AMD Radeon Pro 580X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Comparison

The data presents a stark generational and architectural divide between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X. The RTX 3080 Ti, a high-end consumer Ampere part, is pitted against a professional GCN 4.0 GPU designed for Apple Macintosh systems. The benchmark results show a categorical performance gap, with the NVIDIA card winning all common tests by margins that are difficult to overstate. This analysis will dissect the available numbers, architectural differences, and specification gaps to determine exactly where each card stands.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two benchmarks shared by both cards in the data are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In both, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a decisive victory, demonstrating a level of dominance that is rarely seen in comparative hardware analysis.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3080 Ti scores 170,037 points, while the AMD Radeon Pro 580X manages only 36,426 points. This results in a deltaPct of 366.8% in favor of the NVIDIA card. This means the RTX 3080 Ti is not merely faster; it is nearly four times more performant in this general-purpose compute workload. The score suggests a massive advantage in raw shader throughput and memory bandwidth, which are critical for OpenCL tasks that often stress the GPU's parallel processing capabilities.

The Geekbench Vulkan test reveals an even larger chasm. The RTX 3080 Ti posts a score of 192,697, against the Radeon Pro 580X's 40,115. The deltaPct here is 380.4%, again favoring NVIDIA. Vulkan is a low-level graphics API that benefits significantly from modern hardware features and driver efficiency. The RTX 3080 Ti's architecture is clearly better optimized for this workload, translating its hardware superiority into an even greater relative performance lead than in OpenCL.

While the head-to-head data shows only these two tests, the overall average benchmark scores from the FACT PACK reinforce the trend. The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41,187, while the Radeon Pro 580X sits at 38,706. This places the RTX 3080 Ti in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB, which it trails by just 1.2%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, which it leads by 0.8%. The Radeon Pro 580X, despite its massive deficit in the head-to-head tests, is in the 82nd percentile, with its closest competitor being the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A, where the delta is 0%. This indicates that the Pro 580X is a competent performer in its own right, but it is operating in a completely different performance tier than the RTX 3080 Ti.

The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti's wins are not marginal. They are overwhelming. The Pro 580X's scores are roughly a quarter of the NVIDIA card's, a gap that suggests any application leveraging these APIs will be profoundly faster on the GeForce hardware.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti scores 192,697, which is 380.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X's score of 40,115.

Q: What is the performance difference in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti achieves a score of 170,037, a 366.8% increase over the Radeon Pro 580X's 36,426.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41,187, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro 580X's 38,706.

Q: Do both cards support the same level of DirectX?

A: No. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What is the difference in memory technology between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti uses 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, while the Radeon Pro 580X uses 8 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has a pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s, which is over four times higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X's 38.40 GPixel/s.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is based on the Ampere architecture, using the GA102 chip. The AMD Radeon Pro 580X is based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Ellesmere chip. This is the core of their performance disparity.

The manufacturing process highlights the technological gap. The RTX 3080 Ti is fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung, while the Radeon Pro 580X is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This smaller node allows the NVIDIA card to pack 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 45.1M / mm². In contrast, the AMD chip contains only 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, for a density of 24.6M / mm². The RTX 3080 Ti's newer process and larger die provide a massive raw hardware advantage.

These architectural differences translate directly into functional capabilities. The RTX 3080 Ti is equipped with 80 RT Cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and 320 Tensor Cores for AI workloads. The Radeon Pro 580X has null for both RT Cores and Tensor Cores, meaning it lacks dedicated hardware for these modern features. This is a defining distinction; the Ampere architecture is designed for a future of ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated tasks, while GCN 4.0 is from a time before these became mainstream expectations. The API support reflects this, with the NVIDIA card supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet reinforces the architectural divide, showing the RTX 3080 Ti is superior in almost every measurable metric.

• Processing Power: The RTX 3080 Ti has 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The Radeon Pro 580X has only 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.
• Clock Speeds: The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The AMD card operates at a lower 1100 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost.
• Memory: The RTX 3080 Ti features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 580X has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 218.9 GB/s. The memory bandwidth difference is a factor of over 4x.
• Theoretical Performance: The RTX 3080 Ti delivers 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s. The Radeon Pro 580X offers 5.530 TFLOPS and 172.8 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA card's pixel rate is 186.5 GPixel/s versus the AMD's 38.40 GPixel/s.
• Power and Physical: The RTX 3080 Ti has a TDP of 350 W and requires a 750 W power supply, using a 1x 12-pin connector. It is a Dual-slot card measuring 285 mm in length. The Radeon Pro 580X has a TDP of 185 W and is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor with an Apple MPX bus interface. It has no power connectors listed and no dimensions provided.
• Connectivity: The NVIDIA card offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The AMD card provides 2x HDMI 2.0b outputs.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is in a completely different performance class than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X. The head-to-head results show a performance lead of 366.8% in OpenCL and 380.4% in Vulkan. There is no scenario from this data where the AMD card can compete on raw performance.

The Verdict is clear: for any workload that utilizes OpenCL or Vulkan, the RTX 3080 Ti is the overwhelmingly superior choice. Its average benchmark score is higher, and its percentile ranking is marginally better (83rd vs 82nd). The data suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-performance part meant for demanding tasks, while the Radeon Pro 580X is a much more modest component. The choice is not about which is better, but about recognizing the massive gulf in capability that the numbers demonstrate.

Where Each One Wins

Given the data, the use-case split is stark and unambiguous.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti wins in all performance-centric scenarios. Its massive lead in the Geekbench Vulkan and OpenCL tests indicates it is the clear choice for any application that leverages these APIs, which includes many modern games, 3D rendering applications, and compute workloads. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and its dedicated RT and Tensor cores make it the only option for future-proofing against ray-traced and AI-enhanced content. The higher memory bandwidth (912.4 GB/s) and greater VRAM capacity (12 GB vs 8 GB) suggest it is better suited for high-resolution textures and large datasets.

The AMD Radeon Pro 580X wins in scenarios defined by its physical characteristics and integration. As an IGP with an Apple MPX bus interface and no power connectors, it is designed for a specific, power-constrained ecosystem—namely, Apple Mac Pro systems. Its lower TDP of 185 W means it generates far less heat and requires less power than the RTX 3080 Ti's 350 W. For a user who needs a discrete GPU inside a Mac Pro and is constrained by that platform's power and physical design, the Radeon Pro 580X is the only option of the two that fits. It does not win on performance, but it wins on compatibility for its intended platform. The data shows no benchmark where the AMD card is faster, so its only "win" is in its integration and form factor, not in execution.