AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs AMD Radeon RX 6800S Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6800S and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP represent two distinct eras of AMD graphics technology, separated by a generational leap in architecture and manufacturing. The RX 6800S, a mobile part from the Radeon RX 6000 series, is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and a 7 nm process, while the RX 580 2048SP is a desktop card from the Polaris generation, utilizing the older GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process. The benchmark data shows a decisive performance advantage for the newer RX 6800S, but the specific strengths and architectural differences reveal a more nuanced picture than a simple win-loss record.

Where Each One Wins

The data presents a clear-cut scenario: the AMD Radeon RX 6800S wins in all three head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP. This is not a case of one card being better for certain workloads while the other excels elsewhere; the RX 6800S is categorically faster in every measured test. The RX 580 2048SP does not win a single direct comparison. However, the context of the win matters. The RX 6800S achieves these victories while operating within a 100 W TDP, a power envelope significantly lower than the RX 580 2048SP's 150 W TDP. This positions the RX 6800S as the superior choice for scenarios where both high performance and power efficiency are critical, such as in portable gaming systems where it is designated as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) solution. The RX 580 2048SP, with its dual-slot design and 1x 8-pin power connector, is a traditional desktop card that offers a baseline of performance that the RX 6800S simply surpasses.

The gap is not marginal; it is substantial. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 6800S scores 1689, which is 98.9% higher than the RX 580 2048SP's 849. This near-doubling of performance indicates that the RX 6800S is in a completely different performance class. The wins extend to compute and API-specific tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6800S scores 73202, a 146.7% improvement over the RX 580 2048SP's 29668. The Vulkan test shows a similar trend, with the RX 6800S achieving 81272 versus 38666, a 110.2% advantage. For a user, this means the RX 6800S will deliver significantly higher frame rates in modern games and dramatically faster compute workloads. The RX 580 2048SP, while functional for its era, is outclassed in every measurable way by the newer architecture.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast, explaining the performance chasm. The RX 6800S is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This allows for a transistor count of 11,060 million on a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7M per mm². In contrast, the RX 580 2048SP uses the GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This older process packs only 5,700 million transistors onto a 232 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 24.6M per mm². This nearly 2x difference in transistor density is a primary driver of the performance gap.

The compute architectures themselves are fundamentally different. RDNA 2.0 brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature entirely absent from the RX 580 2048SP. The RX 6800S has 32 dedicated RT cores, while the RX 580 2048SP has none. This gives the RX 6800S a definitive advantage in titles that utilize ray-traced effects. Furthermore, the RX 6800S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the RX 580 2048SP is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0). This means the newer card can leverage features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading, which are not available on the older hardware. The RX 6800S also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 580 2048SP is capped at Vulkan 1.3.

Memory subsystems also differ significantly. The RX 6800S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 580 2048SP uses 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a wider 256-bit bus, but achieves only 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. While the RX 580 2048SP has a wider bus, the higher clock speeds of the GDDR6 memory in the RX 6800S compensate, resulting in higher overall bandwidth. Clock speeds are also in the RX 6800S's favor, with a base of 1800 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz, compared to the RX 580 2048SP's 1168 MHz base and 1284 MHz boost. The RX 6800S also features a higher pixel rate (134.4 GPixel/s vs 41.09 GPixel/s) and texture rate (268.8 GTexel/s vs 164.4 GTexel/s), despite having the same number of shading units (2048) and TMUs (128). The RX 580 2048SP has only 32 ROPs versus 64 on the RX 6800S, which explains the massive pixel rate difference.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are stark and require little interpretation. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S wins all three tests with decisive margins.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 6800S scores 1689, while the RX 580 2048SP scores 849. This represents a deltaPct of 98.9% in favor of the RX 6800S. This is the smallest relative win for the RX 6800S, but still represents a near-doubling of performance. This test is indicative of modern DirectX 12 gaming performance, and the results show that the RX 6800S is roughly twice as fast as the RX 580 2048SP in this metric.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows an even larger gap. The RX 6800S scores 73202, while the RX 580 2048SP scores 29668. The deltaPct is 146.7%, meaning the RX 6800S is almost 2.5 times faster than the RX 580 2048SP. This highlights the significant advantage in general-purpose compute performance offered by the RDNA 2.0 architecture, likely due to its higher clock speeds and FP32 throughput of 8.602 TFLOPS versus 5.259 TFLOPS.

The Geekbench Vulkan test reinforces the trend. The RX 6800S scores 81272, compared to 38666 for the RX 580 2048SP, a deltaPct of 110.2%. This strong performance in Vulkan suggests that the RX 6800S is well-suited for modern cross-platform games and emulators that rely on this API. The RX 6800S's advantage in these tests is consistent and overwhelming, indicating that the architectural improvements in RDNA 2.0 translate directly into real-world performance gains across multiple APIs and workload types.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800S has an average benchmark score of 24063, while the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an average score of 23061. This places the RX 6800S in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 68th percentile for the RX 580 2048SP.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6800S in the 3DMark Steel Nomad test?

A: The RX 6800S scores 1689, which is 98.9% higher than the RX 580 2048SP's score of 849. This indicates that the RX 6800S nearly doubles the performance of the RX 580 2048SP in this DirectX 12 benchmark.

Q: Does the RX 580 2048SP support ray tracing?

A: No, the RX 580 2048SP does not have any RT cores. The RX 6800S, in contrast, is equipped with 32 RT cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The RX 6800S has a TDP of 100 W, while the RX 580 2048SP has a TDP of 150 W. The RX 580 2048SP also requires a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 450 W suggested PSU, whereas the RX 6800S uses no power connectors.

Q: What is the difference in memory configuration?

A: The RX 6800S features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 580 2048SP features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU is better for modern DirectX 12 Ultimate games?

A: The RX 6800S is the clear winner, as it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 580 2048SP is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0). This means the RX 6800S can utilize the latest features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6800S | AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1800 MHz | 1168 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2100 MHz | 1284 MHz |

| Game Clock | 1975 MHz | N/A |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 32 | N/A |

| Pixel Rate | 134.4 GPixel/s | 41.09 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 268.8 GTexel/s | 164.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 8.602 TFLOPS | 5.259 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 17.20 TFLOPS (2:1) | 5.259 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 100 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | N/A | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2022-01-03 | 2018-10-14 |

| Predecessor | Polaris Mobile | Arctic Islands |