AMD Radeon RX 580 vs AMD Radeon RX 7600 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear, though not entirely uniform, picture of performance between the AMD Radeon RX 7600 and the AMD Radeon RX 580. Across ten recorded tests, the RX 7600 claims nine victories, with the RX 580 securing a single, notable win. The most substantial margin comes in the PassMark DirectX 11 test, where the RX 7600 scores 172 against the RX 580's 60, a delta of 186.7%. This indicates a fundamental advantage in legacy API performance that is difficult to overstate. Similarly, in the PassMark GPU Compute test, the RX 7600's score of 8790 dwarfs the RX 580's 3488, a 152% difference, suggesting a massive leap in raw computational throughput.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a modern and demanding workload, shows the RX 7600 scoring 2310 versus the RX 580's 1005, a 129.9% lead. This is a strong indicator that the newer card is not just faster in synthetic compute but also in contemporary gaming scenarios that rely on DirectX 12. The Geekbench OpenCL test reinforces this trend, with the RX 7600 at 88051 points and the RX 580 at 37453 points, a 135.1% delta. The RX 7600 also shows significant wins in older DirectX tests: 82.6% in DirectX 10 (84 vs 46) and 82.3% in DirectX 9 (226 vs 124). The 3DMark and PassMark G3D tests, which often reflect overall gaming performance, show leads of 88.7% (16634 vs 8813) and 88.7% respectively, with the PassMark G3D result also matching that exact percentage.

The only reverse result is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RX 580 scores 45173 against the RX 7600's 34401, a delta of -23.8% in favor of the older card. This is an intriguing anomaly. It suggests that in this specific API and test configuration, the RX 580's architecture, despite its age, can outperform the newer RDNA 3.0 design. This could be related to driver optimizations for that particular workload or the specific characteristics of the GCN architecture in Vulkan compute tasks. The PassMark DirectX 12 test shows a more modest lead for the RX 7600 at 34.9% (58 vs 43), a smaller margin than the DX11 result but still a decisive win. The 2D performance test (PassMark G2D) shows a 28% advantage for the RX 7600 (984 vs 769), which is a less critical metric but still indicates overall system responsiveness differences.

Where Each One Wins

The data suggests a clear division of labor. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the dominant performer in nearly every category that matters for modern gaming and general-purpose GPU compute. Its wins in DirectX 12, OpenCL, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad test point to a card that is well-suited for current-generation titles and compute-heavy applications. The massive lead in PassMark GPU Compute and the substantial advantage in PassMark G3D solidify its position as the superior choice for any workload that leverages the GPU for parallel processing or high-end graphics rendering. The RX 7600's wins in older DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 tests are equally important, as they ensure backward compatibility with a vast library of legacy games, running them with significantly higher frame rates than the RX 580 can achieve.

The AMD Radeon RX 580 finds its single point of superiority in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark. This is a specific API test, and while the RX 580's victory is clear, it does not appear to translate into a broader pattern of success. For users who are heavily invested in Vulkan-based applications, particularly certain emulators or specific game titles that use this API extensively, the RX 580 might offer a surprising performance edge in that narrow slice of usage. However, this is a solitary data point against a backdrop of overwhelming RX 7600 dominance. The RX 580's performance in DirectX 12 is competitive but still behind, and its scores in other tests are consistently and significantly lower. Therefore, the RX 580's "win" is best understood as a specialty outcome rather than a general-purpose advantage.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two cards is vast. The RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Navi 33 chip, and is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the RX 580 uses the GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 20 chip, produced on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This node difference is a primary driver of the performance gap. The RX 7600 packs 13,300 million transistors into a 204 mm² die, yielding a density of 65.2M transistors per mm². The RX 580, with 5,700 million transistors on a larger 232 mm² die, has a density of just 24.6M per mm². This shows a massive efficiency and integration advantage for the newer card.

Clock speeds also tell a story. The RX 7600 has a base clock of 1720 MHz and a boost clock of 2655 MHz, with a game clock of 2250 MHz. The RX 580 operates at a much lower 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost. Memory configurations differ as well. The RX 7600 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The RX 580 also has 8 GB, but it is GDDR5 on a wider 256-bit bus, resulting in a lower bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The wider bus cannot compensate for the slower memory technology.

The compute resources are also configured differently. The RX 7600 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It also includes 32 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the RX 580. The RX 580 has a higher count of shading units at 2304 and TMUs at 144, but only 32 ROPs. Despite having more shading units, the RX 580's much lower clock speeds and older architecture result in a peak FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS, compared to the RX 7600's 21.75 TFLOPS. The pixel rate is 169.9 GPixel/s for the RX 7600 versus 42.88 GPixel/s for the RX 580, and texture rates are 339.8 GTexel/s versus 193.0 GTexel/s. The RX 7600 also supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 580 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, and the newer card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 580 tops out at DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

FAQ

Q: Why is the RX 7600 so much faster in most tests?

