NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915, while the GTX 580 scores 15,283. That is a delta of 73.6% in favor of the mobile Ampere part. In raw compute terms, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is nearly four times faster in this OpenCL workload, a gap that reflects not just generational improvements but also a fundamental shift in architecture efficiency.

Looking at the broader database context, the GTX 580's score of 15,283 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the RTX 2060 scores 15,290 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15,270 (0.1% delta), the RTX 3050 OEM scores 15,199 (0.6% delta), and the RX 7600 scores 15,171 (0.7% delta). The GTX 580 is essentially tied with these modern entries in OpenCL, which is remarkable for a card from 2010. However, that clustering also means the GTX 580 is not competitive with even entry-level modern discrete GPUs in this test.

The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, by contrast, sits at the 53rd percentile with an average benchmark score of 12,940 across all recorded tests. Its nearest rivals include the RX 580 (12,928, 0.1% delta), the GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986, -0.4% delta), the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870, 0.5% delta), and the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, 0.7% delta). The negative delta against the GTX 1660 SUPER indicates the 3050 Ti Mobile trails that desktop card by 0.4% in average score, though the OpenCL result shows a different story.

In the head-to-head, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins the sole recorded test. The database records zero wins for the GTX 580 and one win for the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile. That single win, however, is substantial: a 73.6% margin in OpenCL compute. For a laptop GPU with a 75 W TDP to outperform a desktop flagship from a decade prior by that margin, the architectural leap is clear.

The GTX 580's OpenCL score is notable for its consistency with its era. It matches modern integrated graphics like the Radeon 680M and even trades blows with the RX 7600, but those are not victories; they are parity at best. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, meanwhile, delivers a score that is far beyond the GTX 580's reach, and its average across multiple tests confirms that the OpenCL result is not an outlier.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different design philosophies. The GTX 580 uses the GF110 chip, built on Fermi 2.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 40 nm process. It packs 3,000 million transistors into a 520 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.8 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses the GA106 chip, based on Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It contains 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, achieving a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter.

The density difference is staggering: the Ampere chip crams four times the transistors into roughly half the die area. That is the direct result of the process node jump from 40 nm to 8 nm, which allowed Samsung to shrink features dramatically while increasing complexity. The GTX 580's large die and low density reflect its 2010-era design, where power and heat were secondary concerns to raw throughput.

Core configurations differ just as sharply. The GTX 580 has 512 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs. The mobile part has five times the shader count, but fewer ROPs, which reflects a compute-heavy design rather than a rasterization-focused one. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile also adds dedicated hardware that the GTX 580 lacks entirely: 20 RT cores for ray tracing and 80 tensor cores for AI workloads. The GTX 580 has no such units, as Fermi 2.0 predates both ray tracing acceleration and tensor core technology.

Memory subsystems also diverge. The GTX 580 uses 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 192.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s. The bandwidth is nearly identical, but the bus width is a third of the size, meaning the mobile part relies on faster memory clocks to compensate. The GTX 580's memory runs at 1,002 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile runs at 1,500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), a threefold increase in effective speed.

Clock behavior also differs. The GTX 580 has no recorded base or boost clock, only its memory clock. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a base clock of 735 MHz and a boost clock of 1,035 MHz. Despite lower clocks, the mobile part achieves far higher throughput thanks to its massive shader count. The GTX 580's FP32 performance is 1.581 TFLOPS, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile reaches 5.299 TFLOPS, a 3.35x advantage. The mobile part also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (5.299 TFLOPS), while the GTX 580 has no recorded FP16 capability.

Pixel and texture rates follow similar patterns. The GTX 580 produces 24.70 GPixel/s and 49.41 GTexel/s. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile produces 33.12 GPixel/s and 82.80 GTexel/s. The mobile part leads in both, but the texture rate advantage is more pronounced, reflecting the higher TMU count and better shader utilization.

API support also separates the two. The GTX 580 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The feature level difference is significant: 12_2 enables hardware ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading, none of which are available on the GTX 580.

The GTX 580 is a dual-slot desktop card requiring 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a 244 W TDP and a suggested 550 W PSU. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP. The power efficiency gap is enormous: the mobile part delivers over three times the compute performance at less than a third of the power draw.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 57,915 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 580 scores 15,283. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile leads by 73.6%, a decisive margin.

Q: Does the GTX 580 support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 580 has no RT cores, as Fermi 2.0 architecture predates ray tracing acceleration. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile includes 20 RT cores.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: They are nearly identical. The GTX 580 delivers 192.4 GB/s over a 384-bit GDDR5 bus, while the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile delivers 192.0 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR6 bus.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The GTX 580 has 5.8 million transistors per square millimeter on a 40 nm TSMC process. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 43.5 million per square millimeter on an 8 nm Samsung process.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has 2,560 shading units, exactly five times the GTX 580's 512. This drives its much higher FP32 throughput of 5.299 TFLOPS versus 1.581 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The GTX 580 has a 244 W TDP and requires dual power connectors. The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile has a 75 W TDP and requires no power connectors, as it is an integrated mobile part.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GTX 580 | RTX 3050 Ti Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 3,000 million | 12,000 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 276 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.8M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 1,536 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 128 bit |

| Shading Units | 512 | 2,560 |

| TMUs | 64 | 80 |

| ROPs | 48 | 32 |

| RT Cores | None | 20 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 80 |

| FP32 Performance | 1.581 TFLOPS | 5.299 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | Not recorded | 5.299 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 24.70 GPixel/s | 33.12 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 49.41 GTexel/s | 82.80 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 244 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | Not specified |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | Not recorded | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2010-11-08 | 2021-05-10 |

| Dimensions | 267 mm length, 111 mm height | Not specified |

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 580 wins in scenarios that favor its era-specific strengths. Its 384-bit memory bus and 48 ROPs make it well-suited for high-resolution rasterization workloads that benefit from wide memory interfaces. The dual-slot design and 244 W TDP indicate it was built for desktop towers with robust power delivery, and its 2x DVI plus mini-HDMI outputs cater to multi-monitor desktop setups. The GTX 580 also holds its own in OpenCL against modern integrated graphics, tying the AMD Radeon 680M and trading blows with the RX 7600, which suggests it remains usable for basic compute tasks.

The RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins in nearly every other category. Its 5.299 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores make it the clear choice for modern gaming with ray tracing enabled, AI-accelerated workloads, and DirectX 12 Ultimate content. The 4 GB GDDR6 memory, while on a narrower 128-bit bus, provides the same bandwidth as the GTX 580's wider interface, but with faster effective clocks. The 75 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can operate in thin laptops without external power, a massive advantage in portability and efficiency. Its Vulkan 1.4 support and PCIe 4.0 interface further modernize its feature set.

For compute-heavy tasks like OpenCL workloads, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is overwhelmingly superior, as the 73.6% delta demonstrates. For legacy software that relies on older DirectX 11_0 features, the GTX 580's simpler architecture may offer better compatibility, but the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's DirectX 12 Ultimate support ensures forward compatibility with new titles. The GTX 580's only real wins are its wider memory bus and higher ROP count, which could theoretically benefit certain memory-bandwidth-bound rasterization tasks, but the benchmark data shows no such advantage in practice.

Ultimately, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile is the better GPU for virtually all modern use cases. The GTX 580 remains a historical artifact, a card that defined high-end gaming in 2010 but has been surpassed by a mobile part with a fraction of its power draw. The database records one head-to-head test, and the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile wins it decisively.