AMD Radeon Pro 580X vs AMD Radeon RX 7700S Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two AMD GPUs. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S dominates in OpenCL compute workloads, while the AMD Radeon Pro 580X holds a decisive edge in Vulkan performance. The head-to-head results show one win for each card, but the magnitude of those wins is far from equal.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7700S delivers a score of 62,983, which is 42.2% higher than the Pro 580X's 36,426. This is the largest performance gap in either direction, and it establishes the RX 7700S as the clear compute champion. The 42.2% advantage is substantial enough that it defines the entire comparison: any workload that relies on OpenCL will strongly favor the RX 7700S. The Pro 580X's average benchmark score of 38,706 sits well below the RX 7700S's OpenCL result, indicating that the older card cannot match the newer architecture in raw compute throughput.

The Vulkan result flips the narrative. The Pro 580X scores 40,115 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 10.3% ahead of the RX 7700S's 36,380. This is a meaningful margin, though notably smaller than the RX 7700S's OpenCL advantage. The Pro 580X also outperforms its own OpenCL score in Vulkan, suggesting that its GCN 4.0 architecture handles Vulkan workloads particularly well. The RX 7700S, by contrast, scores lower in Vulkan than in OpenCL, which points to a possible driver or architectural inefficiency in that API.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the overall picture. The Pro 580X averages 38,706 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RX 7700S averages 33,849, which lands in the 78th percentile. Despite the RX 7700S's massive OpenCL win, its weaker Vulkan result drags down its average. The Pro 580X's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 575X at 39,116 (1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38,691 (0% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile at 38,349 (0.9% lower). The RX 7700S's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7950 at 33,951 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 480 at 33,997 (0.4% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB at 33,694 (0.5% lower). The RX 7700S sits in a cluster of older mid-range cards in terms of average score, while the Pro 580X competes with newer mobile parts.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7700S is the obvious choice for compute-heavy tasks. Its OpenCL score of 62,983 is not just ahead of the Pro 580X; it is close to double the older card's result. The RDNA 3.0 architecture, with its 20.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 40.96 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, explains this dominance. The Pro 580X's 5.530 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16 is simply outclassed. Any application that leverages OpenCL for rendering, simulation, or data processing will see significantly better performance from the RX 7700S.

The Pro 580X wins in Vulkan-based workloads. Its 40,115 score against the RX 7700S's 36,380 gives it a 10.3% advantage. This is notable because Vulkan is increasingly used in modern game engines and professional visualization tools. The Pro 580X also supports Vulkan 1.3, while the RX 7700S supports Vulkan 1.4, but the newer API version does not translate into better benchmark results here. The Pro 580X's GCN 4.0 architecture appears to handle Vulkan's command buffer and draw call patterns more efficiently, at least in the Geekbench test.

For gaming, the RX 7700S has structural advantages that matter beyond the recorded benchmarks. It features 32 ray tracing cores, which the Pro 580X lacks entirely. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the Pro 580X only supports DirectX 12 (12_0). These are qualitative differences that suggest the RX 7700S will handle modern titles with ray tracing or advanced DirectX 12 features, while the Pro 580X will not. The RX 7700S also has a higher pixel rate of 160.0 GPixel/s versus 38.40 GPixel/s and a higher texture rate of 320.0 GTexel/s versus 172.8 GTexel/s, which are direct indicators of rasterization throughput.

The Pro 580X's single recorded win in Vulkan should not be dismissed. It shows that the older card remains competitive in specific API environments, and its 82nd percentile ranking versus the RX 7700S's 78th percentile indicates that, on average, it scores higher across all database benchmarks. However, the RX 7700S's compute advantage is so large that it likely matters more for most professional and creative workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from completely different architectural generations. The Pro 580X uses GCN 4.0, built on the Ellesmere chip, which dates back to AMD's Polaris era. The RX 7700S uses RDNA 3.0, built on the Navi 33 chip, codenamed Hotpink Bonefish. This is a fundamental generational leap, and it shows in nearly every specification.

The manufacturing process differs significantly. The Pro 580X is built on a 14 nm node at GlobalFoundries, while the RX 7700S uses a 6 nm node at TSMC. The transistor counts reflect this: the Pro 580X has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm². The RX 7700S packs 13,300 million transistors into a smaller 204 mm² die, achieving 65.2 million per mm². The RX 7700S has nearly 2.3 times the transistor count in a smaller package, which explains its much higher compute throughput despite using fewer shading units.

The shading unit counts differ in an interesting way. The Pro 580X has 2,304 shading units, while the RX 7700S has 2,048. Yet the RX 7700S delivers 20.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance compared to the Pro 580X's 5.530 TFLOPS. This is a 3.7x difference in raw compute, driven by the RDNA 3.0 architecture's higher clock speeds and dual-issue design. The RX 7700S boosts to 2500 MHz, while the Pro 580X peaks at 1200 MHz. The RX 7700S also has a game clock of 2200 MHz, which reflects sustained real-world performance. The Pro 580X has no game clock listed, only base and boost.

