AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X vs Intel Arc A580 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X and Intel Arc A580 represent two very different approaches to GPU design, separated by nearly five years of architectural evolution. The Vega 64X is an end-of-life Apple Mac-oriented part built on 14 nm GCN 5.0, while the Arc A580 is an active, dual-slot desktop card on 6 nm Xe-HPG. The database records a single head-to-head benchmark result, and it favors the Intel part. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Arc A580 scores 91,657 against the Vega 64X’s 78,467, a 14.4% deficit for the AMD card. However, the average benchmark scores tell a more complex story: the Vega 64X averages 80,959 across its recorded tests, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A580 averages 57,756, sitting in the 87th percentile. This divergence is explained by the different benchmark suites each card was subjected to, and it shapes the verdict below.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split by workload and platform. For users confined to the Apple Mac ecosystem, the Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the only relevant choice here, as its integrated form factor and portable-device-dependent display outputs tie it to specific Mac hardware. Its Geekbench Metal score of 83,450 is a strong indicator of compute performance in that API, and its average score of 80,959 places it above the Geekbench OpenCL result of the Arc A580’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon PRO W6600, which averages 81,995 (the Vega 64X trails that card by only 1.3%). The Vega 64X also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in average score by 1.4% (80,959 vs 79,842), though that comparison mixes different benchmark generations.

For general desktop users building a new PC, the Intel Arc A580 is the more compelling part. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 91,657 is the single highest recorded compute result between the two cards, and it leads the Vega 64X by 14.4% in that test. The Arc A580 also benefits from modern features: 24 ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. Its 175 W TDP is lower than the Vega 64X’s 250 W, and it uses standard dual-slot cooling with two 8-pin power connectors, making it a conventional install. The Vega 64X, by contrast, is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, which limits it to systems designed around its specific board.

The verdict is conditional on use case. If the requirement is a Mac-compatible GPU with high compute throughput, the Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the sole option in this comparison. If the requirement is a modern, active desktop GPU with ray tracing support and higher raw OpenCL performance, the Intel Arc A580 is the superior pick. The Arc A580’s average score of 57,756 is lower than the Vega 64X’s 80,959, but that average includes a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 2,229 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 79,381, tests the AMD card never ran. Directly comparing only the shared test, the Intel part wins.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X uses the Vega 10 chip on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process, with an architecture designated GCN 5.0. It packs 12,500 million transistors into a 495 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.3 million per square millimeter. The Intel Arc A580 uses the DG2-512 chip on TSMC’s 6 nm process, with the Xe-HPG architecture from the Alchemist generation. Intel’s chip contains 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, achieving a density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. That is more than double the transistor density of the Vega 10, reflecting the newer manufacturing technology.

The memory subsystems differ in type but match in bandwidth. The Vega 64X uses 16 GB of HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The Arc A580 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus, also delivering 512.0 GB/s. The bandwidth is identical, but the Vega 64X has twice the capacity and a much wider bus, while the Arc A580 relies on higher effective memory clock speeds (16 Gbps vs 2 Gbps effective). The Vega 64X’s memory runs at 1000 MHz base with 2 Gbps effective, while the Arc A580’s runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective.

Compute resources are configured differently. The Vega 64X has 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The Arc A580 has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Intel’s card also includes 24 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the AMD part. The Vega 64X achieves a pixel rate of 93.95 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 375.8 GTexel/s. The Arc A580 achieves 192.0 GPixel/s and 384.0 GTexel/s. The Intel part more than doubles the pixel rate and slightly edges the texture rate.

Clock speeds favor Intel significantly. The Arc A580 has a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost of 2000 MHz, versus the Vega 64X’s 1250 MHz base and 1468 MHz boost. Despite the lower clock speeds, the Vega 64X’s FP32 throughput is 12.03 TFLOPS, and its FP16 throughput is 24.05 TFLOPS (2:1). The Arc A580 posts 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.58 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), marginally ahead in both. The Vega 64X’s larger shading unit count compensates for its lower clocks.

API support is another differentiator. The Vega 64X supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Arc A580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Intel’s card also has a newer production status (Active vs End-of-life), a 2023 release date versus 2019, and a predecessor/successor lineage (Xe Graphics to Battlemage), while the AMD card has neither listed.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The Intel Arc A580 scores 91,657, which is 14.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X’s 78,467 in the same test.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, both deliver 512.0 GB/s. The Vega 64X uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, while the Arc A580 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Does either GPU support ray tracing?

