AMD Radeon RX 9060 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the AMD Radeon RX 9060 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16,014, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15,283. This places the RX 9060 approximately 4.8% higher overall, with the GTX 580 at a 0% deltaPct relative to its nearest rival, the RTX 2060.

Q: Which GPU wins in the head-to-head OpenCL benchmark, and by how much?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 wins the only shared benchmark test, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 88,183 versus 15,283 for the GTX 580. This represents a 477% advantage for the RX 9060, a dominant margin.

Q: How does the RX 9060's process node compare to the GTX 580's?

A: The RX 9060 is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 580 uses a 40 nm process, also from TSMC. The RX 9060 packs 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die, versus 3,000 million transistors on a 520 mm² die for the GTX 580.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RX 9060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 580 has 1536 MB (1.5 GB) of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 192.4 GB/s bandwidth. Despite the narrower bus, the RX 9060 delivers significantly higher bandwidth.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The RX 9060 sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 580 is at the 58th percentile. This indicates both cards are near the mid-range of the performance distribution, though the RX 9060 holds a slight edge.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the GTX 580?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has a launch MSRP of 499 USD. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 does not have a launch MSRP listed in the data.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs spans over a decade of silicon evolution. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, using the Navi 44 chip under the codename "Strix Point," and belongs to the Navi IV (RX 9000) generation. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 relies on the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF110 chip from the GeForce 500 generation. The manufacturing process difference is stark: the RX 9060 uses a 4 nm node at TSMC, while the GTX 580 uses a 40 nm node, also at TSMC. This tenfold reduction in process geometry allows the RX 9060 to achieve a transistor density of 149.2 million transistors per square millimeter versus 5.8 million for the GTX 580.

The compute resources differ by an order of magnitude. The RX 9060 carries 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray tracing cores. The GTX 580 has 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores. The RX 9060 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, while the GTX 580 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support listed. The RX 9060's pixel rate is 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate is 334.9 GTexel/s, dwarfing the GTX 580's 24.70 GPixel/s and 49.41 GTexel/s. FP32 compute performance is 21.43 TFLOPS for the RX 9060 versus 1.581 TFLOPS for the GTX 580, a 13.5x gap. The RX 9060 also supports FP16 at 21.43 TFLOPS (1:1), a feature the GTX 580 lacks entirely.

Memory architecture reflects their respective eras. The RX 9060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, achieving 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 580 uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 192.4 GB/s. The RX 9060's memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the GTX 580's memory runs at 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective). Interface support also differs: the RX 9060 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, whereas the GTX 580 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are modernized on the RX 9060 with 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a, versus the GTX 580's 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. Power requirements have shifted as well: the RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W with a 1x 8-pin connector and a suggested 300 W PSU, while the GTX 580 has a TDP of 244 W, requiring 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors and a suggested 550 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, but the GTX 580 measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the RX 9060's dimensions are not listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the dataset is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are lopsided. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 88,183, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15,283. The deltaPct of 477% in favor of the RX 9060 is the single largest margin across any comparison in this dataset. To put that in perspective, the RX 9060's nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, has an average score of 16,129, which is 0.7% lower than the RX 9060's average of 16,014. The GTX 580's nearest rival, the RTX 2060, scores 15,290, essentially identical to the GTX 580's 15,283. In other words, the RX 9060's OpenCL result is roughly 5.5 times the entire average benchmark score of the GTX 580, indicating that the architectural and process node advantages translate into massive raw compute throughput.

Beyond the single head-to-head test, the broader benchmark suites reinforce the RX 9060's dominance. The RX 9060 achieves 3,322 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 39,476 in Geekbench Vulkan, and 17,631 in Passmark G3D. It also posts 9,919 in Passmark GPU Compute, 1,002 in Passmark G2D, and scores of 104, 182, 44, and 280 in Passmark DirectX 10, 11, 12, and 9 respectively. The GTX 580 has no corresponding results in these tests, making a direct comparison impossible, but the RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16,014 versus the GTX 580's 15,283 shows that even when averaging across all available tests, the RX 9060 holds a measurable lead. The RX 9060 wins the head-to-head matchup 1-0, with no tests where the GTX 580 takes a victory.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the superior performer across every metric where both cards have results. The 477% lead in OpenCL is not a marginal improvement but a generational leap, driven by a 4 nm process versus 40 nm, 29,700 million transistors versus 3,000 million, and 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.581 TFLOPS. The RX 9060 also offers modern features like ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and PCIe 5.0, none of which are available on the GTX 580. Power efficiency favors the RX 9060 as well, with a TDP of 132 W compared to 244 W for the GTX 580, meaning higher performance at nearly half the power draw. The GTX 580's only advantages lie in its wider 384-bit memory bus and larger physical footprint, but these do not translate into better bandwidth (192.4 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s) or any benchmark win.

For a user choosing between these two, the RX 9060 is the clear pick for any modern workload, including ray-traced gaming, high-resolution textures, or compute tasks. The GTX 580, with its end-of-life production status and dated Fermi architecture, is only relevant for legacy system compatibility or historical collection purposes. The RX 9060's 59th percentile ranking versus the GTX 580's 58th percentile confirms that even relative to all GPUs, the RX 9060 sits slightly higher. There is no scenario in the data where the GTX 580 emerges as the recommended option, given the RX 9060's superior raw performance, lower power draw, and modern API support.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 9060 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 4.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 29,700 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 199 mm² | 520 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 149.2M / mm² | 5.8M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 1536 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 192.4 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) | 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 512 |

| TMUs | 112 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| RT Cores | 28 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 191.4 GPixel/s | 24.70 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 334.9 GTexel/s | 49.41 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 21.43 TFLOPS | 1.581 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 21.43 TFLOPS (1:1) | None |

| TDP | 132 W | 244 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 2x DisplayPort 2.1a | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | None |

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

| Release Date | 2025-08-04 | 2010-11-08 |

| Predecessor | Navi III | GeForce 400 |

| Successor | None | GeForce 600 |

| Launch MSRP | None listed | 499 USD |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 267 mm length, 111 mm height |