NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

The GeForce GTX 570 arrives roughly eight months after the GTX 480, carrying the GF110 chip and a 1.6% lead in the sole Geekbench OpenCL benchmark (13515 vs 13300). Both cards share the same 40 nm TSMC process, but the newer card trims transistor count slightly while improving clock-for-clock efficiency. The data paints a picture of iterative refinement rather than generational revolution, with the GTX 570 clawing ahead in raw compute while the GTX 480 retains advantages in memory capacity and pixel throughput.

FAQ

Q: Which card scores higher in the available benchmark?

A: The GeForce GTX 570 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with 13515 points against the GTX 480's 13300, a delta of 1.6%.

Q: How does the GTX 570 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 570 sits within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13536, -0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13543, -0.2%), the NVIDIA P106-090 (13470, +0.3%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13407, +0.8%). Its 54th percentile ranking places it just above the GTX 480's 53rd percentile.

Q: Does the GTX 480 have any memory advantage?

A: Yes, the GTX 480 offers 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 177.4 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the GTX 570's 1280 MB on a 320-bit bus with 152.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 570 draws a 219 W TDP with a suggested 550 W PSU and dual 6-pin connectors. The GTX 480 draws 250 W TDP, requires a 600 W PSU, and uses one 6-pin plus one 8-pin connector.

Q: Are the APIs identical between these two cards?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and lack Vulkan support. Display outputs are also identical: 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Q: Which card was released earlier?

A: The GTX 480 launched on March 25, 2010, while the GTX 570 followed on December 6, 2010. The GTX 480 belongs to the GeForce 400 generation, and the GTX 570 to the GeForce 500 generation.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 570 uses the GF110 chip based on Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the GTX 480 employs the GF100 chip with the original Fermi architecture. This architectural revision is the core differentiator: Fermi 2.0 refines the thermal and power characteristics of the original Fermi design without altering the fundamental shader layout. Both chips are fabricated at TSMC on a 40 nm node, with the GF110 measuring 520 mm² versus the GF100's 529 mm². Transistor counts are nearly identical—3,000 million for the GF110 and 3,100 million for the GF100—resulting in transistor densities of 5.8M per mm² and 5.9M per mm², respectively.

The shading unit count is identical at 480, and texture mapping units match at 60. However, the render output units differ: the GTX 570 packs 40 ROPs while the GTX 480 carries 48 ROPs. This difference in ROP count directly explains the pixel rate gap—the GTX 570 achieves 21.96 GPixel/s versus the GTX 480's 21.03 GPixel/s, despite having fewer ROPs. The GTX 570 compensates with a higher memory clock of 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) versus the GTX 480's 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective), though the GTX 480's wider 384-bit bus gives it superior total bandwidth. FP32 compute favors the GTX 570 at 1,405.4 GFLOPS against 1,345.0 GFLOPS, a 4.5% theoretical advantage that aligns with its benchmark lead.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole benchmark in the dataset is Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 570 scores 13515 and the GTX 480 scores 13300. The 1.6% delta is modest but consistent with the FP32 compute difference. The GTX 570's higher clock speeds and refined Fermi 2.0 architecture translate directly into a measurable, if narrow, compute win.

Contextualizing against rivals, the GTX 480's 13300 score places it within a tight cluster: the AMD Radeon Pro 555X scores 13321 (-0.2%), the AMD FirePro M6100 scores 13354 (-0.4%), the AMD Radeon RX 5500M scores 13356 (-0.4%), and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13376 (-0.6%). This means the GTX 480's performance is nearly indistinguishable from several mobile and workstation parts that came years later. The GTX 570's 13515 score, meanwhile, edges out the NVIDIA P106-090 (13470, +0.3%) and trails the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and RX 9070 XT by just 0.2% each. Notably, the RX 9070 XT is a modern card, yet its OpenCL score lands within a rounding error of a 2010 Fermi part—an indication that OpenCL workloads here are not pushing modern architectural advantages.

