AMD Radeon RX 6500M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but the single AMD victory is a notable one. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 takes 8 of the 9 head-to-head tests, with the AMD Radeon RX 6500M winning only in the Geekbench Vulkan test.

The biggest margin comes in Passmark GPU Compute, where the GTX 1080 scores 7614 against the RX 6500M's 2669, a 185.3% advantage. This is a massive gap, reflecting the GTX 1080's far higher raw compute throughput. In the Passmark G3D test, the GTX 1080 posts 15586 versus 7531, a 107% difference, meaning the older NVIDIA card delivers roughly double the 3D graphics performance in this workload.

The DirectX legacy tests also heavily favor the GTX 1080. In DirectX 9, it scores 211 against 92, a 129.3% lead. DirectX 10 shows a 78.8% advantage (93 vs 52), DirectX 11 a 77.1% edge (124 vs 70), and DirectX 12 a 61.8% lead (55 vs 34). The 2D test is similarly lopsided: 888 vs 385, a 130.6% difference.

The only AMD win is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6500M scores 43837 versus the GTX 1080's 30398, a 30.7% advantage. This is a significant result, especially for a modern API. However, in Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1080 turns the tables with 51204 vs 38586, a 32.7% lead.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the GTX 1080 sits at 11960, while the RX 6500M averages 10362. The GTX 1080's percentile rank among all GPUs is 51, compared to the RX 6500M's 48, so both sit near the middle of the database, but the NVIDIA card is slightly higher. The GTX 1080's nearest rivals include the GTX 960A (avg 11998, -0.3%), the RX 6500 XT (avg 11842, +1%), and the GTX 1660 (avg 11680, +2.4%). The RX 6500M's closest competitors are the Tesla C2075 (avg 10400, -0.4%) and the GTX 950A (avg 10273, +0.9%), which shows it is competing with much older hardware.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 has an average benchmark score of 11960, which is higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6500M's 10362.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 6500M win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, it wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 43837, beating the GTX 1080's 30398 by 30.7%.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the Passmark GPU Compute test?

A: The GTX 1080 scores 7614 versus 2669, giving it a 185.3% advantage, which is the largest delta between the two cards in any recorded test.

Q: What is the difference in DirectX 11 performance?

A: The GTX 1080 scores 124 in Passmark DirectX 11, while the RX 6500M scores 70, resulting in a 77.1% lead for the NVIDIA card.

Q: How do the two compare in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1080 scores 51204, which is 32.7% higher than the RX 6500M's 38586.

Q: Which GPU has the higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 1080 is at the 51st percentile, while the RX 6500M is at the 48th percentile, meaning the GTX 1080 sits slightly higher in the overall distribution.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras. The GTX 1080 uses NVIDIA's Pascal architecture on the GP104 chip, built on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, with a transistor density of 22.9M per mm². In contrast, the RX 6500M uses AMD's RDNA 2.0 architecture on the Navi 24 chip, fabricated on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 5,400 million transistors on a much smaller 107 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 50.5M per mm². The RX 6500M is more than twice as dense in terms of transistor packing.

Core configurations differ substantially. The GTX 1080 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6500M has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, but adds 16 ray tracing cores, which the Pascal GPU lacks entirely. The GTX 1080 does not support hardware ray tracing, while the RX 6500M does, though its RT core count is modest.

Memory subsystems are also very different. The GTX 1080 uses 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6500M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, with 144.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 1080 has more than double the memory bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and compute workloads.

Clock speeds favor the RX 6500M. Its base clock is 2000 MHz and boost clock is 2400 MHz, with a game clock of 2191 MHz. The GTX 1080 runs at a base of 1607 MHz and boost of 1733 MHz. However, the GTX 1080's higher shader count more than compensates for the lower clocks. The memory clocks differ too: the GTX 1080 runs at 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective), while the RX 6500M runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Power and physical characteristics show a clear design split. The GTX 1080 has a TDP of 180 W, uses a dual-slot cooler with a 1x 8-pin power connector, and requires a 450 W suggested PSU. It measures 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The RX 6500M is an integrated mobile GPU with a 50 W TDP, no power connectors, and is listed as IGP form factor with dimensions dependent on the portable device. The GTX 1080 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 6500M uses PCIe 4.0 x4.

API support differs slightly. The GTX 1080 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RX 6500M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which is the newer feature level. Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 1080 offers display outputs of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 6500M's outputs are portable device dependent.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for most use cases. The GTX 1080 is the stronger performer across nearly every benchmark category, with particularly large leads in compute and legacy DirectX tests. Its 185.3% advantage in GPU compute and 107% lead in G3D make it the clear choice for raw performance, especially in desktop environments where power and space are not constraints.

