AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M are two end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from different eras, and the benchmark data shows a very narrow contest between them. The AMD part, a 2019 integrated processor, edges out the 2011 NVIDIA discrete GPU in the only available head-to-head test, but the margin is so slim that the real-world difference is effectively negligible for most tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole benchmark result available is the Geekbench OpenCL compute test, which measures raw parallel processing throughput. In this test, the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile scores 6476, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389. This gives AMD a win by a delta of 1.4%. In practical terms, a 1.4% advantage is within run-to-run variance for most benchmark suites; the data indicates that neither card has a meaningful computational lead over the other in this synthetic workload.

Looking at the broader competitive landscape, both cards occupy nearly identical positions in the performance hierarchy. The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile sits at the 37th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, which averages 6481 (a 0.1% difference). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M also sits at the 37th percentile, with its closest competitor being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, which scores identically at 6389. The data shows both cards are effectively sandwiched between the same set of rivals — the RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell scores 6407 (1.1% above AMD, 0.3% above NVIDIA), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 6330 (0.9% below NVIDIA). The conclusion from the head-to-head is clear: in compute workloads, these two GPUs are performance twins, with the AMD part holding a razor-thin statistical edge.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two is significant, reflecting nearly eight years of GPU development. The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile is built on the GCN 5.0 architecture, using the Raven-M chip manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It integrates 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, by contrast, uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF114 chip, made on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,950 million transistors onto a larger 332 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 5.9M per mm².

The compute resources differ substantially. AMD fields 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 8 render output units (ROPs). NVIDIA counters with 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shaders, the NVIDIA card has double the TMUs and quadruple the ROPs of the AMD part. This explains why the pixel rate is close — 10.41 GPixel/s for AMD versus 9.920 GPixel/s for NVIDIA — but the fill-rate characteristics are otherwise different. The texture rate tells the story: AMD's 52.04 GTexel/s beats NVIDIA's 39.68 GTexel/s, thanks to the higher shader count and the fact that each AMD shader can process more work per clock at the higher boost frequency.

The floating-point performance is where AMD pulls ahead. The Vega 10 Mobile delivers 1.665 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, versus 952.3 GFLOPS for the GTX 580M. AMD also supports FP16 at 3.331 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while NVIDIA does not list any FP16 capability. However, the NVIDIA part has a substantial memory advantage that is not captured in the compute scores. The GTX 580M has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Vega 10 Mobile uses system-shared memory, with bandwidth described as "system dependent" — meaning its performance relies entirely on the host laptop's RAM configuration.

Power consumption is a stark differentiator. The AMD Vega 10 Mobile is rated at a 10 W TDP and is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no power connectors and no bus interface beyond the integrated processor. The NVIDIA GTX 580M is a 100 W discrete MXM module with an MXM-B (3.0) interface. This 10x difference in power budget explains why AMD could integrate this level of performance into a processor, while NVIDIA needed a separate, power-hungry module to achieve similar compute scores.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile scores 6476, which is 1.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M's 6389. This is the only head-to-head test available, and the delta is within typical margin of error.

Q: Why do both GPUs have the same 37th percentile ranking?

A: Both sit at the 37th percentile of all GPUs. AMD's average score of 6476 and NVIDIA's 6389 place them in the same performance tier, surrounded by rivals like the Quadro M5000M (6481) and GTX 460 SE (6389).

Q: Does the GTX 580M have more video memory?

A: Yes. The NVIDIA GTX 580M has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Vega 10 Mobile uses system-shared memory with bandwidth that depends on the host system.

Q: Can the AMD Vega 10 Mobile support Vulkan?

A: Yes, it supports Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA GTX 580M does not list Vulkan support in its API specifications, though it does support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD Vega 10 Mobile is rated at 10 W TDP, while the NVIDIA GTX 580M is rated at 100 W TDP. This makes the AMD part suitable for integration into a processor, whereas the NVIDIA part requires a discrete module.

Q: Which GPU has higher texture fill rate?

A: The AMD Vega 10 Mobile achieves 52.04 GTexel/s, compared to 39.68 GTexel/s for the GTX 580M. AMD's advantage comes from its higher shading unit count and boost clock of 1301 MHz.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear verdict for different use cases. If you are looking at raw compute performance per watt, the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile is the obvious winner — it matches the GTX 580M's compute score while drawing only 10 W compared to 100 W. This makes it ideal for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals matter. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, despite being older, still holds its own in compute, but its 100 W power requirement and MXM form factor mean it belongs in a gaming laptop from its era. For modern buyers, the AMD part offers comparable compute in a far more efficient package. However, the GTX 580M's dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth could provide more consistent memory performance in bandwidth-sensitive tasks, since the AMD part's shared memory is "system dependent." The benchmark scores alone do not separate them; the deciding factors are power efficiency and memory architecture.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 4,940 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 210 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1301 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 96.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 384 |

| TMUs | 40 | 64 |

| ROPs | 8 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 10.41 GPixel/s | 9.920 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 52.04 GTexel/s | 39.68 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1.665 TFLOPS | 952.3 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 3.331 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | 10 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | MXM Module |

| Bus Interface | IGP | MXM-B (3.0) |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | Not specified |

| Release Date | 2019-01-07 | 2011-06-27 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile wins in compute throughput, measured by the 1.4% higher Geekbench OpenCL score. It also dominates in texture rate (52.04 GTexel/s vs 39.68 GTexel/s) and FP32 performance (1.665 TFLOPS vs 952.3 GFLOPS), while supporting FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. Its 14 nm process and 10 W TDP make it a far more power-efficient solution, and its DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.3 support give it a modern API feature set. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M wins in memory configuration — 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with fixed 96.00 GB/s bandwidth is more predictable than shared system memory. It also has more TMUs (64 vs 40) and ROPs (32 vs 8), giving it a higher peak pixel rate in some scenarios (9.920 GPixel/s is close, but the ROP count suggests better fill-rate capability in certain workloads). The GTX 580M's larger die (332 mm² vs 210 mm²) reflects its discrete design philosophy. For a user today, the AMD part is the better choice for general compute and efficiency; for legacy gaming laptops with MXM slots, the GTX 580M offers a dedicated memory pipeline that may handle textures more consistently, though the compute scores suggest no overall performance advantage.