware RT support.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Radeon Pro 580 has a 185 W TDP, while the RTX A2000 has a 70 W TDP. The NVIDIA card also lists a suggested PSU of 250 W, while AMD does not provide one.

Q: Which card performs better in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX A2000 scores 66,998 versus the Radeon Pro 580’s 38,457, a 42.6% difference in NVIDIA’s favor.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the Radeon Pro 580 wins?

A: The database records no direct benchmark wins for the Radeon Pro 580 in head-to-head tests. However, it has scores in Geekbench Metal (39,213) and Vulkan (43,285) where the RTX A2000 has no recorded results.

Q: What is the manufacturing process difference?

A: The Radeon Pro 580 uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the RTX A2000 uses an 8 nm process from Samsung. NVIDIA’s chip has a transistor density of 43.5M per mm² versus AMD’s 24.6M per mm².

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification. The process node is 14 nm for AMD versus 8 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor counts are 5,700 million versus 12,000 million, and die sizes are 232 mm² versus 276 mm². Transistor density is 24.6M per mm² for AMD and 43.5M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Base clocks are 1100 MHz for AMD versus 562 MHz for NVIDIA, though both boost to 1200 MHz. Memory type differs: GDDR5 for AMD, GDDR6 for NVIDIA. Memory size is 8 GB versus 12 GB. Bus width is 256 bit versus 192 bit. Bandwidth is 217.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s.

Shading units are 2,304 versus 3,328. TMUs are 144 versus 104. ROPs are 32 versus 48. The RTX A2000 has 26 RT cores and 104 tensor cores; the Radeon Pro 580 has neither. FP32 is 5.530 TFLOPS versus 7.987 TFLOPS. FP16 is also 5.530 TFLOPS versus 7.987 TFLOPS.

TDP is 185 W versus 70 W. Slot width is IGP versus dual-slot. Power connectors are absent on both. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for AMD and PCIe 4.0 x16 for NVIDIA. Display outputs are portable-device-dependent for AMD and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a for NVIDIA. DirectX support is 12 (12_0) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2). Vulkan support is 1.3 versus 1.4. OpenGL is 4.6 for both.

Release dates are June 2017 for AMD and November 2021 for NVIDIA. The RTX A2000 lists a predecessor (Quadro Turing) and successor (Workstation Ada) while the Radeon Pro 580 lists neither. The RTX A2000 has a launch MSRP of 449 USD, while AMD has none recorded.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The RTX A2000 scores 66,998, while the Radeon Pro 580 scores 38,457. The delta is -42.6%, meaning the AMD card falls short by nearly half. This is a massive margin that reflects the architectural gulf between the two: NVIDIA’s 3,328 shading units and 7.987 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are simply far ahead of AMD’s 2,304 units and 5.530 TFLOPS.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the Radeon Pro 580’s Vulkan score of 43,285 is higher than its OpenCL score of 38,457, suggesting that the AMD card performs better under Vulkan than OpenCL. Its Metal score of 39,213 sits between those two. The RTX A2000 has no Vulkan or Metal scores in the database, so no cross-API comparison is possible.

The RTX A2000’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,309 is its only other recorded benchmark. This score, combined with its OpenCL result, gives it an average of 34,154. The Radeon Pro 580’s average of 40,318 is inflated by the absence of any low-scoring 3DMark result. The data indicates that in any compute-heavy OpenCL workload, the RTX A2000 is overwhelmingly faster. The Radeon Pro 580’s only solace is that it has verified results in more API categories.

The Verdict

The data makes one thing clear: the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB is the superior compute card. Its OpenCL score is 42.6% higher than the Radeon Pro 580, and it offers more than double the memory capacity (12 GB versus 8 GB) with 32.7% higher bandwidth. It also brings hardware ray tracing and tensor cores, features the AMD card lacks entirely. For any workload that uses OpenCL, DirectX 12 Ultimate, or benefits from RT and tensor acceleration, the RTX A2000 is the decisive choice.

The Radeon Pro 580, however, is not without purpose. It is the only card with recorded Metal and Vulkan performance, making it the sole verified option for environments that depend on those APIs. Its higher average benchmark score (40,318 versus 34,154) reflects a more balanced profile across multiple tests, though this is partially due to the different test suites used. Its IGP form factor and lack of power connectors suggest it is designed for integrated systems, while the RTX A2000 is a compact dual-slot card for standard expansion slots.

Who should pick which? Users who need maximum compute throughput, ray tracing, or tensor operations should choose the RTX A2000. Users locked into Metal-based software or who require Vulkan performance with verified data should choose the Radeon Pro 580. The RTX A2000’s lower TDP (70 W versus 185 W) and newer architecture make it the more efficient and future-proof option, while the Radeon Pro 580’s 2017 release date and GCN 4.0 architecture show its age. The RTX A2000 is the stronger card by every measurable metric in the head-to-head comparison, and the only reason to favor the AMD card is API compatibility in niche scenarios.