AMD Radeon Pro 580X vs AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 and AMD Radeon Pro 580X are both professional graphics cards built on the same underlying silicon, yet they serve distinct purposes within the workstation ecosystem. The WX 7100 is a standalone, single-slot PCIe card aimed at traditional workstation towers, while the 580X is an integrated GPU package (IGP) designed for Apple's Mac Pro platform. Despite sharing the Ellesmere chip and GCN 4.0 architecture, their benchmark scores, clock speeds, and physical characteristics tell a story of two very different implementations of the same hardware.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher aggregate benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 leads with an average benchmark score of 40063, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro 580X's 38706. This represents a roughly 3.5% advantage for the WX 7100 across Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan tests.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The WX 7100 delivers a decisive victory in OpenCL, scoring 40148 against the 580X's 36426. This is a 10.2% difference, the largest performance gap between the two cards in any benchmark.

Q: Is the Radeon Pro 580X ever faster than the WX 7100?

A: Yes, the 580X wins the Geekbench Vulkan test by a narrow margin, scoring 40115 versus 39683 for the WX 7100. The delta is just 1.1%, indicating a statistical tie in this specific API workload.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for both cards?

A: Both the WX 7100 and the 580X are placed in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, indicating they occupy a similar tier of overall performance despite their differing benchmark averages.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The WX 7100 has a higher boost clock at 1243 MHz, while the 580X boosts to 1200 MHz. The base clocks are also higher on the WX 7100, at 1188 MHz versus 1100 MHz.

Q: Are there any differences in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the WX 7100 offers 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the 580X provides 218.9 GB/s. Both use 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same Ellesmere chip using GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process node, with identical transistor counts of 5,700 million and a die size of 232 mm². The transistor density is also the same at 24.6M per mm². This means the fundamental silicon is identical; the differences arise from how AMD configured and deployed the chip.

The WX 7100 belongs to the "Radeon Pro Polaris (WX x100)" generation, while the 580X is part of the "Radeon Pro Mac (500X Series)" generation. The WX 7100 was released on November 9, 2016, while the 580X came later on March 17, 2019. Both share the same GCN 4.0 architecture and offer identical shading unit counts of 2304, along with 144 texture mapping units and 32 raster operation units. Neither card features dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

The most significant architectural divergence is in power and cooling design. The WX 7100 is a single-slot card with a 130 W TDP and requires a single 6-pin power connector, drawing from a suggested 300 W power supply. The 580X, by contrast, is classified as an IGP with a 185 W TDP, meaning it is integrated into the Mac Pro's main board and draws power through the proprietary Apple MPX interface. This explains why the 580X has no listed power connectors or PSU requirement, and no physical dimensions are provided for it.

The display output configurations also differ substantially. The WX 7100 provides four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, suitable for multi-monitor professional setups. The 580X instead offers two HDMI 2.0b outputs, reflecting its intended use within Apple's ecosystem where HDMI connectivity is prioritized. Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, so API compatibility is identical.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern: the WX 7100 dominates in compute-oriented workloads, while the 580X edges ahead in one graphics API test. In Geekbench Metal, the WX 7100 scores 40357 against the 580X's 39577, a 2% advantage. This test is particularly relevant for macOS users, as Metal is the primary graphics API on that platform.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the largest gap between the two cards. The WX 7100 scores 40148, while the 580X trails significantly at 36426. This 10.2% delta suggests the WX 7100's higher clock speeds translate into substantially better general-purpose compute performance. The OpenCL result is the single biggest win for either card and is likely attributable to the WX 7100's 1188 MHz base clock versus the 580X's 1100 MHz base clock.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is the only benchmark where the 580X comes out ahead, scoring 40115 versus 39683 for the WX 7100, a 1.1% difference. This is a narrow victory and falls within typical run-to-run variance for synthetic benchmarks. Notably, the 580X's Vulkan score of 40115 is higher than its OpenCL score of 36426, whereas the WX 7100 shows more consistent performance across all three tests, ranging from 39683 to 40357.

Overall, the WX 7100 wins two of the three head-to-head benchmarks, with its OpenCL victory being the decisive factor. The average benchmark scores reflect this: 40063 for the WX 7100 versus 38706 for the 580X. The 580X's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 575X, scores 39116, which is only 1% higher, while the WX 7100's closest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 40318, just 0.6% behind.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on several key specification points, starting with clock speeds. The WX 7100 runs at 1188 MHz base and 1243 MHz boost, while the 580X operates at 1100 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost. This clock advantage gives the WX 7100 higher pixel and texture rates: 39.78 GPixel/s versus 38.40 GPixel/s, and 179.0 GTexel/s versus 172.8 GTexel/s.

Memory clocks also differ, with the WX 7100 running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) and the 580X at 1710 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective). This yields a bandwidth difference of 224.0 GB/s versus 218.9 GB/s. The theoretical FP32 performance is 5.728 TFLOPS for the WX 7100 and 5.530 TFLOPS for the 580X, with both offering 1:1 FP16 rates at the same values.

Power consumption is a major differentiator: the WX 7100 draws 130 W, while the 580X consumes 185 W. The WX 7100 is a single-slot card measuring 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length and 112 mm (4.4 inches) in height, whereas the 580X has no listed dimensions due to its IGP nature. The bus interface also differs, with the WX 7100 using PCIe 3.0 x16 and the 580X using Apple MPX.

The display outputs are another clear split: four DisplayPort 1.4a on the WX 7100 versus two HDMI 2.0b on the 580X. The WX 7100 has a launch MSRP of 799 USD, while the 580X has no listed launch MSRP. Finally, the WX 7100 has defined predecessors and successors (Radeon Pro GCN and Radeon Pro Vega, respectively), while the 580X has neither listed.

The Verdict

The data presents a straightforward case for most users: the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is the stronger performer. Its 10.2% OpenCL advantage is substantial and indicates better raw compute capability, which matters for rendering, scientific simulation, and other GPU-accelerated workloads. The 2% Metal lead and higher average benchmark score of 40063 versus 38706 reinforce this conclusion. The WX 7100 also offers a more flexible connectivity suite with four DisplayPort outputs, and its lower 130 W TDP makes it easier to integrate into existing workstation builds.

However, the AMD Radeon Pro 580X is not without merit. Its 1.1% Vulkan win shows it can keep pace in modern graphics APIs, and its 82nd percentile ranking matches the WX 7100's, indicating they occupy the same performance class. The 580X's two HDMI 2.0b outputs are well-suited for Mac-centric workflows, and its IGP design eliminates the need for a separate power connector, simplifying installation in supported Apple systems.

The choice ultimately depends on the platform. Users building or upgrading a PC workstation should select the WX 7100, which wins two of three benchmarks and offers superior compute performance with a lower power draw. Users working within Apple's Mac Pro ecosystem have no such choice, as the 580X is the only one of these two that exists in that form factor. For those users, the 580X's performance is competitive enough, sitting just 3.5% behind the WX 7100 on average, and its Vulkan advantage provides some consolation. The data shows the WX 7100 is the better GPU by virtually every measurable metric, but the 580X is a capable alternative for its specific market segment.