Memory technology also diverges. The Pro 580X uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 218.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7700S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus, but achieves 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth thanks to much higher memory clocks (2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective versus 1710 MHz, 6.8 Gbps effective). The RX 7700S's narrower bus is more than compensated by faster memory, giving it 31.6% more bandwidth.

The RX 7700S also introduces hardware features that the Pro 580X cannot offer. It has 32 ray tracing cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. The Pro 580X is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and has no ray tracing support. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6, but the RX 7700S supports Vulkan 1.4 versus the Pro 580X's Vulkan 1.3. The RX 7700S uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface, while the Pro 580X uses Apple MPX, reflecting its intended role in Mac systems.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The Pro 580X has a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 1200 MHz. The RX 7700S has a base clock of 1500 MHz, a boost clock of 2500 MHz, and a game clock of 2200 MHz. The RX 7700S is significantly faster at every clock step.

Memory configurations differ in bus width and bandwidth. The Pro 580X uses a 256 bit bus with GDDR5 memory, while the RX 7700S uses a 128 bit bus with GDDR6. The RX 7700S still achieves higher bandwidth at 288.0 GB/s versus 218.9 GB/s. Both cards have 8 GB of memory, but the type and speed are different.

The compute units are configured differently. The Pro 580X has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The RX 7700S has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 7700S has half the TMUs of the Pro 580X per shading unit, but its higher clocks and architecture efficiency produce 320.0 GTexel/s versus 172.8 GTexel/s. The RX 7700S's 64 ROPs double the Pro 580X's 32, and its pixel rate of 160.0 GPixel/s is more than four times the Pro 580X's 38.40 GPixel/s.

Power consumption differs dramatically. The Pro 580X has a TDP of 185 W, while the RX 7700S has a TDP of 100 W. The RX 7700S delivers far more performance while consuming 85 W less. The RX 7700S also has no power connectors listed, while the Pro 580X's power connectors are listed as null. Both are marked as IGP slot width, and both lack length, height, and width dimensions.

Production status and release timing also separate them. The Pro 580X was released on 2019-03-17 and is end-of-life. The RX 7700S was released on 2023-01-03 and is active. The RX 7700S lists its predecessor as Polaris Mobile, which is the architectural family the Pro 580X belongs to, making the generational relationship explicit.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580X has an average benchmark score of 38,706, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S has an average score of 33,849, placing it in the 78th percentile.

Q: How large is the RX 7700S's OpenCL advantage?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7700S scores 62,983 compared to the Pro 580X's 36,426, a 42.2% difference in favor of the RX 7700S.

Q: Does the Pro 580X win any benchmark?

A: Yes, in Geekbench Vulkan the Pro 580X scores 40,115 versus the RX 7700S's 36,380, a 10.3% advantage for the Pro 580X.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card?

A: The Pro 580X's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 575X (39,116 average score, 1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38,691, 0% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (38,349, 0.9% lower). The RX 7700S's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7950 (33,951, 0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 480 (33,997, 0.4% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB (33,694, 0.5% lower).

Q: Does the RX 7700S support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 7700S has 32 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Pro 580X has no ray tracing cores and supports only DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The RX 7700S has a TDP of 100 W, while the Pro 580X has a TDP of 185 W. The RX 7700S also lists no power connectors, while the Pro 580X's power connectors are listed as null.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear recommendation for most users: the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the superior GPU. Its OpenCL score of 62,983 is 42.2% ahead of the Pro 580X, its FP32 performance of 20.48 TFLOPS is nearly four times higher, and it does all of this while consuming only 100 W compared to 185 W. It is also an active product with a 2023 release date, while the Pro 580X is end-of-life from 2019.

The Pro 580X's 10.3% Vulkan win is real but narrow. It does not offset the RX 7700S's massive compute advantage, and the Pro 580X lacks ray tracing support and DirectX 12 Ultimate features. Its higher average benchmark score (38,706 versus 33,849) and higher percentile ranking (82nd versus 78th) are worth noting, but those averages include only three benchmarks for the Pro 580X and three for the RX 7700S, with different test distributions.

Users who rely specifically on Vulkan-based applications and already work within the Apple MPX ecosystem might find the Pro 580X adequate. Its 40,115 Vulkan score is genuinely strong, and its GCN 4.0 architecture has proven driver maturity. However, for anyone choosing between these two cards for new hardware, the RX 7700S is the better investment. It offers higher bandwidth, more than four times the pixel rate, nearly double the texture rate, hardware ray tracing, a newer API feature set, and dramatically lower power consumption. The data is unambiguous: the RX 7700S is the modern, capable choice, and the Pro 580X is a legacy part that retains only a narrow niche advantage.