AMD Radeon RX 580 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data paints a starkly one-sided picture between these two graphics cards. The AMD Radeon RX 580 records a win in the only shared benchmark test, the Geekbench OpenCL compute workload, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti has no recorded victories in any overlapping test. This does not mean the GTX 560 Ti is without merit, but its strengths are contextual rather than competitive against the RX 580.

The RX 580 dominates in compute-oriented workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 37,453 versus the GTX 560 Ti's 10,690 represents a 250.4% advantage, a gap so large that it suggests fundamentally different design priorities. The RX 580 also shows strong performance across a broader benchmark suite, including PassMark DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, as well as Geekbench Metal and Vulkan tests. The GTX 560 Ti, by contrast, appears only in the OpenCL test within the shared dataset, meaning its capabilities in other API workloads are not recorded in this database.

The GTX 560 Ti's position in the percentile rankings is interesting. It sits at the 49th percentile among all GPUs, just below the RX 580's 53rd percentile. This narrow percentile gap, despite the enormous OpenCL score difference, suggests that the GTX 560 Ti may still hold its own in certain legacy workloads or driver-optimized scenarios that are not captured in the shared benchmark set. The database simply does not contain enough overlapping data points to declare the GTX 560 Ti uncompetitive across the board.

For users running modern compute-heavy applications, the RX 580 is the clear choice based on the recorded data. For those working with older software stacks, the GTX 560 Ti's Fermi architecture may retain compatibility advantages, though the numbers do not directly demonstrate this.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational and profound. The AMD Radeon RX 580 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti uses the GF114 chip with Fermi 2.0 architecture, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This process node difference alone, 14 nm versus 40 nm, explains much of the performance and efficiency gap.

Transistor counts tell a dramatic story. The RX 580 packs 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The GTX 560 Ti contains 1,950 million transistors spread across a larger 332 mm² die, resulting in just 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX 580 crams nearly three times as many transistors into a smaller physical area, a direct consequence of the more advanced manufacturing process.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The RX 580 offers 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth with memory clocked at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GTX 560 Ti provides 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus width, but bandwidth drops to 128.3 GB/s with memory at 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The RX 580 has exactly double the memory bandwidth, which directly impacts texture streaming and high-resolution performance.

Compute resources are similarly lopsided. The RX 580 features 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Both share the same ROP count, but the RX 580 has six times the shading units and more than double the texture units. The RX 580's pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s dwarf the GTX 560 Ti's 13.17 GPixel/s and 52.67 GTexel/s.

API support diverges as well. The RX 580 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 560 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no recorded Vulkan support. The RX 580 also posts FP16 performance at 6.175 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32, while the GTX 560 Ti has no FP16 data recorded.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 37,453, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti scores 10,690. The delta percentage is 250.4% in favor of the RX 580, meaning the AMD card outperforms the NVIDIA card by more than two and a half times in this compute workload. This is not a marginal victory; it is a generational obliteration.

To contextualize the RX 580's overall standing, its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 12,928. This places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940) and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986). It sits 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847). These are all modern or recent GPUs, showing that the RX 580 remains competitive in the current landscape despite its age.

The GTX 560 Ti's average benchmark score is 10,690, placing it within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600S (10,629) and 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M275X (10,582). It sits 0.7% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K2200 (10,761) and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 450 (10,804). The GTX 560 Ti's nearest rivals are all older or lower-tier mobile and workstation parts, reflecting its legacy status.

The RX 580 also records strong scores in other tests: 1005 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 45,235 in Geekbench Metal, 45,173 in Geekbench Vulkan, 8,813 in PassMark G3D, and 3,488 in PassMark GPU Compute. The GTX 560 Ti has no recorded scores in these tests, so direct comparison is impossible, but the RX 580's breadth of coverage across multiple APIs indicates a more versatile card.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12,928, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti scores 10,690. The RX 580 leads by 2,238 points.

Q: How much faster is the RX 580 in OpenCL compute?

A: The RX 580 scores 37,453 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 10,690 for the GTX 560 Ti, a 250.4% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: Both support DirectX 12, but at different feature levels. The RX 580 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 560 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0).

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 580 delivers 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, exactly double the GTX 560 Ti's 128.3 GB/s. Both use a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RX 580 has 24.6 million transistors per square millimeter on a 14 nm process, while the GTX 560 Ti has 5.9 million per square millimeter on a 40 nm process.

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

A: The RX 580 sits at the 53rd percentile, while the GTX 560 Ti sits at the 49th percentile.

The Verdict

The data supports only one conclusion for most use cases: the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the superior graphics card by every recorded metric. Its 250.4% OpenCL advantage, double memory bandwidth, six times the shading units, and more advanced process node make it the obvious choice for anyone running modern workloads. The RX 580's nearest rivals include the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and GTX 1660 SUPER, placing it in respectable company even years after release.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti, however, is not without a niche. Its 49th percentile ranking, while lower than the RX 580's 53rd, indicates it still outperforms roughly half of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the RX 6600S and Radeon Pro 450, suggesting it remains functional for lighter tasks. Users constrained to older motherboards with PCIe 2.0 support, or those running software optimized for Fermi architecture, might still find the GTX 560 Ti serviceable.

For gaming, content creation, or compute workloads, the RX 580 is the definitive pick. Its Vulkan support, higher FP32 throughput of 6.175 TFLOPS versus 1,263.4 GFLOPS, and larger 8 GB memory buffer give it longevity that the GTX 560 Ti cannot match. The GTX 560 Ti's 1 GB memory capacity alone would bottleneck modern games, and its lack of Vulkan support excludes it from many current titles.

The RX 580's launch MSRP was 229 USD, and the GTX 560 Ti's launch MSRP was 249 USD. The verdict from the recorded data is clear: the RX 580 wins decisively.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 580 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 40 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 5,700 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 232 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.6M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1257 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1340 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) | 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 128.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 384 |

| TMUs | 144 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 42.88 GPixel/s | 13.17 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 193.0 GTexel/s | 52.67 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 6.175 TFLOPS | 1,263.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 6.175 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | 185 W | 170 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | Not specified |

| Length | 241 mm (9.5 inches) | 229 mm (9 inches) |

| Launch MSRP | 229 USD | 249 USD |