AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole recorded benchmark comparison between these two mobile graphics parts is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 manages 5358 points. That is a 19.2% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial lead in raw compute throughput as measured by this workload. The delta is not a marginal one; it places the GTX 580M a full tier above its rival in the database's ranking structure.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the significance of this gap. The GTX 580M's score of 6389 places it at the 37th percentile across all GPUs in the database. Its closest competitors are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, which matches it exactly at 6389 points with a 0% delta, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell, which sits just 0.3% above at 6407 points. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 trails by 0.9% at 6330 points, and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 is 1% behind at 6327 points. This clustering shows the GTX 580M operates in a tight band of mid-range desktop and professional parts, despite being a mobile component from an earlier generation.

The R7 M445, by contrast, sits at the 31st percentile, a full six percentile points lower. Its nearest rivals tell a different story. The Intel UHD Graphics P630 is effectively tied at 5370 points, a mere 0.2% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce 840M trails by 0.7% at 5322 points, the GeForce 930A is 0.8% behind at 5317 points, and the GeForce GTX 980M is 0.9% behind at 5308 points. The presence of the GTX 980M, a far more powerful part in gaming contexts, in the R7 M445's rival list with a lower OpenCL score than the R7 M445 itself is a reminder that OpenCL is only one lens, but within that lens, the R7 M445 holds its own against a surprisingly broad spread of NVIDIA parts.

What the head-to-head data shows is a clear hierarchy. The GTX 580M outperforms the R7 M445 by nearly a fifth in OpenCL compute. The R7 M445 is not in the same performance class, and the benchmark record offers no countervailing test where it pulls ahead. The win tally is 1-0 in favor of the GTX 580M, and the margin is large enough to be decisive for any workload that relies on general-purpose GPU compute.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is the unequivocally stronger performer. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 6389 against the AMD Radeon R7 M445's 5358 yields a 19.2% lead, and its 37th percentile ranking versus the R7 M445's 31st confirms the gap is not an artifact of a single test. Anyone choosing between these two strictly on measured compute performance should select the GTX 580M.

That said, the R7 M445 is not without a rationale for certain users. It is a much newer part, released in 2016 versus 2011 for the GTX 580M. It features a 4 GB memory allocation, double the GTX 580M's 2 GB, and its GCN 3.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 at feature level 12_0, Vulkan 1.2.170, and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 580M's Fermi 2.0 architecture only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and lacks Vulkan support entirely. For software that explicitly requires modern API features, the R7 M445 is the only one of the two that can comply. However, the database shows no benchmark results where that API advantage translates into a performance win. The verdict is therefore split: the GTX 580M wins on raw compute, the R7 M445 wins on modern feature support and memory capacity, but the measured performance crown belongs to NVIDIA.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358 points, giving the GTX 580M a 19.2% advantage.

Q: How do these GPUs rank against all other GPUs in the database?

A: The GTX 580M sits at the 37th percentile, while the R7 M445 sits at the 31st percentile.

Q: What is the closest rival to each GPU based on average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 580M's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE with a matching 6389 points and a 0% delta. The R7 M445's closest rival is the Intel UHD Graphics P630 at 5370 points, a 0.2% difference.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: Only the AMD Radeon R7 M445 supports Vulkan, specifically version 1.2.170. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M's 2 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What are the DirectX support levels for each GPU?

A: The GTX 580M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the R7 M445 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), which is a higher feature level.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is built on the GF114 chip with a 40 nm process node at TSMC, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses the Meso chip on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The GTX 580M packs 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². The R7 M445 contains 1,550 million transistors on a much smaller 125 mm² die, achieving 12.4M per mm², more than double the density.

Clock behavior diverges sharply. The GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clock, but its memory runs at 750 MHz, translating to 3 Gbps effective. The R7 M445 has a base clock of 780 MHz and a boost clock of 920 MHz, with memory at 1000 MHz, or 4 Gbps effective. Memory configuration also differs: the GTX 580M uses a 256-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the R7 M445 uses a 64-bit bus with only 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5, the R7 M445 has 4 GB.

Compute unit counts favor the GTX 580M. It has 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The R7 M445 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and just 8 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates reflect this: the GTX 580M reaches 9.920 GPixel/s and 39.68 GTexel/s, while the R7 M445 manages 7.360 GPixel/s and 18.40 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance tells the same story, with the GTX 580M delivering 952.3 GFLOPS FP32, versus 588.8 GFLOPS FP32 for the R7 M445, which also matches that number for FP16 at a 1:1 ratio.

Power and interface specifications differ as well. The GTX 580M has a 100 W TDP and uses an MXM Module slot width with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface and no power connectors. The R7 M445 has no listed TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, and no power connector data. Both list display outputs as "Portable Device Dependent." The GTX 580M was released on 2011-06-27, the R7 M445 on 2016-05-14. The GTX 580M's predecessor is the GeForce 400M and its successor is the GeForce 600M; the R7 M445's predecessor is "Solar System" and its successor is "Polaris Mobile." Both are end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is built on Fermi 2.0, NVIDIA's second iteration of the Fermi architecture, which launched in the GeForce 500M generation. It is a 40 nm design fabricated by TSMC, with 1,950 million transistors and a die size of 332 mm². The architecture supports DirectX 12 at the 11_0 feature level, OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan. Its 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs are arranged in a configuration typical of Fermi's larger dies, and its 256-bit memory bus provides 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 is built on Graphics Core Next 3.0, specifically the GCN 3.0 revision, using the Meso chip. It is a 28 nm TSMC part with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die. GCN 3.0 is a significantly newer architecture design, and it shows in API support: DirectX 12 at the 12_0 feature level, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 M445 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, with a 64-bit memory bus delivering 32.00 GB/s. Its FP16 performance equals its FP32 performance at 588.8 GFLOPS, a capability the GTX 580M does not list. The R7 M445 also has a higher transistor density at 12.4M per mm², reflecting the more advanced 28 nm process node. The GTX 580M's Fermi 2.0 architecture lacks any Vulkan path and offers only the older DirectX 11_0 feature level, which limits its compatibility with modern graphics APIs despite its raw compute advantage.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M wins decisively on raw compute performance. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 19.2% higher, and it holds a 37th percentile rank versus the R7 M445's 31st. The GTX 580M also leads in every measured throughput metric: pixel rate at 9.920 GPixel/s, texture rate at 39.68 GTexel/s, and FP32 at 952.3 GFLOPS. Its 256-bit memory bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth is triple the R7 M445's 32.00 GB/s, which matters for bandwidth-sensitive workloads. For any task that stresses raw shader compute, texture fill, or memory throughput, the GTX 580M is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 wins on modernity and memory capacity. Its 4 GB frame buffer is double the GTX 580M's 2 GB, which can be relevant for workloads that need larger working sets. It supports DirectX 12_0, Vulkan 1.2.170, and OpenGL 4.6, whereas the GTX 580M only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan. Its boost clock of 920 MHz is higher than any clock listed for the GTX 580M, though the GTX 580M's base clock is unlisted, making direct comparison impossible. The R7 M445's 28 nm process gives it a transistor density of 12.4M per mm², a sign of a more efficient design, and its lack of a listed TDP suggests it may draw less power, though the GTX 580M's 100 W TDP is the only hard number available. For users running software that requires Vulkan or DirectX 12_0 features, or who need more than 2 GB of VRAM, the R7 M445 is the only viable option. For everything measured in the benchmark suite, the GTX 580M wins.