AMD Radeon RX 7700 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 are separated by over a decade of GPU architecture, and the benchmark data reflects that chasm. In the only directly comparable test, the Geekbench OpenCL score, the RX 7700 delivers a 593.8% higher result than the GTX 580. This is not a close contest; it is a demonstration of how far GPU compute performance has advanced, moving from a legacy Fermi design to a modern RDNA 3.0 part.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains a single benchmark result: Geekbench OpenCL. This test measures raw compute throughput, and the results are stark. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 106,028 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15,283 points. The delta is 593.8% in favor of the RX 7700, meaning the RX 7700 is nearly seven times faster in this specific workload.

This single result is overwhelmingly one-sided, but it is worth contextualizing. The RX 7700’s average benchmark score across all its tests is 15,852, which is actually higher than the GTX 580’s only score of 15,283. Even the RX 7700’s worst-case average performance beats the GTX 580’s best recorded data point. The GTX 580 is an end-of-life product with no other benchmark entries in the pack, so there is no data for DirectX 9, 10, 11, or 12 comparisons. The only available metric is OpenCL, and the RX 7700 dominates it completely.

Looking at the RX 7700’s other benchmark results provides additional context for its compute lead. For instance, its PassMark G3D score is 20,974, and its PassMark GPU Compute score is 10,963. While these are not directly compared to the GTX 580, they show a consistent pattern of high throughput. The GTX 580, by contrast, has no such data, reinforcing its status as a legacy part. In terms of nearest rivals, the RX 7700’s average score of 15,852 puts it within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16,129) and 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16,014). The GTX 580’s average score of 15,283 places it in the same percentile bracket, but it is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15,290) and AMD Radeon 680M (15,270). The RX 7700 is simply operating in a different performance class.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous, starting with the manufacturing process. The RX 7700 is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 580 uses a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. This is a generational leap in transistor density: the RX 7700 packs 28,100 million transistors into a 346 mm² die, yielding a density of 81.2M transistors per mm². The GTX 580, in contrast, has only 3,000 million transistors on a larger 520 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 5.8M transistors per mm². The RX 7700 has nearly ten times the transistor density.

The core configurations are equally divergent. The RX 7700 uses the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). It also includes 40 dedicated ray tracing cores. The GTX 580 uses the GF110 chip with Fermi 2.0 architecture, offering only 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing support whatsoever. This means the RX 7700 has 5x the shading units and 2.5x the TMUs.

Memory is another major differentiator. The RX 7700 comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 580 has just 1536 MB (1.5 GB) of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding only 192.4 GB/s. While the GTX 580 has a wider bus, the RX 7700’s newer memory type and higher clocks more than compensate. The RX 7700’s memory clock is 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective), whereas the GTX 580 runs at 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

Feature support also differs drastically. The RX 7700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, along with modern display outputs like HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 2.1, and USB Type-C. The GTX 580 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support and relies on legacy outputs like 2x DVI and mini-HDMI 1.3a. The RX 7700 is a modern, active product, while the GTX 580 is end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15,852, which is higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580’s average of 15,283. This puts the RX 7700 slightly ahead, with the GTX 580 being just 3.7% slower on average.

Q: Can the GTX 580 handle modern ray tracing workloads?

A: No. The GTX 580 has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications, while the RX 7700 includes 40 dedicated ray tracing cores. The GTX 580 is from the Fermi 2.0 architecture, which predates ray tracing hardware by several generations.

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

A: The RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GTX 580 has 1536 MB (1.5 GB) of GDDR5 memory. This is a massive difference in capacity, with the RX 7700 offering over ten times more VRAM.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient based on the data?

A: The RX 7700 has a TDP of 200 W, which is lower than the GTX 580’s 244 W. Despite consuming less power, the RX 7700 delivers significantly higher performance, indicating much better efficiency per watt.

Q: Are these GPUs comparable in terms of their nearest rivals?

A: No. The RX 7700’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (1.7% faster) and AMD Radeon RX 9060 (1% faster), which are modern cards. The GTX 580’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (0% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (0.7% faster), which are also much newer but lower-tier.

Q: Does the GTX 580 support modern API features like Vulkan?

A: No. The GTX 580 has no Vulkan support listed, whereas the RX 7700 supports Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 580 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the superior GPU by every measurable metric. Its OpenCL score is 593.8% higher than the GTX 580’s, and its average benchmark score is higher as well. The RX 7700 has a more modern architecture (RDNA 3.0 vs Fermi 2.0), a smaller manufacturing process (5 nm vs 40 nm), more memory (16 GB vs 1.5 GB), and more compute units across the board. It also consumes less power (200 W vs 244 W) while delivering vastly more performance.

The GTX 580 is an end-of-life product from 2010, and its only benchmark score places it in the same percentile as modern entry-level cards like the RTX 2060 and RX 7600. It cannot run modern APIs like Vulkan, has no ray tracing support, and its memory capacity is insufficient for contemporary workloads. Anyone considering the GTX 580 for a new build would be choosing a severely outdated part with no upgrade path. The RX 7700, by contrast, is an active product with modern features and a performance profile that rivals the RTX 3060 Ti.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7700 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 28,100 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 346 mm² | 520 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 81.2M / mm² | 5.8M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 512 |

| TMUs | 160 | 64 |

| ROPs | 96 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 40 | None |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 1536 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 624.1 GB/s | 192.4 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 236.1 GPixel/s | 24.70 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 393.4 GTexel/s | 49.41 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 25.18 TFLOPS | 1.581 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 200 W | 244 W |

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

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | None |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 wins in every category where data exists. Its 593.8% lead in OpenCL compute makes it the clear choice for any workload involving general-purpose GPU computing, such as rendering, scientific simulation, or machine learning inference. Its 16 GB of VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth allow it to handle large datasets and modern game textures without bottlenecking, something the GTX 580’s 1.5 GB frame buffer cannot do. The RX 7700 also wins on efficiency, delivering far more performance per watt, and its modern API support means it is future-proof for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan titles.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has no benchmark wins in this comparison. Its only advantage is its legacy status: it is a historical piece of hardware from the GeForce 500 generation, and its 384-bit memory bus is wider than the RX 7700’s 256-bit bus, though this does not translate to real-world advantage given the far lower memory clock. For anyone building a system today, the data shows no scenario where the GTX 580 is preferable. The RX 7700 is the only viable choice based on performance, features, and power consumption. The GTX 580 remains a curiosity for collectors, not a practical component.