A: Only the Intel Arc A580 has ray tracing hardware, with 24 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X has no RT cores listed.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The Vega 64X has a TDP of 250 W, while the Arc A580 has a TDP of 175 W. The Arc A580 also lists a suggested PSU of 450 W.

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X averages 80,959 across its recorded tests, versus 57,756 for the Intel Arc A580. The AMD card sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while Intel’s sits in the 87th.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The Vega 64X is built on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries, while the Arc A580 uses a 6 nm process by TSMC. The Arc A580’s die is smaller (406 mm² vs 495 mm²) but contains far more transistors (21,700 million vs 12,500 million).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measured specification. The process node is 14 nm for the Vega 64X versus 6 nm for the Arc A580. The foundry is GlobalFoundries for AMD and TSMC for Intel. Transistor count is 12,500 million versus 21,700 million. Die size is 495 mm² versus 406 mm². Transistor density is 25.3M per mm² versus 53.4M per mm².

Clock speeds: the Vega 64X has a base of 1250 MHz and a boost of 1468 MHz; the Arc A580 has a base of 1700 MHz and a boost of 2000 MHz. Memory clock is 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective on the AMD side, versus 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective on the Intel side.

Memory capacity is 16 GB of HBM2 for the Vega 64X, while the Arc A580 has 8 GB of GDDR6. Bus width is 2048 bit versus 256 bit. Bandwidth is identical at 512.0 GB/s.

Shading units: 4096 for AMD, 3072 for Intel. TMUs: 256 versus 192. ROPs: 64 versus 96. The Arc A580 has 24 RT cores; the Vega 64X has none. Pixel rate is 93.95 GPixel/s versus 192.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 375.8 GTexel/s versus 384.0 GTexel/s. FP32 is 12.03 TFLOPS versus 12.29 TFLOPS. FP16 is 24.05 TFLOPS versus 24.58 TFLOPS.

TDP is 250 W for the Vega 64X versus 175 W for the Arc A580. Slot width is IGP for AMD versus Dual-slot for Intel. Power connectors are None versus 2x 8-pin. The Arc A580 has a suggested PSU of 450 W; the Vega 64X has none listed. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are Portable Device Dependent for AMD versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0 for Intel.

DirectX support is 12 (12_1) for the Vega 64X versus 12 Ultimate (12_2) for the Arc A580. OpenGL is 4.6 for both. Vulkan is 1.3 versus 1.4. Production status is End-of-life versus Active. Release date is 2019-03-18 versus 2023-10-09. The Arc A580 lists a predecessor (Xe Graphics) and successor (Battlemage); the Vega 64X lists neither.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct comparison between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The Intel Arc A580 scored 91,657, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scored 78,467. That is a 14.4% advantage for Intel, and it is the only head-to-head result recorded, giving the Arc A580 a 1-0 win tally.

Beyond that single match, the surrounding data provides context. The Vega 64X’s Geekbench Metal score of 83,450 is its strongest recorded result, and its average of 80,959 exceeds its OpenCL score. The Arc A580’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 79,381 is close to the Vega 64X’s OpenCL result, while its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,229 is a separate workload with no AMD counterpart.

Looking at the closest rivals in the database, the Vega 64X’s average of 80,959 places it just 1.3% behind the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (81,995), and 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842). The Arc A580’s average of 57,756 is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (58,085), 0.8% behind the Intel Arc A570M (58,239), 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58,392), and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57,367). These deltas show that the Vega 64X competes at a higher absolute performance tier in the database’s average scoring, even though the Arc A580 wins the shared OpenCL test.

The interpretation is that the Vega 64X’s average is buoyed by its Metal benchmark, which is absent from Intel’s test suite. The Arc A580’s average is pulled down by the inclusion of the 3DMark Steel Nomad result, which is a different metric. In the only apples-to-apples comparison available, the Intel part is faster by 14.4%. That is the decisive number for this head-to-head, and it aligns with the architectural advantages of the Arc A580: higher clocks, newer process node, and a doubled pixel rate. The Vega 64X counters with larger memory capacity and a higher average score across its own benchmark set, but it cannot overcome the direct OpenCL deficit.