AMD Radeon Pro 580X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 580X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by process node, architecture philosophy, and intended workload. The data shows the RTX 4070 dominating in raw compute, while the Radeon Pro 580X holds a specific niche within the Apple ecosystem. This analysis compares their benchmark results, architectural differences, and feature sets based solely on the provided metrics.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data is unequivocal in its verdict: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 wins every single head-to-head comparison. Out of the two shared tests, the RTX 4070 takes a 100% win rate, leaving the AMD Radeon Pro 580X with zero wins. This is not a close contest; the performance gap is massive, with the RTX 4070 delivering scores that are roughly four times higher than the Radeon Pro 580X in both OpenCL and Vulkan workloads.

The AMD Radeon Pro 580X, however, does not lose everywhere in the broader context. Its average benchmark score of 38,706 places it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, which is actually one percentage point higher than the RTX 4070’s 81st percentile. Furthermore, the Radeon Pro 580X’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, with a deltaPct of 0.9%, suggesting that in certain legacy or specific compute tasks, the older AMD card remains competitive with newer mobile parts. The RTX 4070, by contrast, sits near the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and NVIDIA Tesla P4, with deltas of 0.4% and 0.1% respectively, indicating its performance class is crowded but high.

The use-case split is therefore clear: the RTX 4070 is the choice for any modern, compute-heavy application that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan, where it offers a transformative performance uplift. The Radeon Pro 580X, given its IGP slot width and Apple MPX bus interface, is a specialized part for older Mac Pro configurations, where its 82nd percentile standing shows it was a capable professional card in its time, but it is now firmly outpaced by current-generation hardware.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is generational. The AMD Radeon Pro 580X is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture using a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, featuring the Ellesmere chip. It packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on TSMC’s 5 nm node, with the AD104 chip containing 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, achieving a density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. This represents a nearly 5x increase in transistor density, enabling far more complex circuitry in a similar physical footprint.

The compute resources differ drastically. The Radeon Pro 580X has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 render output units (ROPs). The RTX 4070, by comparison, has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. More importantly, the RTX 4070 introduces dedicated hardware that the Radeon Pro 580X entirely lacks: 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. These are purpose-built for real-time ray tracing and AI-accelerated workloads, respectively, which are absent from the older GCN design. The RTX 4070 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the Radeon Pro 580X is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

Memory subsystems also differ fundamentally. The Radeon Pro 580X uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 218.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 utilizes 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, but achieves a much higher 504.2 GB/s bandwidth due to the faster memory clock. The RTX 4070’s memory operates at 21 Gbps effective, versus the Radeon Pro 580X’s 6.8 Gbps effective, showcasing the massive increase in memory speed per pin over the four-year gap between their releases.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks tell a story of overwhelming NVIDIA superiority, but the specific numbers reveal the scale of the gap. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro 580X scores 36,426, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 scores 154,858. This is a deltaPct of -76.5% for the AMD card, meaning the RTX 4070 is approximately 4.25 times faster in this compute test. The Radeon Pro 580X’s score is consistent with its other results, but the RTX 4070’s output is in a different performance tier entirely.

The Vulkan test shows an even larger relative gap. The Radeon Pro 580X posts 40,115, which is actually its highest benchmark score across all tests, while the RTX 4070 achieves 174,152. The deltaPct here is -77%, again indicating that the RTX 4070 is roughly 4.34 times faster. This is notable because the Radeon Pro 580X performs better in Vulkan than in OpenCL, suggesting its GCN architecture handles the lower-level API relatively well, yet it still cannot close the gap with the Ada Lovelace part.

Looking at the broader benchmark suites, the RTX 4070’s Passmark G3D score of 26,927 and GPU compute score of 14,720 are indicative of its strength, but these tests have no corresponding data for the Radeon Pro 580X. The RTX 4070 also shows a Geekbench OpenCL score of 154,858 and a Vulkan score of 174,152, both far exceeding the AMD card’s 36,426 and 40,115 respectively. The head-to-head data leaves no ambiguity: the RTX 4070 is the dominant performer in every measurable shared workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580X has a higher average benchmark score of 38,706 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070’s 37,648. However, this average includes different test suites, and the head-to-head results show the RTX 4070 winning decisively in shared tests.

Q: What is the performance difference in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 scores 174,152 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 77% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X’s score of 40,115. This represents a performance multiplier of approximately 4.34x in favor of the RTX 4070.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 580X support ray tracing?

A: No. The AMD Radeon Pro 580X has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, in contrast, includes 46 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: How do their transistor densities compare?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter, which is significantly higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X’s 24.6 million per square millimeter. This reflects the RTX 4070’s more advanced 5 nm process node.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, more than double the AMD Radeon Pro 580X’s 218.9 GB/s. The RTX 4070 achieves this despite a narrower 192-bit bus, thanks to faster GDDR6X memory.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: Both the AMD Radeon Pro 580X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 are listed as end-of-life products. The Radeon Pro 580X was released on March 17, 2019, while the RTX 4070 was released later on April 11, 2023.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between these two GPUs are extensive and highlight the generational leap. The most fundamental divergence is in the process node: the AMD Radeon Pro 580X uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 uses a 5 nm process from TSMC. This leads to a transistor count difference of 5,700 million versus 35,800 million, respectively, and a die size difference of 232 mm² versus 294 mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially, with the Radeon Pro 580X running a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost of 1200 MHz, compared to the RTX 4070’s 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost. Memory configurations also diverge: the AMD card has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card has 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus. This results in bandwidth of 218.9 GB/s versus 504.2 GB/s.

The compute unit counts are starkly different. The Radeon Pro 580X has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the RTX 4070 has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 4070 also includes 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, which the Radeon Pro 580X lacks entirely. This leads to pixel rates of 38.40 GPixel/s versus 158.4 GPixel/s, and texture rates of 172.8 GTexel/s versus 455.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute is 5.530 TFLOPS for the AMD card versus 29.15 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card, a ratio of over 5:1.

Physical and interface differences are also present. The Radeon Pro 580X is an IGP with an Apple MPX bus interface and 2x HDMI 2.0b outputs, while the RTX 4070 is a dual-slot card with PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RTX 4070 has a TDP of 200 W with a 1x 16-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 550 W, whereas the Radeon Pro 580X has a TDP of 185 W with no listed power connectors. The RTX 4070’s dimensions are 240 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The API support differs as well, with the RTX 4070 supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon Pro 580X supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.