AMD Radeon Vega 11 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct benchmark comparison between these two GPUs is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are remarkably close. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13,515, while the AMD Radeon Vega 11 trails by a razor-thin margin of 0.9% with a score of 13,392. This places the GTX 570 as the winner in the only head-to-head test available, but the delta is so small that it sits well within what could be considered statistical noise for synthetic workloads.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the AMD Vega 11's average benchmark score across all tested workloads is 14,352, which is notably higher than its OpenCL-only result. This discrepancy suggests the Vega 11 performs better in Metal and Vulkan environments, where it scores 17,392 and 12,273 respectively. The GTX 570, with only an OpenCL score on record, averages 13,515 across its test suite. The Vega 11's multi-API advantage is clear: its average score sits 6.2% above the GTX 570's average, despite losing the single direct comparison.

The nearest-rival data puts both cards into context. The Vega 11's average score of 14,352 places it just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373) and 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385). It edges out the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics by 0.3% (14,315) and trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M by 0.4% (14,404). These are all sub-1% deltas, indicating the Vega 11 operates in an extremely tight performance cluster. The GTX 570's 13,515 average puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536) and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13,543), while leading the NVIDIA P106-090 by 0.3% (13,470) and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 by 0.8% (13,407). The GTX 570's rival group is similarly dense, with all competitors within 0.8%.

The percentile rankings reinforce this picture. The Vega 11 sits at the 56th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 570 lands at the 54th percentile. That two-percentile gap, combined with the 6.2% average score advantage, suggests the Vega 11 has a slight overall edge in compute performance across modern API workloads, even though the older card wins the one direct OpenCL test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU won the head-to-head benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 won the only direct comparison, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 13,515 versus the AMD Radeon Vega 11's 13,392 — a 0.9% margin.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Vega 11 have higher average performance?

A: Yes. The Vega 11's average benchmark score is 14,352, which is 6.2% higher than the GTX 570's 13,515 average. The Vega 11 also ranks at the 56th percentile of all GPUs versus the GTX 570's 54th percentile.

Q: What API scores does the Vega 11 have that the GTX 570 lacks?

A: The Vega 11 has Geekbench Metal and Vulkan scores of 17,392 and 12,273 respectively. The GTX 570 only has an OpenCL score on record, with no Metal or Vulkan results listed.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Vega 11 is within 0.4% of all four nearest rivals, ranging from 0.3% ahead of the Intel Iris Xe MAX to 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M. The GTX 570 ranges from 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555 to 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7770M.

Q: Which GPU is older?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 was released on December 7, 2010, while the AMD Radeon Vega 11 came out on September 30, 2019 — nearly nine years later.

Q: What is the GTX 570's launch MSRP?

A: The GTX 570 had a launch MSRP of 349 USD.

The Verdict

The data presents a nuanced picture. For pure OpenCL compute workloads, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 holds a slight edge — a 0.9% victory in the direct head-to-head test. However, the AMD Radeon Vega 11 demonstrates broader capability across modern APIs, with its Metal score of 17,392 significantly exceeding its OpenCL performance, and its average score of 14,352 placing it 6.2% above the GTX 570's average.

The percentile rankings favor the Vega 11 as well, with the 56th percentile versus the 54th percentile. The Vega 11's nearest-rival cluster includes newer and more capable parts like the GTX TITAN and GTX 965M, while the GTX 570's rivals are generally lower-performing legacy parts. For users running a mix of Vulkan, Metal, and OpenCL workloads, the Vega 11 is the stronger choice based on average scores and API coverage. For those locked into OpenCL-only scenarios where every percentage point matters, the GTX 570's 0.9% head start is the deciding factor — though the practical difference is negligible.

The GTX 570's dual-slot design, 2x 6-pin power connectors, and 550 W suggested PSU make it a power-hungry discrete card, while the Vega 11 is an IGP with no power connectors and a 15 W TDP. The Vega 11 clearly wins on efficiency and integration, while the GTX 570 counters with dedicated memory and higher raw pixel throughput.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge sharply on almost every specification. The AMD Radeon Vega 11 uses system-shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, while the GTX 570 features 1,280 MB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus with 152.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 11's memory bandwidth is listed as "system dependent," reflecting its IGP nature.

Clock speeds favor the Vega 11 in raw frequency: 300 MHz base and 1,400 MHz boost versus the GTX 570's memory clock of 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) with no base or boost clocks listed. However, the GTX 570 counters with superior fill rates — 21.96 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s for the Vega 11, and 43.92 GTexel/s versus 61.60 GTexel/s the other way. The Vega 11 wins texture rate by 40.2%, while the GTX 570 wins pixel rate by 96.1%.

The shader configuration differs substantially: the Vega 11 has 704 shading units, 44 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, while the GTX 570 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The Vega 11's FP32 throughput is 1.971 TFLOPS versus the GTX 570's 1,405.4 GFLOPS — a 40.2% advantage for the Vega 11. The Vega 11 also lists FP16 at 3.942 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, a feature the GTX 570 lacks entirely.

Physical specifications show the GTX 570 as a 267 mm (10.5 inches) dual-slot card requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the Vega 11 is an IGP with no slot width, no power connectors, and no PSU recommendation. The GTX 570 outputs to 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the Vega 11's display outputs are motherboard dependent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs spans a decade of design philosophy. The AMD Radeon Vega 11 uses the GCN 5.0 architecture on a 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 employs Fermi 2.0 on a 40 nm process from TSMC. The transistor counts tell the story of process evolution: the Vega 11 packs 4,940 million transistors into a 210 mm² die, achieving a density of 23.5M transistors per mm². The GTX 570, by contrast, fits 3,000 million transistors onto a massive 520 mm² die with a density of just 5.8M per mm². The Vega 11 achieves a 64.7% higher transistor density while using a die less than half the size.

The Vega 11 is part of the Vega IGP (Picasso) generation and succeeds the GCN 3.0 IGP, with the Vega II IGP as its successor. The GTX 570 belongs to the GeForce 500 generation, succeeding the GeForce 400 and preceding the GeForce 600. In terms of API support, the Vega 11 offers DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 570 lists DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan support. The Vega 11's higher DirectX feature level and Vulkan compatibility reflect its modern architecture, while the GTX 570's older Fermi design lacks Vulkan entirely.

The TDP difference is dramatic: the Vega 11 consumes 15 W as an integrated part, while the GTX 570 draws 219 W as a discrete card. The Vega 11's FP16 capability at 3.942 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) is absent from the GTX 570's spec sheet. The Vega 11's memory interface is entirely system-shared with no dedicated bus width, while the GTX 570 uses a 320-bit GDDR5 interface. These architectural differences explain the performance profiles: the Vega 11 relies on high-density integration and modern API features, while the GTX 570 compensates with a wider memory bus and more ROPs for pixel-heavy workloads.