NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M vs NVIDIA T600 Comparison

The data comparing the NVIDIA T600 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M reveals a stark generational divide. The T600, a workstation card from the Turing era, overwhelmingly outperforms the older Fermi-based mobile GPU in the single benchmark where both have recorded scores. While the GTX 580M holds its own within its own peer group, the performance gap between these two products is immense, highlighting over a decade of architectural progress.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark result in the dataset is the Geekbench OpenCL test. Here, the NVIDIA T600 delivers a score of 27875, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M manages 6389. This translates to a delta of 336.3% in favor of the T600, meaning it is over four times faster in this compute-oriented workload. This is not a marginal victory; it is a complete rout that underscores the fundamental differences in their design goals and technological eras.

To contextualize these scores, we can look at their average benchmark scores. The T600 has an average score of 7035, which places it in the 39th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M, scores 7023, a negligible 0.2% difference. This suggests that while the T600 is a strong performer in its league, it is not at the top of the absolute performance hierarchy. The GTX 580M, in contrast, has an average score of 6389, placing it in the 37th percentile. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, which scores exactly the same with a 0% delta.

The data implies that while the T600's OpenCL score is exceptionally high, its overall average is brought down by other workloads. Conversely, the GTX 580M's single data point is its entire average. The T600's raw compute advantage is clear, but its overall standing is more nuanced. The performance delta in OpenCL is so large that it completely overshadows any other comparison, making the T600 the clear winner in this head-to-head matchup.

Architecture Differences

The core of the disparity lies in their underlying architectures. The NVIDIA T600 is built on the Turing architecture, fabricated using a 12 nm process at TSMC. This is a stark contrast to the GTX 580M's Fermi 2.0 architecture, which uses a much older 40 nm process. The T600's chip, the TU117, packs 4,700 million transistors into a die size of 200 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 23.5M / mm². The GTX 580M's GF114 chip, meanwhile, contains only 1,950 million transistors spread across a larger 332 mm² die, yielding a density of just 5.9M / mm². This difference in density is a direct measure of the manufacturing advancements between the two generations.

These architectural differences manifest in the compute resources. The T600 features 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster output units (ROPs). In contrast, the GTX 580M has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Notably, the older card has more TMUs but fewer shaders. The T600 compensates with a much higher clock speed, boosting to 1335 MHz, while the GTX 580M has no listed base or boost clock. This clock advantage, combined with the more efficient architecture, allows the T600 to achieve a pixel rate of 42.72 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 53.40 GTexel/s, dwarfing the GTX 580M's 9.920 GPixel/s and 39.68 GTexel/s.

The memory subsystems also tell a story of progress. The T600 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 580M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a wider 256-bit bus, but its bandwidth is only 96.00 GB/s. The T600's newer memory technology and higher effective clock speed (10 Gbps vs 3 Gbps) allow it to overcome the narrower bus. The FP32 performance is also lopsided, with the T600 hitting 1.709 TFLOPS versus the GTX 580M's 952.3 GFLOPS. The T600 also supports FP16 at 3.418 TFLOPS, a feature entirely absent from the older card.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the data, the NVIDIA T600 is the definitive winner in compute-heavy workloads, specifically OpenCL. Its score of 27875 is more than four times higher than the GTX 580M's 6389. This suggests it is far better suited for tasks like GPU-accelerated rendering, scientific simulations, and other professional applications that leverage general-purpose compute. The T600's support for newer APIs like Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 580M has no listed Vulkan support, further cements its position for modern software.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, despite losing the compute comparison, has its own niche. Its average benchmark score of 6389 is within 1% of the T600's overall average of 7035. This suggests that in the specific, non-OpenCL workloads that contribute to the average, the GTX 580M is not far behind. The data shows it is competitive with the T600 in overall rasterization performance, as indicated by their similar average scores. Its higher TMU count (64 vs 40) could theoretically provide an advantage in texture-heavy scenes, although its much lower pixel rate and texture rate suggest this is unlikely in practice.

The GTX 580M's win is not in performance, but in its historical context. It was released on 2011-06-27, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100, showing it was a solid performer in its day. For a user constrained to software from that era, or with a system that only supports MXM modules, it remains a functional option. However, the T600's release on 2021-04-11 makes it the only sensible choice for any modern application.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification field, reflecting their different target markets and release eras.

• Architecture: Turing vs Fermi 2.0.
• Process Node: 12 nm vs 40 nm.
• Transistors: 4,700 million vs 1,950 million.
• Die Size: 200 mm² vs 332 mm².
• Transistor Density: 23.5M / mm² vs 5.9M / mm².
• Base Clock: 735 MHz vs None listed.
• Boost Clock: 1335 MHz vs None listed.
• Memory Clock: 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective) vs 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: 4 GB vs 2 GB.
• Memory Type: GDDR6 vs GDDR5.
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit vs 256 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: 160.0 GB/s vs 96.00 GB/s.
• Shading Units: 640 vs 384.
• TMUs: 40 vs 64.
• ROPs: 32 vs 32 (same).
• Pixel Rate: 42.72 GPixel/s vs 9.920 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: 53.40 GTexel/s vs 39.68 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: 1.709 TFLOPS vs 952.3 GFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: 3.418 TFLOPS vs None.
• TDP: 40 W vs 100 W.
• Slot Width: Single-slot vs MXM Module.
• Bus Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 vs MXM-B (3.0).
• Display Outputs: 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a vs Portable Device Dependent.
• DirectX Support: 12 (12_1) vs 12 (11_0).
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 vs None.
• Release Date: 2021-04-11 vs 2011-06-27.

These differences paint a picture of a modern, efficient, and powerful workstation GPU versus an older, power-hungry mobile part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The NVIDIA T600 is significantly faster, scoring 27875 compared to the GTX 580M's 6389 in the Geekbench OpenCL test, a 336.3% difference.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The T600 has an average score of 7035, while the GTX 580M has an average score of 6389. This puts them in the 39th and 37th percentiles of all GPUs, respectively.

Q: What is the most significant architectural difference?

A: The T600 uses a 12 nm Turing architecture, while the GTX 580M uses a 40 nm Fermi 2.0 architecture. This leads to major differences in transistor density, power consumption, and feature support.

Q: Does the GTX 580M have any advantages over the T600?

A: The GTX 580M has a wider 256-bit memory bus and more TMUs (64 vs 40), but its overall memory bandwidth and texture rate are lower due to slower clocks and older technology.

Q: What kind of memory does each card use?

A: The T600 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the GTX 580M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The T600 supports Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 580M has no Vulkan support and is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0).

The Verdict

The data unequivocally points to the NVIDIA T600 as the superior product. Its 336.3% lead in OpenCL performance alone makes it the only choice for any modern compute task. The T600's newer architecture, higher clock speeds, and faster memory give it a decisive edge in raw performance, while its 40 W TDP makes it far more power-efficient than the GTX 580M's 100 W draw.

The GTX 580M, however, is not without a reason to exist. For a user with a legacy system that only supports MXM modules, the GTX 580M is a viable drop-in replacement. Its average benchmark score of 6389 shows it can still handle the workloads of its era. It also has a wider memory bus, which historically could benefit certain memory-bandwidth-sensitive applications. But this is a niche scenario.

For anyone building a new system or upgrading a modern workstation, the T600 is the clear winner. Its support for modern APIs, its high compute throughput, and its low power consumption make it a far more future-proof investment. The GTX 580M remains a historical curiosity, a reminder of a bygone era of mobile computing, but it cannot compete with the T600 on any meaningful performance metric. The choice is simple: the T600 for performance, the GTX 580M only for legacy compatibility.