AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon RX 570 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 480 and AMD Radeon RX 570 are both built on the same GCN 4.0 architecture and 14 nm process, yet the recorded data shows a clear performance separation between the two. The RX 480, an Arctic Islands generation part, outperforms the RX 570 across every benchmark in the database, with an average benchmark score of 33997 compared to 28766 for the RX 570. This places the RX 480 at the 78th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 570 sits at the 74th percentile. The following analysis breaks down the head-to-head results, architectural differences, and specification gaps that explain this outcome.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 480 scores 33997 on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 28766. This gives the RX 480 a clear lead of roughly 18% in overall recorded performance.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RX 480 scores 966, and the RX 570 scores 880. The RX 480 wins this test by 9.8%, which is one of the smaller margins between the two cards.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two GPUs?

A: The largest difference appears in the Geekbench Metal test, where the RX 480 scores 51057 against 39349 for the RX 570. That represents a 29.8% advantage for the RX 480.

Q: Are both cards based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use GCN 4.0, are fabricated on a 14 nm process, and are manufactured by GlobalFoundries. They also share the same transistor count of 5,700 million and a die size of 232 mm².

Q: Do the two cards have the same memory configuration?

A: No. The RX 480 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 570 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256-bit bus.

Q: Which card has more shading units and texture mapping units?

A: The RX 480 has 2304 shading units and 144 TMUs, whereas the RX 570 has 2048 shading units and 128 TMUs. Both cards have 32 ROPs.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head benchmark data records a clean sweep: the AMD Radeon RX 480 wins all four recorded tests, with the RX 570 failing to claim a single victory. This is not a narrow margin across the board; the RX 480 leads by single digits in some tests and by nearly 30% in others. In synthetic compute workloads like Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 480 scores 37998 versus 32084, a difference that reflects its higher raw compute throughput. The RX 480's advantage in shading units and texture rate directly translates to these results, as the data shows it delivering 5.834 TFLOPS of FP32 performance compared to 5.095 TFLOPS for the RX 570.

The RX 570 does not have a single benchmark win, but its strengths are relative to its own position in the market. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which is only 0.4% ahead in average score, and the RX 570 comes in 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X. This suggests the RX 570 is competitive within its own tier, but it is simply outclassed by the RX 480 in direct comparison. For users prioritizing the highest recorded scores, the RX 480 is the only choice between these two.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the GCN 4.0 architecture, which means the fundamental instruction set and compute design are identical. The RX 480 is part of the Arctic Islands generation, while the RX 570 belongs to the Polaris generation, but this naming difference does not translate into a different microarchitecture. Both use the same 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, the same 5,700 million transistors, and the same 232 mm² die size, resulting in an identical transistor density of 24.6M per mm².

The key architectural difference lies in the execution resources. The RX 480 is equipped with 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 570 reduces those counts to 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and keeps 32 ROPs. This reduction in both shading units and TMUs directly impacts the texturing and compute capabilities. The RX 480 achieves a texture rate of 182.3 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 40.51 GPixel/s, while the RX 570 falls to 159.2 GTexel/s and 39.81 GPixel/s respectively. The RX 480 also has a higher FP32 throughput at 5.834 TFLOPS versus 5.095 TFLOPS, and both cards offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with their FP32 rates.

Neither card has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores, which is expected for GCN 4.0 parts. The API support is identical: DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The memory subsystem differs in capacity, with the RX 480 carrying 8 GB and the RX 570 carrying 4 GB, but both use GDDR5 over a 256-bit interface. The RX 480 runs its memory at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective, yielding 256.0 GB/s, while the RX 570 runs at 1750 MHz with 7 Gbps effective, yielding 224.0 GB/s.

Specification Differences

The clock speeds differ notably. The RX 480 has a base clock of 1120 MHz and a boost clock of 1266 MHz. The RX 570 has a higher base clock at 1168 MHz, but a lower boost clock at 1244 MHz. This means the RX 570 starts at a higher frequency but cannot sustain as high a boost under load. The memory clock also differs: the RX 480 uses 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) while the RX 570 uses 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The RX 480's higher memory clock contributes to its larger bandwidth advantage.

The memory capacity is a major differentiator: 8 GB on the RX 480 versus 4 GB on the RX 570. Both have a 256-bit bus, but the RX 480's bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s outstrips the RX 570's 224.0 GB/s. The shading unit count is 2304 versus 2048, and the TMU count is 144 versus 128. The ROP count is the same at 32. The FP32 performance is 5.834 TFLOPS versus 5.095 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 182.3 GTexel/s versus 159.2 GTexel/s.

Power consumption is identical at 150 W TDP, with both cards requiring a single 6-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards. The physical dimensions are nearly the same: the RX 480 measures 240 mm in length, 95 mm in height, and 35 mm in width, while the RX 570 measures 241 mm in length with no recorded height or width. Display outputs differ slightly: the RX 480 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 570 adds a DVI port alongside the same HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. The RX 480 was released on 2016-06-28, while the RX 570 followed on 2017-04-17. Both are end-of-life products.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive result comes from the Geekbench Metal test. The RX 480 scores 51057, while the RX 570 manages 39349. This is a 29.8% delta in favor of the RX 480, the largest margin in any recorded test. This gap is likely driven by the combination of more shading units, higher memory bandwidth, and the 8 GB frame buffer, which allows the RX 480 to handle larger workloads without hitting memory capacity limits.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 480 leads with 37998 versus 32084, a delta of 18.4%. This test reflects raw compute throughput, and the RX 480's 5.834 TFLOPS FP32 capability gives it a clear edge over the RX 570's 5.095 TFLOPS. The RX 480 also wins the Geekbench Vulkan test, scoring 45968 against 42752, a 7.5% advantage. The Vulkan result is closer, suggesting that the RX 570's higher base clock helps narrow the gap in API-specific workloads, but it is still insufficient to overcome the RX 480's resource advantage.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the smallest margin. The RX 480 scores 966, and the RX 570 scores 880, a 9.8% difference. This test is more balanced, but the RX 480 still wins. Across all four benchmarks, the RX 480 never loses a single test, and the average benchmark score reflects this dominance: 33997 versus 28766, placing the RX 480 at the 78th percentile and the RX 570 at the 74th percentile.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The AMD Radeon RX 480 is the stronger GPU in every recorded benchmark, with wins in all four head-to-head tests and a higher average score by 5231 points. Its advantages in shading units, TMUs, memory capacity, and bandwidth all contribute to this outcome. The RX 480 also sits at a higher percentile of all GPUs, at 78 versus 74 for the RX 570.

Users who prioritize raw compute performance, particularly in OpenCL or Metal workloads, should select the RX 480. The 29.8% lead in Metal and 18.4% lead in OpenCL make it the obvious choice for applications that leverage those APIs. For DX12 workloads, the RX 480 still holds a 9.8% advantage, and for Vulkan it leads by 7.5%. The RX 570's higher base clock of 1168 MHz does not translate into any benchmark win, and its lower boost clock of 1244 MHz leaves it behind in sustained-load scenarios.

The RX 570 is a viable option only in contexts where the 4 GB memory capacity is sufficient and the lower cost is a factor, but since pricing is not part of this analysis, the recorded data alone cannot justify choosing it over the RX 480. The RX 480 offers more memory, more compute units, and higher bandwidth, making it the superior part for any workload that can utilize those resources. The RX 570's nearest rival is the RX 6800M, which is only 0.4% ahead, meaning the RX 570 is competitive with that class of GPU, but it is not competitive with the RX 480. The verdict is straightforward: the RX 480 is the faster card, and the benchmark data shows no scenario where the RX 570 overtakes it.