AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 Comparison

# Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 760M XT is the clear winner in the only direct benchmark comparison available. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD part scores 74,869 versus the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590's 12,830, a massive 82.9% advantage. This is not a close contest; the RX 7600M XT dominates the single compute workload where both products have data.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 does not win any of the head-to-head tests. However, its placement in the broader benchmark database shows it remains competitive in aggregate scoring. The GTX 590's average benchmark score is 12,830, which places it at the 52nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773, 0.4% delta), indicating it sits in a dense performance cluster where tiny score differences separate many products.

The RX 7600M XT also sits at the 52nd percentile, with an average benchmark score of 12,710. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773, -0.5% delta) and the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm (12,625, 0.7% delta). Notably, the RX 7600M XT's average score is slightly lower than the GTX 590's, yet its OpenCL result is vastly higher. This discrepancy highlights that the RX 7600M XT's strength is concentrated in modern compute APIs, while the GTX 590's legacy architecture performs relatively better in other, unspecified benchmark types that contribute to the aggregate.

The use-case split is stark: for pure OpenCL compute, the RX 7600M XT is the only choice. For a broader, unspecified mix of legacy and modern workloads, the two GPUs land within 1% of each other in average scores, making them functionally equivalent in that context.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT scores 74,869, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 scores 12,830. The AMD part leads by 82.9% in this test.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 590 has an average benchmark score of 12,830, while the RX 7600M XT averages 12,710. The GTX 590 is ahead by roughly 0.9%, based on the delta values in the nearest rivals list.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: Both GPUs are at the 52nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Despite their architectural and generational differences, they rank equally in overall performance distribution.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, whereas the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 has 1,536 MB (1.5 GB) of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 590 has a TDP of 365 W, while the RX 7600M XT has a TDP of 120 W. The AMD part consumes significantly less power.

Q: Which GPU supports newer DirectX features?

A: The RX 7600M XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 590 supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The AMD part offers the more modern feature set.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a decisive victory for the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT. The AMD GPU scores 74,869, which is 62,039 points higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590's 12,830. The delta percentage of -82.9% (from the GTX 590's perspective) underscores the magnitude of the defeat. This is not a marginal improvement; the RX 7600M XT delivers nearly six times the OpenCL performance.

The GTX 590's score of 12,830 places it in a tight cluster with the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831, 0% delta) and the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, -0.1% delta). This suggests that the GTX 590's OpenCL performance is typical of mid-range GPUs from its era. The RX 7600M XT, by contrast, has no close rivals in this specific test; its nearest competitor in the overall database is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773, -0.5% delta), which is far behind in OpenCL.

When looking at aggregate performance, the gap narrows dramatically. The GTX 590's average benchmark score of 12,830 is actually slightly higher than the RX 7600M XT's 12,710. The delta between them in the RX 7600M XT's nearest rivals list is -0.9%, meaning the GTX 590 is 0.9% faster on average. This means that outside of OpenCL, the older NVIDIA card holds its own or even leads. The RX 7600M XT's additional benchmark results (e.g., PassMark G3D at 13,907, Geekbench Vulkan at 27,793) are not directly comparable to the GTX 590's single data point, so the aggregate score is the only cross-product metric.

The story is clear: the RX 7600M XT wins the one head-to-head test by a landslide, but the GTX 590's legacy performance profile keeps it competitive in the overall average. Buyers prioritizing OpenCL compute should choose AMD; those looking at general, unspecified workloads may find the two cards indistinguishable.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 uses a 40 nm process node, while the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT uses a 6 nm node from the same foundry, TSMC. The GTX 590 packs 3,000 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 5.8M / mm². The RX 7600M XT has 13,300 million transistors on a much smaller 204 mm² die, achieving a density of 65.2M / mm².

Memory configurations are vastly different. The GTX 590 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 164.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7600M XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s. Clock speeds also diverge: the GTX 590's memory runs at 854 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective), while the RX 7600M XT's memory runs at 2,250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The AMD card has base, boost, and game clocks of 1,280 MHz, 2,469 MHz, and 2,023 MHz, respectively; the GTX 590 has no listed base or boost clocks.

Compute resources show a generational leap. The GTX 590 has 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RX 7600M XT has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores. Pixel and texture rates reflect this: the GTX 590 outputs 19.46 GPixel/s and 38.91 GTexel/s, while the RX 7600M XT achieves 158.0 GPixel/s and 316.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 1,244.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 590 versus 20.23 TFLOPS for the RX 7600M XT; the AMD card also lists FP16 performance of 40.45 TFLOPS (2:1), which the NVIDIA card lacks.

Power and physical specifications differ sharply. The GTX 590 has a 365 W TDP, requires dual-slot cooling, and needs 2x 8-pin power connectors plus a 750 W suggested PSU. The RX 7600M XT has a 120 W TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU. The GTX 590 is 279 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide; the RX 7600M XT has no listed dimensions. Bus interfaces also differ: PCIe 2.0 x16 for the GTX 590 versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 7600M XT. Display outputs are 3x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort on the NVIDIA card, while the AMD card is "Portable Device Dependent."

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 is built on Fermi 2.0 architecture, using the GF110 chip from the GeForce 500 generation. It is fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and has no Vulkan support listed. It has no ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

The AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT is built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Navi 33 chip from the Radeon RX 7000 series. Its codename is "Hotpink Bonefish," and it belongs to the Navi Mobile (RX 7000M) generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. The architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4, and includes 32 ray tracing cores.

The transistor density difference is the most telling architectural metric: the RX 7600M XT packs 65.2M transistors per mm² versus 5.8M for the GTX 590, a 11.2x increase. This density enables the AMD part to offer 2,048 shading units and 128 TMUs in a smaller die. The GTX 590's Fermi architecture is from 2011, while the RX 7600M XT's RDNA 3.0 is from 2023. The NVIDIA card's predecessor is GeForce 400 and successor is GeForce 600; the AMD card's predecessor is Polaris Mobile and it has no successor listed.

The GTX 590 is end-of-life, while the RX 7600M XT is active production. The NVIDIA card was released on 2011-03-23, the AMD card on 2023-01-03. The GTX 590 has a launch MSRP of 699 USD; the RX 7600M XT has no launch MSRP listed.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT is the superior GPU for OpenCL compute, delivering 74,869 points versus 12,830 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, an 82.9% advantage. Anyone running OpenCL workloads should choose the AMD card without hesitation.

However, the aggregate benchmark scores tell a more nuanced story. The GTX 590 averages 12,830, while the RX 7600M XT averages 12,710. The delta is -0.9% from the AMD card's perspective, meaning the GTX 590 is marginally ahead in the overall database. For users with mixed, unspecified workloads that do not heavily exercise OpenCL, the two GPUs are effectively tied.

The RX 7600M XT offers modern advantages: 8 GB of memory versus 1.5 GB, 288.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 164.0 GB/s, ray tracing support, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and a 120 W TDP versus 365 W. It is an active product with a 6 nm process and 2,048 shading units. The GTX 590 is end-of-life, dual-slot, power-hungry, and lacks modern features like ray tracing and Vulkan support.

The verdict depends on the use case. For compute-heavy tasks, pick the RX 7600M XT. For legacy compatibility or when average benchmark scores matter most, the GTX 590 still holds its own, but its 365 W power draw and 2011-era architecture make it a poor choice for modern systems. The RX 7600M XT is the data-backed winner for current and future workloads.