AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs AMD Radeon RX 6700S Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs AMD Radeon RX 6700S

The benchmark data delivers a decisive verdict: the AMD Radeon RX 6700S wins every head-to-head comparison against the RX 580 2048SP, with margins ranging from roughly 41% to 58%. The RX 6700S is the faster card in every measurable workload, and the only real question is whether the RX 580 2048SP retains any niche relevance given its substantial performance deficit.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result comes from Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 6700S scores 70,965 against the RX 580 2048SP’s 29,668. That is a 58.2% advantage for the newer card, meaning the RX 6700S delivers more than double the raw compute performance in this API. For context, the RX 580 2048SP’s overall average benchmark score of 23,061 places it just 0.2% above the Intel Arc B580 (23,021) and 0.5% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23,172). The RX 6700S, meanwhile, posts an average of 22,154, which is 0.1% below the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22,170) and 1.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (21,856). So while the two cards sit at nearly identical percentile rankings — 68th for the RX 580 2048SP versus 67th for the RX 6700S — the head-to-head deltas tell a very different story about their relative strengths.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6700S again dominates, scoring 76,150 versus 38,666 for the RX 580 2048SP. This 49.2% gap shows the RDNA 2 architecture’s superior Vulkan implementation, and it is notably the RX 6700S also has a Geekbench Metal score of 72,864 — a test the RX 580 2048SP does not even have a result for. The RX 580 2048SP’s Vulkan score of 38,666 is actually its strongest single benchmark result, but it still falls far short of the RX 6700S’s output.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the smallest relative gap, but the RX 6700S still wins convincingly with a score of 1,451 against 849 for the RX 580 2048SP. That 41.5% deficit highlights a critical point: even in the RX 580 2048SP’s most favorable comparison — its best-case scenario — the RX 6700S is dramatically ahead. The RX 6700S also brings additional benchmark data that the RX 580 2048SP lacks entirely, including PassMark scores across DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12, plus G2D, G3D, and GPU compute results. In PassMark G3D, the RX 6700S scores 15,066, and its GPU compute score is 5,990, while the RX 580 2048SP has no comparable PassMark entries.

The Verdict

For any user prioritizing raw performance, the RX 6700S is the unambiguous choice. It wins all three head-to-head benchmarks by margins between 41.5% and 58.2%, and it does so while drawing significantly less power — 80 W versus 150 W for the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 6700S also doubles the memory capacity (8 GB versus 4 GB) and uses faster GDDR6 memory at 14 Gbps effective, even though both cards have identical bandwidth at 224.0 GB/s.

The RX 580 2048SP’s only conceivable advantage lies in its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface versus the RX 6700S’s PCIe 4.0 x8, and its dual-slot form factor with a 1x 8-pin power connector, which might suit older systems with limited PCIe 4.0 support. However, the data does not support choosing the RX 580 2048SP on performance grounds. Its percentile ranking of 68th versus the RX 6700S’s 67th is essentially a statistical tie in the overall GPU population, but the head-to-head results show the RX 6700S is in a different performance class. Users with a 450 W power supply requirement (the RX 580 2048SP’s suggested PSU) and a need for a dual-slot, 8-pin card might prefer the older model, but anyone who can accommodate an IGP form factor should take the RX 6700S without hesitation.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has a higher average benchmark score at 23,061, compared to 22,154 for the AMD Radeon RX 6700S. However, this aggregate measure is misleading because the RX 6700S wins every head-to-head benchmark by large margins.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6700S in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RX 6700S scores 1,451 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 41.5% higher than the RX 580 2048SP’s 849. This is the smallest performance gap between the two cards across all shared benchmarks.

Q: What is the most significant performance difference between the two GPUs?

A: The largest gap appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 6700S scores 70,965 versus 29,668 for the RX 580 2048SP — a 58.2% advantage for the RX 6700S.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, both cards have a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, but they achieve it differently. The RX 580 2048SP uses a 256-bit bus with GDDR5 memory at 7 Gbps effective, while the RX 6700S uses a 128-bit bus with GDDR6 memory at 14 Gbps effective.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The RX 580 2048SP’s average score of 23,061 is 0.2% above the Intel Arc B580 (23,021) and 0.7% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22,895), but 0.5% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23,172). The RX 6700S’s average score of 22,154 is 1.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (21,856) but 0.1% below the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22,170) and 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22,435).