A: The data shows the RX 7600 has a significantly higher FP32 compute rate (21.75 TFLOPS vs 6.175 TFLOPS), a much faster boost clock (2655 MHz vs 1340 MHz), and higher memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s vs 256.0 GB/s). These core specification differences, combined with its newer 6 nm process node, explain its decisive leads in benchmarks like PassMark G3D (88.7% ahead) and 3DMark Steel Nomad (129.9% ahead).

Q: The RX 580 won the Geekbench Vulkan test. Does that mean it's better for Vulkan gaming?

A: The recorded data shows the RX 580 scores 45173 in that specific Geekbench Vulkan test, while the RX 7600 scores 34401. This is a single benchmark result. In other tests that use Vulkan or similar low-level APIs, the RX 7600 is not benchmarked. However, its overwhelming wins in DirectX 12 and OpenCL suggest that the RX 580's Vulkan victory is an isolated case and not indicative of general API performance.

Q: Both cards have 8 GB of memory. Is there a practical difference?

A: Yes. The RX 7600 uses faster GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, resulting in 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 580 uses GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s. While the total memory capacity is the same, the higher bandwidth of the RX 7600 is a contributing factor to its higher performance in memory-intensive tasks.

Q: Does the RX 7600 support ray tracing?

A: The specification sheet for the RX 7600 lists 32 ray tracing cores. The RX 580's specification sheet lists no ray tracing cores, indicating it lacks dedicated hardware for this feature. This is a significant architectural difference that favors the RX 7600 in modern games that use ray tracing effects.

Q: Are these cards from the same generation?

A: No. The RX 7600 is from the Radeon RX 7000 series, released in 2023, and is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The RX 580 is from the RX 500 series, released in 2017, and is based on the much older GCN 4.0 architecture. The production status also differs, with the RX 7600 listed as "Active" and the RX 580 as "End-of-life."

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171, while the RX 580 has an average score of 12928. This places the RX 7600 in the 57th percentile of all GPUs, versus the RX 580's 53rd percentile.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every key specification. The RX 7600 uses a 6 nm process node, while the RX 580 uses 14 nm. The RX 7600 has a transistor count of 13,300 million on a 204 mm² die, while the RX 580 has 5,700 million on a 232 mm² die. Clock speeds are starkly different: the RX 7600 has a 1720 MHz base and 2655 MHz boost, while the RX 580 has a 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost. Memory type differs, with the RX 7600 using GDDR6 and the RX 580 using GDDR5. The bus width is 128-bit for the RX 7600 and 256-bit for the RX 580, but the RX 7600 achieves higher bandwidth (288.0 GB/s vs 256.0 GB/s). The RX 7600 has 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs, while the RX 580 has 2304 shading units and 32 ROPs. The RX 7600 has 32 ray tracing cores, which the RX 580 lacks. Peak FP32 performance is 21.75 TFLOPS for the RX 7600 versus 6.175 TFLOPS for the RX 580. The RX 7600 has a TDP of 165 W, while the RX 580 has a higher TDP of 185 W. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RX 7600 and PCIe 3.0 x16 for the RX 580. Display outputs are also newer on the RX 7600, with HDMI 2.1a and DisplayPort 2.1, versus HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a. The RX 7600 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 580 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 7600 is 204 mm long, while the RX 580 is 241 mm long.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the superior performer in almost every measurable way. It offers a transformative leap in compute power, with its FP32 rate being over three times higher, and it demonstrates this in benchmark scores that are frequently double or more those of the RX 580. For anyone looking to play modern games, especially those using DirectX 12 or ray tracing, the RX 7600 is the clear choice based on the recorded performance metrics. Its wins in the 3DMark Steel Nomad, PassMark G3D, and PassMark GPU Compute tests are decisive and leave no doubt about its overall capability.

The AMD Radeon RX 580, while an older card, still holds a single, specific advantage in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Its score there is 23.8% higher than the RX 7600's. This could be of interest to a niche user base that prioritizes that particular API workload above all else. However, for general gaming, compute, or any other graphics task, the RX 580's significantly lower scores in all other tests make it a poor choice in comparison. The RX 7600's higher average benchmark score, better architectural features, and status as an active product with driver support all point to it being the rational pick. The RX 580 is a legacy card, and while it can still function, the benchmark results show it is outclassed by a wide margin in nearly all scenarios.