NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M vs NVIDIA RTX A400 Comparison

The GeForce GTX 580M and the RTX A400 represent two distant points in NVIDIA’s mobile and workstation history. The GTX 580M is a Fermi-era part from 2011, while the RTX A400 is a modern Ampere-based workstation GPU. Despite their shared manufacturer, the benchmark data reveals a stark generational gap, though the GTX 580M still holds a respectable position in its own right. This analysis compares the two based solely on the provided benchmark results and specifications.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive. The RTX A400 scores 22,844 points, while the GTX 580M scores 6,389 points. This gives the RTX A400 a massive 72% lead over the GTX 580M in this compute-oriented workload. In practical terms, the RTX A400 delivers more than three and a half times the raw compute performance of the older chip. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap that dwarfs any architectural refinement.

The GTX 580M’s score of 6,389 places it at the 37th percentile of all GPUs, which is surprisingly competitive for a 2011 part. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, which scores identically at 6,389 (a 0% delta). The GTX 580M also sits within 0.3% of the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell, which scores 6,407. This indicates that in raw OpenCL throughput, the ancient Fermi card is statistically tied with a modern enterprise-class GPU, though the RTX PRO 5000’s feature set and memory capacity are entirely different matters.

The RTX A400’s OpenCL score of 22,844 is not part of its average benchmark score, which is 6,078. That average is pulled down by other tests, particularly the Passmark DirectX scores, which are extremely low (ranging from 27 to 87). This suggests that the RTX A400’s OpenCL performance is its strongest metric, while its DirectX performance is comparatively weak. The RTX A400’s nearest rival in average score is the NVIDIA GeForce MX230 at 6,077 (0% delta), followed by the Quadro P2000 at 6,049 (0.5% delta). In terms of average benchmark score, the RTX A400 is essentially tied with these older or lower-tier parts, despite its much higher OpenCL peak.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A400 wins the sole head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by a 72% margin. This is its clear victory. Beyond that, the RTX A400 offers a suite of additional benchmarks that the GTX 580M lacks entirely. The data shows the RTX A400 scoring 22,237 in Geekbench Vulkan, 5,983 in Passmark G3D, and 2,557 in Passmark GPU Compute. These scores indicate that the RTX A400 is a capable modern GPU for both graphics and compute tasks, with Vulkan support being a significant advantage over the older card.

The GTX 580M, with only a single benchmark result, does not win any direct comparison. However, its percentile rank of 37 is actually higher than the RTX A400’s percentile of 35. This means that relative to the entire GPU landscape, the GTX 580M sits in a slightly better position than the RTX A400, despite the latter having a much higher peak score. This is likely due to the RTX A400’s poor DirectX scores dragging down its average, while the GTX 580M has no such negative data points. The GTX 580M’s win is statistical positioning, not performance. It also benefits from a higher pixel rate relative to its compute score, though the RTX A400 still wins in absolute pixel rate (28.19 GPixel/s vs 9.92 GPixel/s).

For use cases, the RTX A400 is the clear choice for any modern workload that leverages OpenCL, Vulkan, or DirectX 12 Ultimate. The GTX 580M, with its DirectX 11-era feature set, is only relevant for legacy applications. The RTX A400’s 4 GB of GDDR6 memory, while modest, is double the GTX 580M’s 2 GB, and its 96 GB/s bandwidth matches the older card despite using a 64-bit bus instead of a 256-bit bus. This reflects the efficiency of GDDR6.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous. The GTX 580M uses the GF114 chip on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,950 million transistors on a die size of 332 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 5.9 million per mm². The RTX A400 uses the GA107 chip on the Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 8,700 million transistors into a smaller 200 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². This is a 7.4x increase in density, enabling the RTX A400 to fit far more logic in a smaller space.

The shader configuration differs drastically. The GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster output units (ROPs). The RTX A400 has 768 shading units (double), but only 24 TMUs and 16 ROPs (fewer than the GTX 580M). This means the GTX 580M has a higher texture fill rate relative to its shader count, while the RTX A400 is designed for compute-heavy workloads. The RTX A400 also introduces dedicated hardware that the GTX 580M lacks: 6 ray tracing cores and 24 tensor cores. These are essential for modern RTX features and AI-accelerated tasks.

The memory architecture also differs. The GTX 580M uses a 256-bit bus with GDDR5, while the RTX A400 uses a 64-bit bus with GDDR6. Despite the much narrower bus, the RTX A400 achieves the same 96.00 GB/s bandwidth due to the higher memory clock (12 Gbps effective vs 3 Gbps effective). The RTX A400 also supports modern APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 580M only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support listed.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two cards are extensive. The process node is 40 nm for the GTX 580M versus 8 nm for the RTX A400. Transistor count is 1,950 million versus 8,700 million. Die size is 332 mm² versus 200 mm². The RTX A400 has a base clock of 1417 MHz and a boost clock of 1762 MHz, while the GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clock. Memory clock is 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) for the GTX 580M versus 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for the RTX A400.

Memory size is 2 GB versus 4 GB. Memory type is GDDR5 versus GDDR6. Bus width is 256-bit versus 64-bit. Shading units are 384 versus 768. TMUs are 64 versus 24. ROPs are 32 versus 16. The RTX A400 has 6 RT cores and 24 tensor cores, while the GTX 580M has none. Pixel rate is 9.920 GPixel/s versus 28.19 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 39.68 GTexel/s versus 42.29 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 952.3 GFLOPS versus 2.706 TFLOPS. The RTX A400 also has FP16 performance of 2.706 TFLOPS (1:1), while the GTX 580M has none listed.

Power consumption is a major difference: the GTX 580M has a TDP of 100 W, while the RTX A400 has a TDP of only 50 W. The RTX A400 also lists a suggested PSU of 250 W, while the GTX 580M has none. The GTX 580M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and its display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent." The RTX A400 uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and has 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The GTX 580M is a 40 nm end-of-life product from 2011, while the RTX A400 is an active 8 nm product from 2024. The RTX A400 is a single-slot card measuring 163 mm in length, while the GTX 580M is an MXM module.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A400 is significantly faster in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 22,844 compared to the GTX 580M’s 6,389. This represents a 72% lead for the RTX A400.

Q: Does the GTX 580M outperform the RTX A400 in any benchmark?

A: No. The RTX A400 wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark. However, the GTX 580M has a higher percentile rank (37th) than the RTX A400 (35th) when compared to all GPUs.

Q: What is the key architectural advantage of the RTX A400?

A: The RTX A400 is built on the Ampere architecture at 8 nm, featuring 6 ray tracing cores and 24 tensor cores. The GTX 580M’s Fermi 2.0 architecture at 40 nm has no such dedicated hardware.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX A400 has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, while the GTX 580M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. Both achieve identical bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient?

A: The RTX A400 has a TDP of 50 W, half that of the GTX 580M’s 100 W, while delivering significantly higher performance. The RTX A400 also specifies a 250 W suggested PSU.

Q: What is the release date and production status of each?

A: The GTX 580M was released on 2011-06-27 and is end-of-life. The RTX A400 was released on 2024-04-15 and is currently active in production.