The RX 6500M's single Vulkan win is meaningful for modern API workloads, but it does not overcome the GTX 1080's dominance elsewhere. It is also a mobile part with a 50 W TDP, making it suitable for laptops, whereas the GTX 1080 is a desktop card with a 180 W TDP and dual-slot cooler. For a builder with a desktop PSU of at least 450 W and room for a 267 mm card, the GTX 1080 is the obvious pick based on benchmark results.

However, the RX 6500M should not be dismissed. Its 30.7% Vulkan advantage suggests it handles that API more efficiently, and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and hardware ray tracing gives it features the GTX 1080 lacks. For a user prioritizing those specific capabilities in a portable form factor, the RX 6500M is the only option of the two, since the GTX 1080 cannot be installed in a mobile chassis.

The average scores reinforce the GTX 1080's overall superiority: 11960 vs 10362, a difference of about 15%. The percentile rankings (51 vs 48) are close, but the GTX 1080 edges ahead. The nearest rival data for each card also tells a story. The GTX 1080 trades blows with the GTX 960A (-0.3%), RX 6500 XT (+1%), and GTX 1660 (+2.4%), all within a few percent. The RX 6500M sits near the Tesla C2075 (-0.4%), GTX 950A (+0.9%), and RX 550X (-1.1%), which are all much older or lower-tier parts. This places the RX 6500M in a less competitive bracket.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The GTX 1080 uses the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip, while the RX 6500M uses RDNA 2.0 with a Navi 24 chip. Process nodes are 16 nm versus 6 nm. Transistor counts are 7,200 million versus 5,400 million, and die sizes are 314 mm² versus 107 mm². Density is 22.9M per mm² versus 50.5M per mm².

Clock speeds: the GTX 1080 has a base of 1607 MHz and boost of 1733 MHz, while the RX 6500M has a base of 2000 MHz and boost of 2400 MHz, with a game clock of 2191 MHz. Memory clocks are 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Memory: 8 GB GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 320.3 GB/s bandwidth, versus 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 144.0 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units: 2560 versus 1024. TMUs: 160 versus 64. ROPs: 64 versus 32. The RX 6500M has 16 RT cores, while the GTX 1080 has none.

Performance rates: pixel rate is 110.9 GPixel/s versus 76.80 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 277.3 GTexel/s versus 153.6 GTexel/s. FP32 is 8.873 TFLOPS versus 4.915 TFLOPS. FP16 is 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64) versus 9.830 TFLOPS (2:1), a major difference in half-precision capability.

Power: 180 W TDP versus 50 W TDP. The GTX 1080 uses a dual-slot cooler and 1x 8-pin connector, with a 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 6500M has no power connector and no suggested PSU. Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x4. Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a versus portable device dependent. Dimensions: 267 x 112 x 40 mm versus none listed.

API support: DirectX 12 (12_1) versus DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both have OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates are 2016-05-26 for the GTX 1080 and 2022-01-03 for the RX 6500M. The GTX 1080 has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the RX 6500M has none listed. Both are end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1080 wins in nearly every measured category. Its Passmark GPU Compute score of 7614 versus 2669 makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks like rendering, physics simulation, or any workload that leverages FP32 throughput. Its 8.873 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provides the muscle here. The 107% lead in G3D means it dominates general 3D gaming and graphics workloads in the database's tests.

For legacy DirectX titles, the GTX 1080 is far ahead. The 129.3% lead in DirectX 9 and 77.1% in DirectX 11 mean older games will run significantly better on the NVIDIA card. The 78.8% DirectX 10 and 61.8% DirectX 12 leads reinforce this pattern. The 2D performance gap, 130.6%, also favors the GTX 1080, which is relevant for desktop productivity or any 2D rendering.

The RX 6500M wins exclusively in Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 43837 against 30398. This suggests it handles Vulkan workloads more efficiently, possibly due to its newer architecture with better async compute or driver optimizations. It also has hardware ray tracing support, which the GTX 1080 lacks entirely, and DirectX 12 Ultimate features.

For a desktop builder with power to spare, the GTX 1080 is the winner in all but Vulkan-specific scenarios. For a laptop user who needs Vulkan performance and modern API features in a 50 W package, the RX 6500M is the only choice, and its Vulkan strength is a genuine asset. The data does not show any other area where the RX 6500M surpasses the GTX 1080.