AMD Radeon RX 580 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data delivers a clear outcome: the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the stronger performer in every head-to-head benchmark measured. It wins all three shared tests, with the largest margin in Geekbench Metal at 81.8% ahead, and a 77.8% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, despite its older flagship status, falls behind in compute-oriented workloads.

For a buyer choosing between these two end-of-life cards, the RX 580 is the practical pick for modern API usage. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 37,453 versus the GTX TITAN's 24,873 shows a 33.6% advantage in general compute. The RX 580 also posts a Geekbench Metal score of 45,235, which is more than five times the GTX TITAN's 8,218. If you run applications that leverage Metal or Vulkan, the RX 580 is the only sensible choice based on the measurements.

The GTX TITAN retains relevance only in a narrow sense. Its average benchmark score of 14,373 sits slightly above the RX 580's 12,928, and it holds a better percentile ranking at 56 versus 53. That average, however, is pulled by its Geekbench OpenCL result, which is its best single score. For a user who prioritizes raw FP32 throughput in older compute stacks, the GTX TITAN's 4.709 TFLOPS is lower than the RX 580's 6.175 TFLOPS, so even that advantage does not hold up. The GTX TITAN's only real edge is its 384-bit memory bus and 288.4 GB/s bandwidth, which is 32.4 GB/s higher than the RX 580's 256.0 GB/s, but the benchmark data does not show this translating into wins.

The verdict is straightforward: the Radeon RX 580 is the card to pick for current software, higher memory capacity, and better API support. The GTX TITAN is a historical artifact with a niche appeal for legacy Kepler-specific workloads, but the data does not support choosing it over the RX 580 for any measured task.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN has an average benchmark score of 14,373, which is 11.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 580's 12,928. The GTX TITAN also sits at the 56th percentile of all GPUs, versus the RX 580's 53rd percentile.

Q: Why does the RX 580 win the head-to-head benchmarks despite a lower average score?

A: The head-to-head tests are limited to three Geekbench workloads: Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan. The RX 580 wins all three, with deltas of 81.8%, 33.6%, and 77.8% respectively. The GTX TITAN's higher average comes from other tests not shared in the head-to-head comparison, which are not part of the direct matchup data.

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

A: The RX 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX TITAN has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 580 has 2 GB more capacity, while the GTX TITAN has 32.4 GB/s more bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan support?

A: The RX 580 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX TITAN supports Vulkan 1.2.175. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RX 580 scores 45,173 versus the GTX TITAN's 10,027, a 77.8% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: What are the TDP requirements for each card?

A: The RX 580 has a TDP of 185 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU. The GTX TITAN has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W suggested PSU. The RX 580 is more power-efficient on paper, drawing 65 W less.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RX 580 has a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm², which is nearly double the GTX TITAN's 12.6 million per mm². The GTX TITAN uses a larger 561 mm² die with 7,080 million transistors, while the RX 580 uses a 232 mm² die with 5,700 million transistors.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and manufacturing approaches. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN uses the GK110 chip on the Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is a large, complex die: 561 mm² with 7,080 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per mm². Kepler was designed for high compute throughput in its era, but it lacks modern features like async compute optimizations found in later architectures.

The AMD Radeon RX 580 uses the Polaris 20 chip on the GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The die is much smaller at 232 mm², but it packs 5,700 million transistors, resulting in a density of 24.6 million per mm². GCN 4.0 is a mature design that supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX TITAN only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. This means the RX 580 is better equipped for modern graphics APIs, which is reflected in its dominant Vulkan benchmark score.

Feature-wise, neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as both predate those technologies. The RX 580 does offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, both at 6.175 TFLOPS, while the GTX TITAN has no listed FP16 capability. This makes the RX 580 more flexible for compute workloads that can use half-precision arithmetic. The GTX TITAN counters with a higher pixel rate of 49.06 GPixel/s versus 42.88 GPixel/s, and a slightly higher texture rate of 196.2 GTexel/s versus 193.0 GTexel/s, but these margins are small and do not show up in the benchmark wins.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The GTX TITAN has 2,688 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The RX 580 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer cores, the RX 580 achieves higher FP32 throughput: 6.175 TFLOPS versus 4.709 TFLOPS, because its 1,340 MHz boost clock is substantially higher than the GTX TITAN's 876 MHz boost.

