AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M and AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 represent two distinct eras of graphics hardware, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear overall winner in the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100, which secures the only head-to-head benchmark victory, yet the GTX 580M remains competitive in a specific legacy context. The GeForce GTX 580M, a mobile flagship from the Fermi 2.0 generation, was designed for high-end laptops, while the Radeon Pro WX 4100 is a professional desktop workstation card built on the more modern GCN 4.0 architecture. Their average benchmark scores are remarkably close, with the GTX 580M at 6389 and the WX 4100 at 6330, placing both at the 37th percentile among all GPUs. This proximity in overall standing masks significant differences in how they achieve their performance, which this analysis will explore through architectural and benchmark data.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the decisive winner in compute-oriented workloads, as evidenced by its overwhelming performance in the Geekbench OpenCL test. The data shows the WX 4100 scoring 17642 compared to the GTX 580M’s 6389, a delta of -63.8% from the perspective of the NVIDIA card. This massive lead in a general-purpose compute benchmark indicates that the WX 4100 is the superior choice for tasks that leverage GPU compute, such as rendering, simulation, and scientific calculations. Furthermore, the WX 4100 has a suite of additional benchmark results that the GTX 580M lacks entirely, including Geekbench Metal (21018), Geekbench Vulkan (18703), and Passmark tests for DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute. This breadth of data suggests it is a more versatile and thoroughly validated product across multiple API environments.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head comparison, but its single OpenCL score of 6389 is nearly identical to the WX 4100’s average score of 6330. The data implies that in the specific, narrow context of the OpenCL workload, the GTX 580M is not far behind the AMD card, trailing by only 0.9% according to the nearestRivals deltaPct. However, this is a single point of comparison. The GTX 580M’s advantage, if any, would be in its legacy role as a mobile GPU, where its 100 W TDP and MXM Module form factor were designed for high-performance laptops in 2011. The WX 4100, with its 50 W TDP and single-slot design, is a desktop card that offers modern API support, making it the clear winner for any current software environment.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast and explains their divergent performance profiles. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is built on the GF114 chip using the Fermi 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This older process results in a large die size of 332 mm² housing 1,950 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 uses the Baffin chip with the GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a much more efficient 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Despite having more transistors at 3,000 million, the WX 4100’s die is only 123 mm², achieving a significantly higher transistor density of 24.4M per mm². This efficiency advantage is a primary driver of the WX 4100’s lower power consumption and higher clock speeds.

The compute core configurations also differ fundamentally. The GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster output units (ROPs). The WX 4100, however, packs 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. The AMD card’s massive advantage in shading units (1024 vs 384) is the key reason for its superior compute performance, allowing it to process vastly more parallel operations per clock cycle. The GTX 580M’s higher ROP count (32 vs 16) suggests a potential advantage in pixel fillrate, but this is not reflected in any benchmark data provided. The WX 4100 also supports a wider range of modern APIs, including Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 580M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed. This makes the WX 4100 far more compatible with contemporary software and game engines.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark result is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a decisive victory for the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100. The AMD card scores 17642, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389. This represents a deltaPct of -63.8% for the GTX 580M, meaning it is approximately 64% slower than the WX 4100 in this specific compute workload. This is a massive performance gap that cannot be overstated. The WX 4100’s score is more than 2.7 times higher than the GTX 580M’s, reflecting the fundamental architectural advantages of GCN 4.0, including its 1024 shading units and higher clock speeds.

The data also shows that the GTX 580M’s score of 6389 is essentially tied with the WX 4100’s average score of 6330, and also matches the average score of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE at 6389. This suggests that in raw OpenCL compute, the GTX 580M is performing at a level comparable to a mid-range desktop card from its own generation, but it is utterly outclassed by the WX 4100, which is a professional card from a much later era. The nearestRivals data for the WX 4100 lists the GTX 580M with a deltaPct of -0.9, but this comparison uses the WX 4100’s average score, not its peak OpenCL score. The head-to-head result shows the true extent of the WX 4100’s dominance in this specific test, making it the clear choice for any compute-intensive application.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two cards are extensive, reflecting their different target markets and release eras. The most critical differences are in memory, power, and physical design. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 offers 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. Both achieve the same memory bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s, meaning the WX 4100 compensates for its narrower bus with faster effective memory speeds (6 Gbps vs 3 Gbps). The GTX 580M’s memory clock is 750 MHz, while the WX 4100’s is 1500 MHz.

Power consumption is another major differentiator. The GTX 580M has a TDP of 100 W, while the WX 4100 is far more efficient at just 50 W. This is a direct result of the newer 14 nm process node. The physical form factors also differ: the GTX 580M is an MXM Module with a bus interface of MXM-B (3.0), designed for laptops, while the WX 4100 is a single-slot desktop card with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. The WX 4100 has defined dimensions of 168 mm in length and 69 mm in height, and it has a suggested PSU of 250 W, whereas the GTX 580M has no suggested PSU listed. Both cards have no power connectors and are end-of-life products.

Clock speeds are a significant point of divergence. The GTX 580M has no base or boost clock listed, only a memory clock, while the WX 4100 has a base clock of 1125 MHz and a boost clock of 1201 MHz. This clock speed advantage, combined with its higher shading unit count, gives the WX 4100 a peak FP32 performance of 2.460 TFLOPS, compared to the GTX 580M’s 952.3 GFLOPS. The WX 4100 also has FP16 performance at 2.460 TFLOPS (1:1), while the GTX 580M has no FP16 capability listed. The WX 4100’s display outputs are 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 580M’s are listed as portable device dependent, further cementing their different use cases.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 6389, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100’s 6330. However, this difference is marginal, with a deltaPct of only 0.9% in favor of the GTX 580M.

Q: How do they compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the clear winner, scoring 17642 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M’s 6389. This is a delta of -63.8% for the GTX 580M, indicating the WX 4100 is significantly faster in this compute workload.

Q: What are the key differences in memory configuration?

A: The GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the WX 4100 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. Despite the bus width difference, both have an identical memory bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is significantly more power-efficient, with a TDP of 50 W compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M’s 100 W. This is largely due to its newer 14 nm manufacturing process.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card support modern APIs like Vulkan?

A: No. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What are the physical form factors of each card?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is an MXM Module designed for laptops, with display outputs that are portable device dependent. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is a single-slot desktop card with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface and 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear verdict: the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the superior GPU for nearly all modern workloads. Its dominant performance in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it is over 2.7 times faster than the GTX 580M, makes it the obvious choice for compute-intensive professional applications. Its support for Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0) ensures compatibility with current software, while its higher memory capacity (4 GB vs 2 GB) and lower power consumption (50 W vs 100 W) make it a more practical and future-proof option. The WX 4100’s professional pedigree, with its 4x mini-DisplayPort outputs and single-slot design, is tailored for workstation environments.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, while having a marginally higher average benchmark score, is a product of its time. Its single OpenCL score is on par with the WX 4100’s average, but it lacks any other benchmark data, suggesting it was not capable of running or performing well in modern tests like Vulkan or Metal. Its high TDP, mobile MXM form factor, and lack of modern API support severely limit its utility in 2024. The GTX 580M should only be considered by users with legacy systems that specifically require a Fermi-era mobile GPU. For anyone else, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the definitive choice, offering superior compute performance, efficiency, and modern feature support, despite its slightly lower average score.