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RX 6700S has a boost clock of 2000 MHz, compared to 1284 MHz for the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 6700S also has a higher base clock at 1700 MHz versus 1168 MHz, and a game clock of 1890 MHz that the RX 580 2048SP does not specify.

Specification Differences

The RX 580 2048SP and RX 6700S differ across nearly every core specification. The RX 6700S has more shading units at 1,792 versus 2,048 for the RX 580 2048SP — a surprising inversion where the older card actually has more ALUs. However, the RX 6700S compensates with much higher clocks: a 1700 MHz base and 2000 MHz boost, against 1168 MHz and 1284 MHz for the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 6700S also has a game clock of 1890 MHz, which the RX 580 2048SP does not list.

Memory configurations differ substantially: the RX 6700S has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, while the RX 580 2048SP has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. Both achieve 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, but the RX 6700S uses 14 Gbps effective memory speed versus 7 Gbps for the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 6700S has 64 ROPs and 112 TMUs, while the RX 580 2048SP has 32 ROPs and 128 TMUs. Pixel rate favors the RX 6700S at 128.0 GPixel/s versus 41.09 GPixel/s, and texture rate also favors the newer card at 224.0 GTexel/s versus 164.4 GTexel/s. FP32 output is 7.168 TFLOPS for the RX 6700S and 5.259 TFLOPS for the RX 580 2048SP, while FP16 sees the RX 6700S at 14.34 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 5.259 TFLOPS (1:1) for the RX 580 2048SP.

Power and form factor differences are stark: the RX 6700S has an 80 W TDP and is an IGP with no power connectors, while the RX 580 2048SP has a 150 W TDP, is dual-slot, and requires a 1x 8-pin connector with a 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 6700S uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 580 2048SP uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the RX 580 2048SP offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 6700S is listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent entirely different architectural generations. The RX 580 2048SP uses the Polaris 20 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries with 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die. The RX 6700S uses the Navi 23 chip on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. Transistor density reflects the process advantage: 46.7M per mm² for the RX 6700S versus 24.6M per mm² for the RX 580 2048SP.

The RX 6700S is the first of the two to feature dedicated ray tracing cores, with 28 RT cores. The RX 580 2048SP has none. API support also differs: the RX 6700S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 580 2048SP supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 6700S belongs to the Radeon RX 6000 series and the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation, with a release date of January 2022, while the RX 580 2048SP is part of the Polaris (RX 500) generation, released in October 2018. The RX 6700S lists its predecessor as Polaris Mobile and has no successor, while the RX 580 2048SP lists Arctic Islands as its predecessor and Vega as its successor. Both cards are marked end-of-life in production status.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6700S wins in every benchmark category where both cards have results: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan. Its advantages range from 41.5% to 58.2%, making it the clear choice for any DirectX 12 or Vulkan workload, as well as general OpenCL compute. The RX 6700S also offers ray tracing support, 8 GB of memory, and significantly lower power draw at 80 W, which makes it suitable for thin-and-light portable systems where the IGP form factor and lack of power connectors are advantages. Its 7 nm process and higher transistor density suggest better efficiency per watt, though the exact efficiency figures are not in the data.

The RX 580 2048SP has no benchmark wins, but its specifications point to a few niche use cases. Its 256-bit memory bus and GDDR5 memory could theoretically benefit memory-latency-sensitive workloads, though the bandwidth is identical to the RX 6700S. Its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface might be more compatible with older motherboards, and its 128 TMUs versus 112 for the RX 6700S could help in texture-heavy scenarios, though the RX 6700S’s higher texture rate (224.0 GTexel/s versus 164.4 GTexel/s) suggests this advantage is theoretical. The RX 580 2048SP’s dual-slot design and 1x 8-pin power connector make it a conventional desktop card, which some users may prefer for ease of installation in standard desktop cases. Its 4 GB memory capacity, however, is a significant limitation for modern games and applications. In summary, the RX 6700S is the superior option for virtually every use case, and the RX 580 2048SP only makes sense for users with specific legacy compatibility requirements.