Clock speeds are a major separator. The GTX TITAN runs at 836 MHz base and 876 MHz boost, with memory at 6 Gbps effective. The RX 580 runs at 1,257 MHz base and 1,340 MHz boost, with memory at 8 Gbps effective. The RX 580's memory is faster per pin, but the GTX TITAN's 384-bit bus gives it higher total bandwidth: 288.4 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s.

Memory capacity and configuration differ: the GTX TITAN has 6 GB GDDR5, while the RX 580 has 8 GB GDDR5. The GTX TITAN uses two power connectors (1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin), while the RX 580 uses a single 8-pin. The GTX TITAN has a 250 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU, versus the RX 580's 185 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU. Physical dimensions also differ: the GTX TITAN is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 38 mm wide, while the RX 580 is 241 mm long with no listed height or width. Both are dual-slot cards.

Display outputs are another difference. The GTX TITAN offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 580 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RX 580's newer display standard supports higher refresh rates and resolutions. The GTX TITAN was released on February 18, 2013, with a launch MSRP of 999 USD. The RX 580 was released on April 17, 2017, with a launch MSRP of 229 USD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The shared benchmark suite consists of three Geekbench tests, and the RX 580 wins all of them by significant margins. In Geekbench Metal, the RX 580 scores 45,235 against the GTX TITAN's 8,218, a delta of 81.8% in favor of AMD. This is the largest gap in the entire comparison and indicates that the RX 580 is vastly better suited for Metal-based applications, which is relevant for macOS or iOS development environments.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 580 scores 37,453 versus the GTX TITAN's 24,873, a 33.6% advantage. This is the closest of the three head-to-head results, but it is still a decisive win for the RX 580. OpenCL workloads on the RX 580 benefit from its higher FP32 throughput and 8 GB memory capacity, which allows larger working sets.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 580 scores 45,173 against the GTX TITAN's 10,027, a 77.8% margin. This result aligns with the API support difference: Vulkan 1.3 on the RX 580 versus Vulkan 1.2.175 on the GTX TITAN. The newer architecture and driver stack on the RX 580 clearly extract more performance from the Vulkan API.

The GTX TITAN's best individual benchmark score is its Geekbench OpenCL result of 24,873, which is still 12,580 points lower than the RX 580's OpenCL score. The RX 580's lowest shared score is its Geekbench OpenCL result, which is still higher than the GTX TITAN's best. This means the RX 580 wins every head-to-head test by at least 33.6%, and in two of three tests by over 77%.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 580 wins in every measured category that matters for modern use. It dominates in Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, making it the clear choice for compute, gaming, and any workload that uses contemporary APIs. Its 8 GB memory capacity is double the GTX TITAN's 6 GB, which helps with large textures and datasets. The RX 580 also has a lower TDP of 185 W, a single 8-pin connector, and a 450 W PSU requirement, making it easier to integrate into existing systems.

The GTX TITAN's strengths are limited to specifications that do not translate into benchmark wins. It has higher memory bandwidth (288.4 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s), a wider 384-bit bus, and higher pixel and texture rates. Its average benchmark score of 14,373 is higher than the RX 580's 12,928, and it ranks at the 56th percentile versus the 53rd. This suggests that in some untested legacy workloads, the GTX TITAN may hold an edge, but the recorded head-to-head data shows no such advantage.

For a practical builder, the RX 580 is the only rational choice. It offers better performance in all shared tests, more VRAM, better API support, lower power draw, and a smaller physical footprint (241 mm versus 267 mm length). The GTX TITAN is a collector's item or a curiosity for Kepler-era software. If you are building a system today, the data says to pick the RX 580 without hesitation. If you are preserving a vintage 2013 flagship, the GTX TITAN has historical value, but it cannot compete on any measured metric.