AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 occupy different corners of the performance spectrum, despite their similar average benchmark scores. The RX 580 2048SP, based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture, is a legacy consumer part that holds its own in specific legacy DirectX tests, while the Quadro RTX 5000, built on Turing, demonstrates overwhelming dominance in modern compute and graphics workloads. The data available shows a clear split: the Quadro wins decisively in the two head-to-head tests, while the AMD card's aggregate score edges out its rival due to superior performance in other benchmark categories not directly compared.

Where Each One Wins

The performance split between these two cards is stark. In the head-to-head benchmarks provided, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is the outright winner in both tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro scores 78999 against the RX 580 2048SP's 29668, a delta of -62.4% for the AMD card. This is not a marginal victory; it represents a fundamental advantage in raw compute throughput. Similarly, in Geekbench Vulkan, the Quadro's 92309 score dwarfs the RX 580 2048SP's 38666, with the AMD card trailing by -58.1%. These results indicate that for any modern, API-accelerated workload, the Quadro RTX 5000 is the superior choice by a wide margin.

The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, however, does have a claim to victory in the broader context of its average benchmark score. Its avgBenchmarkScore is 23061, which is 1432 points higher than the Quadro RTX 5000's 21629. This aggregate figure suggests that the RX 580 2048SP performs better across a wider range of tests, likely including older DirectX versions and 2D workloads where the Quadro's Passmark scores are relatively low (e.g., Passmark DirectX 10 at 113, DirectX 9 at 195, and G2D at 709). The Quadro's strength is concentrated in compute and modern graphics, while the RX 580 2048SP appears more balanced across the entire benchmark suite.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card adds further context. The RX 580 2048SP's average score of 23061 places it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Arc B580 (23021) and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895), but 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172) and 0.8% behind the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249). The Quadro RTX 5000's average of 21629 is 1% behind the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (21856), but 1.2% ahead of the RTX A4000 Mobile (21379), 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237), and 2.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153). This indicates the Quadro's average is dragged down by its weak legacy performance, while the RX 580 2048SP benefits from strong showings in those same legacy tests.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear verdict for users with specific workload requirements. For anyone prioritizing modern compute performance, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 is the definitive choice. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 78999 is more than 2.6 times higher than the RX 580 2048SP's 29668. Its Vulkan score of 92309 is nearly 2.4 times higher than the AMD card's 38666. These are not small differences; they represent a generational leap in execution capability. The Quadro also offers features that the RX 580 2048SP lacks entirely, including 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores, which make it suited for ray tracing and AI-accelerated tasks.

However, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is not without its merits. Its higher avgBenchmarkScore of 23061 versus 21629 indicates that in a mixed workload environment, particularly one involving legacy DirectX applications or 2D tasks, it will deliver better overall performance. The card's 68th percentile rank among all GPUs also edges out the Quadro's 67th percentile. For users running older software that relies on DirectX 9, 10, or 11, the RX 580 2048SP's Passmark scores are not available in the data, but the Quadro's low scores in these tests (113 for DirectX 10, 140 for DirectX 11, 59 for DirectX 12, 195 for DirectX 9) suggest the AMD card would be more capable in those scenarios.

The production status of both cards is end-of-life, so neither is a future-proof investment. The Quadro RTX 5000's launch MSRP is 2,299 USD, which positions it as a professional workstation product. The RX 580 2048SP has no launch MSRP listed. Given the benchmark data, the Quadro RTX 5000 is the superior card for compute-intensive professional work, while the RX 580 2048SP is better suited for legacy gaming or general-purpose use where its higher average score matters more than peak compute performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two head-to-head benchmarks provide a clear picture of the performance gap. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 achieves a score of 78999, while the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP manages only 29668. The delta of -62.4% for the AMD card means it delivers less than 40% of the Quadro's compute performance in this test. This is a massive difference, attributable to the Quadro's 3072 shading units, 11.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, and 22.30 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, compared to the RX 580 2048SP's 2048 shading units, 5.259 TFLOPS of FP32, and 5.259 TFLOPS of FP16.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar pattern. The Quadro RTX 5000 scores 92309, while the RX 580 2048SP scores 38666, a delta of -58.1% for the AMD card. The Quadro's advantage in Vulkan is slightly less pronounced than in OpenCL, but it is still overwhelming. The Quadro's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, compared to the RX 580 2048SP's DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, gives it access to more advanced rendering features. The Quadro's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, double the RX 580 2048SP's 224.0 GB/s, also contributes to its superior performance in memory-intensive workloads.