The 1.6% benchmark lead for the GTX 570 is the only head-to-head victory recorded. The GTX 480 has zero wins in the dataset. This narrow margin suggests that in real-world OpenCL compute, the two cards are effectively peers, with the GTX 570's clock speed and architectural tweaks providing just enough separation to matter for benchmarks but not for transformative user experiences.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GTX 570 | GTX 480 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GF110 | GF100 |

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | Fermi |

| Generation | GeForce 500 | GeForce 400 |

| Transistors | 3,000 million | 3,100 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.8M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps) | 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 1280 MB | 1536 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 320 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 152.0 GB/s | 177.4 GB/s |

| ROPs | 40 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.96 GPixel/s | 21.03 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 43.92 GTexel/s | 42.06 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,405.4 GFLOPS | 1,345.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 219 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 600 W |

| Release Date | 2010-12-06 | 2010-03-25 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 400 | GeForce 200 |

| Successor | GeForce 600 | GeForce 500 |

| Launch MSRP | 349 USD | 499 USD |

| Percentile | 54 | 53 |

The GTX 570 uses fewer transistors on a smaller die, yet delivers higher clocks and better efficiency. The GTX 480 counters with 256 MB more memory, a 64-bit wider bus, and 8 additional ROPs. Both cards share identical shading units, TMUs, slot width (dual-slot), length (267 mm), bus interface (PCIe 2.0 x16), and display outputs. The GTX 570's lower TDP (219 W vs 250 W) and simpler power connector requirement (2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin) are direct benefits of the Fermi 2.0 refinements.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 570 wins the only benchmark recorded, giving it a clean sweep in compute performance. Its higher FP32 throughput (1,405.4 GFLOPS), faster texture rate (43.92 GTexel/s), and superior pixel rate (21.96 GPixel/s) all point to advantages in shader-heavy workloads and texture-bound scenarios. The lower TDP and reduced PSU requirement make it the better choice for systems with modest power supplies or limited thermal headroom.

The GTX 480 wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 1536 MB frame buffer and 177.4 GB/s bandwidth, coupled with 48 ROPs, suggest an edge in high-resolution rendering with large textures or multi-sample anti-aliasing, where memory capacity and ROP throughput become limiting factors. The 384-bit bus provides 16.7% more bandwidth than the GTX 570's 320-bit bus. The GTX 480 also launched at a higher price point (499 USD vs 349 USD), reflecting its initial positioning as the flagship, though the GTX 570's later arrival at a lower launch MSRP indicates NVIDIA's response to the 400 series' power and heat issues.

For raw compute tasks like OpenCL workloads, the GTX 570's benchmark win is decisive. For memory-intensive applications where the frame buffer exceeds 1280 MB, the GTX 480's larger pool could prevent performance cliffs. The GTX 570's higher pixel and texture rates suggest it handles fill-rate-limited scenarios better despite fewer ROPs, because its clocks are sufficiently higher to overcome the ROP deficit.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the GTX 570 is the superior card for most compute and gaming scenarios. Its 1.6% benchmark lead, higher FP32 throughput, and better power efficiency (219 W vs 250 W TDP) make it the more refined product. The GTX 570 achieves this with 100 million fewer transistors and a smaller die, demonstrating that Fermi 2.0 was a meaningful efficiency improvement over the original Fermi architecture. For users building a system around OpenCL compute or fill-rate-sensitive workloads, the GTX 570's 13515 score and 43.92 GTexel/s texture rate provide tangible benefits over the GTX 480's 13300 and 42.06 GTexel/s.

However, the GTX 480 retains a niche advantage in memory-bound scenarios. The 1536 MB frame buffer and 177.4 GB/s bandwidth, combined with 48 ROPs, give it a clear edge for workloads that exceed 1280 MB of video memory or rely heavily on bandwidth. Users targeting high-resolution textures or running multi-monitor setups with large desktops might find the GTX 480's memory headroom valuable, despite its higher power draw and older architecture.

The percentile rankings (54th for GTX 570, 53rd for GTX 480) reflect how close these two cards are in the broader GPU landscape. Both sit in the lower-middle range of all GPUs ever benchmarked. The GTX 570's launch MSRP of 349 USD versus the GTX 480's 499 USD suggests that NVIDIA positioned the newer card as a more accessible option with near-flagship performance. Given the 1.6% benchmark delta and the GTX 570's superior efficiency metrics, the verdict is straightforward: the GTX 570 is the better overall choice, while the GTX 480 remains relevant only for specific memory-heavy use cases where its 1536 MB buffer and wider bus are decisive.