AMD Radeon RX 5700 vs AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 decisively outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP across every benchmark in the data, with the RX 5700 winning all three head-to-head tests by margins ranging from roughly 40% to over 57%. While the RX 580 2048SP holds a slightly higher overall percentile ranking (68th vs. 67th), this is a reflection of its average score across a broader benchmark set; in direct comparison, the RX 5700 is the clear performance leader, particularly in compute-heavy and modern DirectX 12 workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 is dramatically faster, scoring 1862 points compared to the RX 580 2048SP's 849 points. This represents a 54.4% advantage for the RX 5700.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 is the clear winner, posting a Geekbench OpenCL score of 69603 versus 29668 for the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 5700 leads by 57.4%, making this its largest margin of victory.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the RX 580 2048SP wins?

A: No. In the three head-to-head benchmarks provided (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan), the RX 5700 wins all three. The RX 580 2048SP records zero wins.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 5700 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 580 2048SP has 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, but its bandwidth is exactly half, at 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Do these cards support different PCIe generations?

A: Yes. The RX 5700 uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the RX 580 2048SP is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. This is a notable platform-level difference.

Q: What are the respective launch MSRP values?

A: The RX 5700 has a launch MSRP of 349 USD. The RX 580 2048SP has no launch MSRP listed in the data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct architectural generations from AMD. The RX 580 2048SP is built on the Polaris 20 chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. In contrast, the RX 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip with the newer RDNA 1.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink is substantial: the RX 5700 packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, while the RX 580 2048SP contains only 5,700 million transistors on a slightly smaller 232 mm² die. The resulting transistor density tells the story — the RX 5700 achieves 41.0M transistors per mm², compared to just 24.6M for the RX 580 2048SP.

The compute architecture also differs fundamentally. The RX 580 2048SP features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 5700 scales this up to 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs — doubling the pixel output capability. Clock speeds are significantly higher on the RX 5700, with a base clock of 1465 MHz and boost of 1725 MHz, versus 1168 MHz base and 1284 MHz boost on the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 5700 also has a defined game clock of 1625 MHz, a spec the RX 580 2048SP lacks.

Memory technology represents another generational leap. The RX 5700 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 running at 14 Gbps effective, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 580 2048SP uses 4 GB of GDDR5 at 7 Gbps effective, yielding exactly half the bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit bus. The FP32 compute output is also starkly different: the RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS, while the RX 580 2048SP manages 5.259 TFLOPS. Interestingly, the RX 5700's FP16 throughput is 15.90 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), whereas the RX 580 2048SP's FP16 is 5.259 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), showing the newer architecture handles half-precision math more efficiently.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data paints an unambiguous picture of the RX 5700's dominance. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 5700 scores 1862 points against the RX 580 2048SP's 849 points. That is a 54.4% deficit for the older card, indicating the RX 5700 is more than twice as fast in this modern DirectX 12 workload. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap in rasterization performance.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the largest gap between the two. The RX 5700 scores 69603, while the RX 580 2048SP scores 29668. The delta here is 57.4% in favor of the RX 5700. This suggests the RX 5700's combination of more shading units, higher clocks, and faster memory translates into a massive advantage in general-purpose compute tasks. For any workload that leverages OpenCL — be it rendering, physics simulations, or data processing — the RX 5700 is the far superior choice.

In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RX 5700 again wins, scoring 64166 versus 38666 for the RX 580 2048SP. The margin here is 39.7%. While this is the smallest of the three deltas, it is still a very substantial lead. Vulkan performance is critical for modern game engines and low-overhead APIs, and the RX 5700's lead here confirms its architectural superiority extends beyond pure compute into real-world graphics workloads. The RX 580 2048SP has zero wins across all three tests, making the overall head-to-head result a clean 3-0 sweep for the RX 5700.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every meaningful specification category. Starting with the process node, the RX 580 2048SP uses 14 nm technology from GlobalFoundries, while the RX 5700 uses 7 nm from TSMC. Transistor counts are 5,700 million versus 10,300 million, respectively. The die size is 232 mm² for the RX 580 2048SP and 251 mm² for the RX 5700.

Clock speeds show the RX 5700's advantage: base clock is 1465 MHz versus 1168 MHz, and boost clock is 1725 MHz versus 1284 MHz. The RX 5700 also has a game clock of 1625 MHz, which the RX 580 2048SP does not list. Memory differs in size (8 GB vs. 4 GB), type (GDDR6 vs. GDDR5), and effective speed (14 Gbps vs. 7 Gbps), though both share a 256-bit bus width. Bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s.

Compute resources differ: the RX 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the RX 580 2048SP has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Pixel rate is 110.4 GPixel/s versus 41.09 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 248.4 GTexel/s versus 164.4 GTexel/s. FP32 output is 7.949 TFLOPS versus 5.259 TFLOPS. Power draw is higher on the RX 5700 at 180 W versus 150 W, and it requires both a 6-pin and 8-pin connector, whereas the RX 580 2048SP needs only a single 8-pin. Both recommend a 450 W PSU.

The RX 5700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 580 2048SP uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are similar, but the RX 580 2048SP adds a DVI port. API support differs: the RX 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 580 2048SP supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 5700 is physically larger at 268 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 36 mm in width, versus 241 mm in length for the RX 580 2048SP.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is the superior GPU in every measured dimension. It wins all three head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 39.7% to 57.4%, and it offers double the memory bandwidth, double the ROP count, and significantly higher clock speeds. The RX 5700's architecture is newer (RDNA 1.0 vs. GCN 4.0), built on a more advanced 7 nm process, and supports PCIe 4.0. For any user prioritizing raw performance, the RX 5700 is the only logical choice.

The RX 580 2048SP does have one statistical edge: its average benchmark score across all tests is 23061, which places it at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, slightly above the RX 5700's 67th percentile. However, this is misleading. The RX 580 2048SP's average is buoyed by a broader set of benchmarks, including Geekbench Vulkan and OpenCL scores that, while lower than the RX 5700's, still contribute to a higher mean when combined with other tests. The direct head-to-head data, which is the most relevant comparison, shows the RX 5700 winning convincingly.

The RX 5700's nearest rivals according to average score are the AMD Radeon RX 6700S (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (1.2% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (1.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (1.7% behind). The RX 580 2048SP's nearest rivals are the Intel Arc B580 (0.2% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.5% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.7% behind), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (0.8% ahead). These rival lists show the RX 580 2048SP competing with a much older, lower-tier set of GPUs, while the RX 5700 sits in a higher performance class.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins in every benchmark category where both cards were tested. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, its 54.4% lead makes it the clear choice for modern DirectX 12 gaming. In Geekbench OpenCL, its 57.4% advantage makes it the preferred card for compute workloads like rendering, video encoding, and scientific applications. In Geekbench Vulkan, its 39.7% lead solidifies its position for Vulkan-based games and low-overhead APIs. The RX 5700 also has the benefit of 8 GB of memory versus 4 GB, which matters for high-resolution textures and larger datasets, and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is double that of the RX 580 2048SP.

The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has no benchmark wins to claim. Its only advantages are practical rather than performance-based: it draws 30 W less power (150 W vs. 180 W), requires a single 8-pin power connector instead of a 6-pin plus 8-pin combination, and is shorter at 241 mm versus 268 mm, which may fit in smaller cases. It also includes a DVI output, which the RX 5700 lacks. For users with legacy displays or strict power and space constraints, the RX 580 2048SP could be a functional option, but it sacrifices significant performance in every measurable test. The data shows the RX 5700 is the definitive winner for anyone who values speed, memory capacity, and modern feature support.