AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark recorded in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 takes a clear victory. The AMD card scores 7,333 points against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M's 6,389 points, a 14.8% advantage. This is not a marginal win; it is a substantial gap that places the two GPUs in different performance tiers despite their shared 96.00 GB/s memory bandwidth.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 also has a second benchmark result, Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 7,827 points. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has no recorded Vulkan score, so a direct comparison on that API is impossible from the data. However, the AMD card's average benchmark score of 7,580 points, calculated across its two recorded tests, sits comfortably above the GTX 580M's average of 6,389 points.

Looking at the percentile rankings, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 lands in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M sits at the 37th percentile. This confirms that the AMD card is not just faster in this one test, but also ranks higher in the overall performance distribution. The AMD card's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R7 250 (average score 7,557, 0.3% behind), the Intel Arc A310 (7,550, 0.4% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7,472, 1.4% behind). The GTX 580M, by contrast, matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE exactly (6,389, 0% delta) and trails the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 by 0.9%.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 uses the Lexa chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M uses the GF114 chip based on Fermi 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The process node difference is stark: 14 nm versus 40 nm, which explains the dramatic difference in die size and transistor density.

The AMD chip packs 2,200 million transistors into a 103 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 21.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip has 1,950 million transistors spread across a much larger 332 mm² die, giving a density of just 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. This means the AMD card crams over 3.6 times more transistors into each square millimeter of silicon, a direct result of the newer fabrication process.

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation pipelines. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has double the TMUs and ROPs, but fewer shading units. This leads to interesting throughput numbers: the AMD card achieves 19.50 GPixel/s pixel rate and 39.01 GTexel/s texture rate, while the NVIDIA card achieves 9.92 GPixel/s and 39.68 GTexel/s. The AMD card is nearly twice as fast at pixel fill, while the NVIDIA card barely edges ahead in texture fill.

Compute performance strongly favors AMD. The Radeon Pro WX 3100 delivers 1,248.3 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, and it also supports FP16 at the same 1,248.3 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The GeForce GTX 580M delivers 952.3 GFLOPS of FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability. The memory configurations differ in capacity and bus width: the AMD card has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. Both achieve the same 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, but the AMD card does it with half the bus width, indicating higher memory clock efficiency (1,500 MHz versus 750 MHz effective rates).

API support also differs. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no recorded Vulkan support. The AMD card is a single-slot PCIe 3.0 x8 card with DisplayPort outputs, while the NVIDIA card is an MXM module using the MXM-B (3.0) interface, designed for portables.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 wins on raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 1,248.3 GFLOPS is 31% higher than the GTX 580M's 952.3 GFLOPS. It also has double the memory capacity (4 GB versus 2 GB), which matters for workloads that need larger working sets. The pixel fill rate advantage is significant: 19.50 GPixel/s versus 9.92 GPixel/s, a near 2x lead that benefits resolution-heavy tasks and multi-sample anti-aliasing. The AMD card also supports FP16 compute at full rate, which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely, making the AMD card better suited for workloads that can use reduced precision.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M does have some advantages, but they are narrow. Its texture fill rate of 39.68 GTexel/s slightly exceeds the AMD card's 39.01 GTexel/s. It also has double the ROP count (32 versus 16) and double the TMU count (64 versus 32), which could help in specific fill-limited scenarios. The 256-bit memory bus is wider than AMD's 128-bit bus, though both ultimately deliver the same bandwidth. The NVIDIA card also has a lower power draw of 100 W versus the AMD card's 65 W, though this is a drawback rather than a win in practical terms.

For use cases, the AMD card is the better choice for OpenCL compute workloads, as the benchmark data directly shows. Its 14.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with Vulkan support and higher FP32/FP16 throughput, makes it the more versatile compute card. The NVIDIA card's edge in texture fill and ROP count suggests it might hold up better in older, fill-rate-bound games, but the data does not include gaming benchmarks to confirm this.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 has an average benchmark score of 7,580, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has an average score of 6,389. The AMD card is 14.8% ahead in the head-to-head OpenCL test.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M support Vulkan?

A: No, the database records no Vulkan support for the GTX 580M. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 supports Vulkan 1.3 and also has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 7,827.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The AMD card has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. Both achieve 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card uses 1,500 MHz memory (6 Gbps effective), the NVIDIA card uses 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective).

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 has a transistor density of 21.4 million transistors per mm² on a 103 mm² die. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has a density of 5.9 million transistors per mm² on a 332 mm² die.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 has a TDP of 65 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has a TDP of 100 W. The AMD card delivers higher compute performance while drawing 35 W less.

Q: How do these cards rank against all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 is in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is in the 37th percentile. The AMD card's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R7 250 (0.3% behind), while the GTX 580M exactly matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 is the faster GPU. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 14.8%, has a higher average score (7,580 versus 6,389), ranks in a higher percentile (41st versus 37th), and delivers 31% more FP32 compute. It also has twice the memory capacity, full FP16 support, and Vulkan compatibility, all while drawing 35 W less power.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is an older design from a different era. Its 40 nm process, Fermi 2.0 architecture, and 2011 release date place it firmly in the past. Its only statistical advantages are in texture fill rate (39.68 versus 39.01 GTexel/s) and ROP count (32 versus 16), but these do not translate into a benchmark win.

Pick the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 if you need compute performance, modern API support, or more memory. It is the clear choice for OpenCL workloads and any task that can use FP16 acceleration. Pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M only if you are constrained to an MXM form factor or need its specific texture fill characteristics, but understand that the data shows it trailing in every measured benchmark.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M |

|-------|------------------------|-------------------------|

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 40 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 2,200 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 103 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 21.4M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 512 | 384 |

| TMUs | 32 | 64 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 19.50 GPixel/s | 9.92 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 39.01 GTexel/s | 39.68 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,248.3 GFLOPS | 952.3 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 1,248.3 GFLOPS (1:1) | Not recorded |

| TDP | 65 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | MXM Module |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.3 | Not recorded |

| Release Date | 2017-06-11 | 2011-06-27 |

| Launch MSRP | 199 USD | Not recorded |