These two wins give the Quadro RTX 5000 a 2-0 record in head-to-head tests. There are no benchmark results where the RX 580 2048SP wins directly against the Quadro. However, the aggregate avgBenchmarkScore tells a different story, as the AMD card's 23061 score is 6.6% higher than the Quadro's 21629. This suggests that in tests not included in the head-to-head comparison, the RX 580 2048SP performs significantly better, likely in legacy DirectX and 2D workloads where the Quadro's scores are notably low.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an avgBenchmarkScore of 23061, which is higher than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000's 21629.

Q: How much faster is the Quadro RTX 5000 in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 scores 92309 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the RX 580 2048SP scores 38666, making the Quadro 58.1% faster in this test.

Q: Does the AMD card have any RT or tensor cores?

A: No, the RX 580 2048SP has no RT cores and no tensor cores, while the Quadro RTX 5000 has 48 RT cores and 384 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory size difference between the two cards?

A: The Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RX 580 2048SP has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile rank among all GPUs?

A: The RX 580 2048SP has a percentile rank of 68, which is one point higher than the Quadro RTX 5000's percentile rank of 67.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The RX 580 2048SP is built on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries, while the Quadro RTX 5000 uses a 12 nm process by TSMC.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture, utilizing the Polaris 20 chip. It is fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries and contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die. Its transistor density is 24.6M per mm². The card features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines. It has no dedicated RT or tensor cores, reflecting its consumer gaming focus from the Polaris generation.

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 uses the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 13,600 million transistors on a much larger 545 mm² die, with a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². The card has 3072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Critically, it includes 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 384 tensor cores for AI and deep learning tasks, which the AMD card completely lacks. The Quadro's FP16 performance is 22.30 TFLOPS, which is exactly double its FP32 performance of 11.15 TFLOPS, indicating a 2:1 ratio. The RX 580 2048SP has FP16 performance of 5.259 TFLOPS, identical to its FP32, showing a 1:1 ratio.

The API support also differs. The Quadro RTX 5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 580 2048SP supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Quadro's higher DirectX version indicates support for advanced features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading, which the RX 580 2048SP cannot handle. The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different, with the Quadro using GDDR6 and the AMD card using GDDR5.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every measurable specification. The most obvious difference is memory: the Quadro RTX 5000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, while the RX 580 2048SP has 4 GB of GDDR5 with a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the Quadro's higher memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus the RX 580 2048SP's 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) doubles its bandwidth.

Clock speeds also favor the Quadro RTX 5000. Its base clock is 1620 MHz and boost clock is 1815 MHz, compared to the RX 580 2048SP's base of 1168 MHz and boost of 1284 MHz. This translates into higher pixel and texture rates: the Quadro achieves 116.2 GPixel/s and 348.5 GTexel/s, while the AMD card manages 41.09 GPixel/s and 164.4 GTexel/s. The Quadro's FP32 performance is 11.15 TFLOPS versus the RX 580 2048SP's 5.259 TFLOPS, more than double.

Power requirements also differ significantly. The Quadro RTX 5000 has a TDP of 230 W and requires a 550 W power supply, with dual connectors (1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin). The RX 580 2048SP has a TDP of 150 W, a suggested 450 W power supply, and a single 8-pin connector. The Quadro is also physically larger at 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, versus the RX 580 2048SP's 241 mm (9.5 inches) length. Display outputs differ as well: the Quadro offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C, while the RX 580 2048SP offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.