AMD Radeon RX 5600M vs Intel Arc A580 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive victory for the Intel Arc A580 across every shared benchmark. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Intel part scores 2229 against the AMD Radeon RX 5600M’s 1320, a 68.9% advantage. This is the largest margin in the comparison, indicating a substantial lead in modern DirectX 12 rasterization workloads.

The gap narrows slightly in compute-oriented tests, but the Intel Arc A580 still dominates. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel card records 91657 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M manages 59589, a 53.8% delta. The Vulkan test tells a similar story: Intel scores 79381, AMD scores 48843, a 62.5% difference. Across all three head-to-head benchmarks, the Intel Arc A580 wins all three, with zero wins for the AMD part.

Looking at the average benchmark score, the Intel Arc A580 posts 57756, which is 24.8% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600M’s 46601. The percentile ranking reinforces this: the Intel card sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, while the AMD card is at the 85th percentile. Despite the close percentile placement, the raw score gap is substantial, suggesting the percentile ranking compresses differences near the top of the distribution.

The nearest rivals for the Intel Arc A580 provide context. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM, a desktop variant, is 0.6% behind the Intel card in average score. The Intel Arc A570M is 0.8% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT is 1.1% behind. Interestingly, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 0.7% ahead. For the AMD Radeon RX 5600M, the closest competitor is the Intel Arc A530M, which matches its score exactly (0% delta). The AMD Radeon RX 6550M is 0.2% behind, while NVIDIA RTX A2000 and RTX 5880 Ada Generation are 1.2% and 1.4% ahead, respectively. This suggests the RX 5600M sits in a mid-range mobile tier, while the Arc A580 punches above its apparent class.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A580 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-512 chip, and belongs to the Alchemist generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 53.4 million per mm². The AMD Radeon RX 5600M uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, part of the Navi Mobile generation. It uses a 7 nm process at the same foundry, with 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, giving a density of 41.0 million per mm².

The Intel chip is physically larger and denser, with more than double the transistor count. This allows for 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. The AMD card has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Intel part also features 24 ray tracing cores, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has no dedicated ray tracing hardware listed.

Memory configurations diverge significantly. The Intel Arc A580 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with 288.0 GB/s. The Intel card’s memory clock is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the AMD card runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

The process node difference (6 nm vs 7 nm) contributes to the Intel card’s higher transistor density, but the AMD chip is smaller and consumes less power. The Intel Arc A580 has a TDP of 175 W, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M is rated at 150 W. Despite the higher power draw, the Intel card delivers substantially higher compute throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A580 wins in every recorded benchmark category. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, its 68.9% lead indicates a strong advantage in modern game workloads that leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate features. The Intel card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). This is a meaningful architectural difference: the Intel part can handle advanced ray tracing and mesh shaders, whereas the AMD card lacks those hardware capabilities.

In compute-heavy tasks, the Intel Arc A580’s lead in OpenCL (53.8%) and Vulkan (62.5%) suggests it is better suited for general-purpose GPU workloads, content creation, and Vulkan-based applications. The Intel card’s FP32 throughput of 12.29 TFLOPS versus 5.829 TFLOPS for the AMD card confirms this: the Intel part has more than double the raw floating-point performance.

The AMD Radeon RX 5600M does have some advantages, though they are not reflected in benchmark scores. It is an integrated form factor (IGP) with no power connectors, making it more suitable for compact or mobile systems where space and power delivery are constrained. It is also end-of-life, which may indicate availability in existing platforms rather than new builds. The AMD card’s lower TDP of 150 W versus 175 W means it generates less heat, which is a consideration for thin laptops.

However, in terms of raw performance, the data shows no scenario where the AMD Radeon RX 5600M wins. The Intel Arc A580 leads in all three shared tests, and its average score is higher by 24.8%.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The Intel Arc A580 has a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost clock of 2000 MHz, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has a base clock of 1035 MHz, a boost of 1265 MHz, and a game clock of 1190 MHz. The Intel card’s clocks are significantly higher, contributing to its performance lead.

Memory size, bus width, and bandwidth all favor Intel: 8 GB versus 6 GB, 256-bit versus 192-bit, and 512.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s. The shading unit count is 3072 versus 2304, TMUs are 192 versus 144, and ROPs are 96 versus 64. The Intel card has 24 ray tracing cores; the AMD card has none.

Pixel rate and texture rate also diverge: Intel posts 192.0 GPixel/s and 384.0 GTexel/s, while AMD posts 80.96 GPixel/s and 182.2 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 throughput are roughly double on the Intel card: 12.29 TFLOPS versus 5.829 TFLOPS, and 24.58 TFLOPS versus 11.66 TFLOPS, both at a 2:1 ratio.

The power delivery differs: the Intel card uses 2x 8-pin connectors and a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the AMD card has no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. The Intel card is dual-slot, while the AMD card is IGP. Display outputs also differ: Intel offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0, while AMD is listed as “Portable Device Dependent.”

The API support is another point of differentiation. Intel supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while AMD only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Production status and release dates vary: the Intel Arc A580 is Active and was released on 2023-10-09, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M is End-of-life and was released on 2020-07-06.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A580 has an average benchmark score of 57756, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 5600M’s 46601, a difference of 24.8%.

Q: How do the two cards compare in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The Intel Arc A580 scores 2229, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M scores 1320. The Intel card leads by 68.9%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 5600M support ray tracing?

A: No, the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has no ray tracing cores listed. The Intel Arc A580 has 24 ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Intel Arc A580 has a memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has 288.0 GB/s. The Intel card’s bandwidth is 77.8% higher.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The Intel Arc A580 has 21,700 million transistors, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has 10,300 million. The Intel chip has more than double the transistor count.

Q: What are the DirectX version differences?

A: The Intel Arc A580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Arc A580 is the superior GPU in every measured benchmark. It wins all three head-to-head tests, leads in average score by 24.8%, and offers higher memory bandwidth, more shading units, and ray tracing support. For users running DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads, Vulkan applications, or compute-heavy tasks, the Intel card is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon RX 5600M, however, is not without merit. It is an integrated part with no power connectors, a lower TDP of 150 W, and a smaller die size of 251 mm². It fits into systems where the Intel Arc A580’s dual-slot design and 2x 8-pin connectors would be impractical. The AMD card is also end-of-life, which may make it available in existing laptops at reduced cost, though the database does not record pricing.

For a new build or upgrade where performance is the priority, the Intel Arc A580 should be selected. Its 68.9% lead in the modern DX12 test and 62.5% lead in Vulkan make it the stronger choice for gaming and content creation. For a compact or power-constrained mobile platform where the AMD card is pre-installed, the RX 5600M remains a functional mid-range option, but it cannot match the Intel part’s performance in any recorded metric. The percentile ranks (87th versus 85th) suggest both are capable, but the raw numbers show the Intel Arc A580 is in a higher performance class.