AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M in the recorded benchmark data?

A: The database shows a single head-to-head comparison in Geekbench OpenCL, where the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7435 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M's 6389, a 16.4% advantage for the AMD part.

Q: What do the average benchmark scores indicate about each GPU's overall standing?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile carries an average benchmark score of 7203, placing it at the 39th percentile among all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has an average score of 6389, placing it at the 37th percentile. Both sit in the lower-middle range of the database.

Q: Which rival GPUs are closest to the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile in performance?

A: According to the nearest rival data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 scores 7222 (0.3% lower), the GTX 560 SE scores 7171 (0.4% higher), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 scores 7170 (0.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 scores 7157 (0.6% higher). These are remarkably tight margins.

Q: What rivals surround the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M?

A: The GTX 580M matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE exactly at 6389. It sits 0.3% below the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (6407), and 0.9% and 1.0% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (6330) and AMD Radeon R7 M350 (6327) respectively.

Q: What are the memory configurations of each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile uses system-shared memory with a bus width and bandwidth that are system dependent. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has a dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory pool on a 256-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports more modern API features?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) but has no Vulkan support listed. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner in raw compute and modern feature support: the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile. Its 16.4% lead in Geekbench OpenCL over the GTX 580M is substantial, and its average benchmark score sits 12.7% higher. The AMD part also lands at a higher percentile (39 vs 37) among all GPUs in the database.

However, the choice depends heavily on the use case context. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M retains advantages in dedicated memory capacity (2 GB versus system shared) and memory bandwidth (96.00 GB/s versus system dependent). For applications that are sensitive to memory latency or require a fixed memory pool, the GTX 580M could be preferable. The GTX 580M also has a higher pixel rate (9.920 GPixel/s versus 8.808 GPixel/s) and texture rate (39.68 GTexel/s versus 35.23 GTexel/s), which indicates it may handle certain fill-rate-bound tasks more efficiently despite losing the overall compute race.

For users prioritizing compute throughput, modern API support, and overall benchmark scores, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile is the stronger selection. For those in need of dedicated memory with higher bandwidth and better fill-rate characteristics, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M remains relevant. The data suggests that the AMD part is more efficient in raw compute, while the NVIDIA part holds its own in memory-centric workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records exactly one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs, and it is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7435, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389. The delta is 16.4% in favor of the AMD part.

This 1046-point gap is not a marginal difference. The AMD part's score places it in the company of GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222) and the GTX 560 SE (7171), both of which are within a fraction of a percent. The GTX 580M's score of 6389 ties it exactly with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, and it sits just above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (6330) and AMD Radeon R7 M350 (6327).

The implications are notable. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile, despite being an integrated processor graphics solution, outperforms the GTX 580M, a dedicated mobile discrete GPU from the Fermi architecture generation. The delta is significant enough to suggest architectural advantages beyond just clock speeds. The GCN 5.0 architecture's compute capabilities and the 512 shading units likely contribute to this lead, as does the much higher FP32 throughput of 1,127.4 GFLOPS versus 952.3 GFLOPS.

The GTX 580M's wins are not visible in this single test, but its specification sheet reveals where it would counterattack. Its 64 texture mapping units and 32 ROPs suggest a design optimized for pixel and texture throughput, which the pixel rate and texture rate numbers confirm. The database records just one win for the AMD part, and zero for the NVIDIA part, but the GTX 580M's structural strengths remain in its memory system and rasterization hardware.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification category. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1101 MHz. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clock, but its memory runs at 750 MHz, translating to 3 Gbps effective.

Memory configurations are fundamentally different. The AMD part relies on system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The GTX 580M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth.

The compute units diverge significantly: the AMD part has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, while the GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This explains the AMD's lead in shader-heavy tests and the NVIDIA's advantage in texture and pixel operations.

Rates reflect these differences. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile delivers 8.808 GPixel/s and 35.23 GTexel/s, while the GTX 580M delivers 9.920 GPixel/s and 39.68 GTexel/s. In compute, the AMD reaches 1,127.4 GFLOPS FP32 and 2.255 TFLOPS FP16, whereas the GTX 580M reaches 952.3 GFLOPS FP32 and has no FP16 listing.

Power and physical characteristics also differ. The AMD part has a TDP of 25 W and is an IGP with no power connectors. The GTX 580M has a TDP of 100 W and is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface. The AMD uses no power connectors, while the GTX 580M also lists none, but its higher TDP implies a different power delivery path.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile uses the GCN 5.0 architecture built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture on a 40 nm process at TSMC.

The process node gap is significant: 14 nm versus 40 nm. This explains the transistor density difference, where the AMD part has 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, yielding 23.5 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 580M has 1,950 million transistors on a larger 332 mm² die, yielding only 5.9 million per square millimeter.

The AMD part is a Raven-M chip, part of the Vega IGP generation (Raven Ridge-M). The GTX 580M uses the GF114 chip from the GeForce 500M generation. The AMD's memory system is shared with the host, while the GTX 580M's is dedicated GDDR5.

API support underscores the architectural generational gap. The AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 580M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The AMD part has a successor in the Navi II IGP and a predecessor in the GCN 3.0 IGP. The GTX 580M sits between the GeForce 400M and GeForce 600M. The AMD part is the newer release (2019 versus 2011), which aligns with its superior transistor density and architecture generation.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile dominates in compute-centric workloads. Its FP32 throughput of 1,127.4 GFLOPS exceeds the GTX 580M's 952.3 GFLOPS by over 18%. Its FP16 capability at 2.255 TFLOPS gives it a significant edge in mixed-precision tasks. The 512 shading units provide a 33% advantage in raw shading count over the GTX 580M's 384. This is why the Geekbench OpenCL score lands 16.4% higher. For applications that rely on general compute, such as physics simulations or certain rendering workloads, the AMD part is the clear pick.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M wins in the rasterization domain. It has 64 TMUs versus 32, and 32 ROPs versus 8, leading to a higher pixel rate (9.920 GPixel/s versus 8.808 GPixel/s) and texture rate (39.68 GTexel/s versus 35.23 GTexel/s). The dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth provides a big advantage for texture-heavy games or workloads that require frequent memory access without system contention. The GTX 580M is also the only option with a fixed memory pool, which can be critical for applications that do not tolerate system memory sharing overhead.

The release date difference (2019 versus 2011) indicates that the AMD part benefits from years of architectural evolution, including the 14 nm node and GCN 5.0 features. The GTX 580M's Fermi 2.0 architecture is older, but its dedicated memory and higher TMU/ROP counts keep it competitive in specific tasks. The AMD part's lower TDP (25 W versus 100 W) makes it far more suitable for thin-and-light systems, while the GTX 580M's higher power envelope likely requires a larger chassis and stronger cooling solution.

In summary, pick the AMD for compute, modern API support, and power efficiency. Pick the NVIDIA for memory bandwidth, rasterization throughput, and fixed-memory applications. The database shows the AMD as the overall performance leader, but the GTX 580M's specialized strengths remain relevant.