Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

The Verdict

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is the clear winner in the recorded head-to-head benchmark data. It wins the only shared test, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 9082 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M's 6389, a 42.2% advantage. The database places the Intel part at the 39th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA part sits at the 37th percentile. The Intel chip's average benchmark score of 7170 also exceeds the NVIDIA chip's 6389. The GTX 580M's only recorded benchmark is the same GeForce OpenCL run, so there is no other basis for comparison. For users prioritizing compute workloads measured by OpenCL, the Iris Pro P580 is the recommended choice. The GTX 580M remains relevant only for legacy compatibility with its MXM form factor and older Fermi feature set, but the data shows no scenario where it outperforms the Intel part in recorded metrics.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design eras and foundries. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is built on a 14 nm+ process at Intel, using the Skylake GT4e chip with Generation 9.0 architecture. It integrates 576 shading units, 72 texture mapping units, and only 9 raster output units. Its render output rate is 9.000 GPixel/s, and its texture fill rate is 72.00 GTexel/s. The floating point performance reaches 1,152.0 GFLOPS for FP32, and it supports FP16 at 2.304 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio. The chip uses a Ring Bus interface and is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 15 W TDP.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M is a discrete mobile part from the Fermi 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It uses the GF114 chip with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². It has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 9.920 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 39.68 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 952.3 GFLOPS, and there is no listed FP16 capability. The card connects via an MXM-B (3.0) interface and is packaged as an MXM Module with a 100 W TDP. The process and density differences are stark: the Intel part uses a much smaller process node and integrates memory access through the system, while the NVIDIA part uses a larger, older process with a dedicated memory bus.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded direct comparison is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 scores 9082, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M scores 6389. The delta is 42.2% in favor of the Intel part. This is a substantial margin, indicating that the Intel chip delivers significantly higher compute throughput in this specific workload. The Intel part's FP32 rating of 1,152.0 GFLOPS versus the NVIDIA part's 952.3 GFLOPS partially explains this gap, as does the Intel part's higher texture rate of 72.00 GTexel/s versus 39.68 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part does have a higher pixel rate (9.920 GPixel/s vs 9.000 GPixel/s), but that does not translate into a win in the only measured test.

The Intel part also has a Vulkan benchmark score of 5258, but the NVIDIA part has no Vulkan score recorded, so no comparison is possible there. The average benchmark score for the Intel part is 7170, while the NVIDIA part averages 6389. The Intel part's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (avg 7171, delta 0%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (avg 7157, delta 0.2%), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (avg 7203, delta -0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (avg 7222, delta -0.7%). This places the Intel part within 0.7% of those cards. The NVIDIA GTX 580M's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE (avg 6389, delta 0%), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (avg 6407, delta -0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (avg 6330, delta 0.9%), and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 (avg 6327, delta 1%). The NVIDIA part sits in a lower performance bracket, roughly 12% below the Intel part's average score.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ in nearly every fundamental specification except for some API support. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has a base clock of 350 MHz and a boost clock of 1000 MHz. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clock, but its memory clock is 750 MHz with 3 Gbps effective. The Intel part uses system shared memory with a system dependent bandwidth, while the NVIDIA part has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 256 bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel part has 576 shading units, 72 TMUs, and 9 ROPs. The NVIDIA part has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Intel part's TDP is 15 W, whereas the NVIDIA part's TDP is 100 W. The Intel part is an IGP with a Ring Bus interface, while the NVIDIA part is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) interface.

The process node differs: Intel uses 14 nm+, NVIDIA uses 40 nm. The NVIDIA chip has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, while the Intel chip has no listed transistor count or die size. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. The Intel part's FP16 capability is 2.304 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA part has no FP16 data. The NVIDIA part's memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all fixed, while the Intel part's are system dependent. The release dates differ: the Intel part was released on 2015-08-31, the NVIDIA part on 2011-06-27. Both are end-of-life. The NVIDIA part has a predecessor (GeForce 400M) and successor (GeForce 600M), while the Intel part has none listed. Neither part has a launch MSRP recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only shared benchmark test?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 9082, against 6389 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, a 42.2% advantage.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has an average benchmark score of 7170. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has an average benchmark score of 6389.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M support Vulkan?

A: No. The NVIDIA part lists no Vulkan support. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 supports Vulkan 1.3.

Q: What is the difference in memory configuration?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 uses system shared memory with a system dependent bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 256 bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has 576 shading units, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has 384 shading units. The Intel part also has more TMUs (72 vs 64), but the NVIDIA part has more ROPs (32 vs 9).

Q: What are the TDP ratings for these parts?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has a TDP of 15 W. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M has a TDP of 100 W. The Intel part is an integrated processor, while the NVIDIA part is an MXM module.