AMD Radeon HD 6570M Mac Edition

The AMD Radeon HD 6570M Mac Edition is a mobile graphics module built on the TeraScale 2 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 40 nm process. The Capilano chip contains 627 million transistors within a 104 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 6.0M per mm². It belongs to the Vancouver (HD 6500M) generation, uses the MXM-II bus interface, and is marked end-of-life with a release date in late 2009. The card holds the 50th percentile position in the database's GPU rankings, placing it exactly at the median of all tracked parts.

Benchmark Performance

Raw compute figures define the performance envelope. FP32 throughput is 480.0 GFLOPS, generated by 400 shading units. Pixel fill rate is 4.800 GPixel/s from 8 ROPs, and texture rate is 12.00 GTexel/s from 20 texture mapping units. These are modest numbers by contemporary standards, but they describe a part built for a specific mobile segment in 2009.

The database lists no individual benchmark scores for this card, and the average benchmark score is zero. The percentile ranking of 50 places the card at the exact median of all GPUs tracked — half of the database's entries are slower, half are faster. This median placement is notable for a mobile part from 2009; it indicates the card sits in the middle of the performance spectrum recorded by this database, neither a low-end outlier nor a high-end standout.

The throughput ratios are internally consistent. The pixel rate of 4.800 GPixel/s and texture rate of 12.00 GTexel/s align directly with the 8 ROPs and 20 TMUs respectively. The 400 shading units feed these fixed-function units in a balanced pipeline — no single stage is dramatically over- or under-provisioned relative to the others. The card delivers what the architecture specifies: a mid-range mobile rasterization engine with no hidden headroom.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The data shows no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores for this GPU. The TeraScale 2 architecture predates dedicated hardware for either workload, so the feature set is entirely rasterization-based. API support confirms this: DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4 are the available graphics APIs, with no Vulkan support listed.

DirectX 11.2 support means the card can run titles that use DX11-level features, but games requiring newer API capabilities are excluded. The absence of Vulkan support is a significant limitation, as many modern engines have moved to Vulkan or DirectX 12 for their rendering paths. OpenGL 4.4 provides a fallback for applications that use that API, though the feature level is fixed by the hardware generation.

The lack of tensor cores means no hardware acceleration for machine learning workloads. Similarly, the absence of RT cores means any ray-traced effects would be handled by the shading units, which at 480.0 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput would be severely constrained. The card is best understood as a pure rasterization device from an era before hybrid rendering became common, and its API surface reflects that positioning.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for this card, so direct percentage deltas against specific competitors are not available. The 50th percentile ranking serves as the primary reference point: the card sits at the exact middle of all GPUs in the database. This is a useful anchor — it means the card is neither an outlier on the low end nor a standout on the high end, but a representative median performer.

The predecessor is listed as Manhattan, and the successor as London, both part of the same generation lineage. The database does not provide specifications for either, but the naming sequence indicates the HD 6570M Mac Edition occupies a middle step in its product family. It is not the entry point, nor is it the flagship of the Vancouver (HD 6500M) generation — it sits between the two, which aligns with its median percentile placement.

Without rival benchmark scores, the practical comparison must come from throughput figures. The 480.0 GFLOPS FP32 compute and 25.60 GB/s memory bandwidth are consistent with a median-ranking part. The 1024 MB frame buffer is a common size for the era, and the 128-bit memory bus is typical for a mid-range mobile GPU. The data supports a middle-of-the-road positioning — capable within its generation, but not exceptional.

Who Should Consider It

The 1024 MB GDDR3 frame buffer and 25.60 GB/s bandwidth define the resolution envelope. With 480.0 GFLOPS of compute and 4.800 GPixel/s of fill rate, the card is suited to older titles and lightweight workloads. The 8 ROPs limit pixel throughput, which becomes a constraint at higher resolutions and with heavier post-processing effects.

For a user with a legacy Mac portable device that uses the MXM-II form factor, this card is a replacement option if the original unit has failed. The end-of-life production status means it is no longer manufactured, but the data shows it was designed for a specific mobile platform. The 30 W TDP is modest, and the 'Portable Device Dependent' display outputs mean the actual connectors are determined by the host device, not the card itself.

The card is not suitable for modern AAA titles at high settings — the 25.60 GB/s memory bandwidth is a hard ceiling for texture streaming and large frame buffers. However, for 2009-era games and applications that match the DirectX 11.2 feature level, the card remains functional. The 50th percentile ranking confirms a middle-of-the-road part — capable but not exceptional.

Users considering this card today should evaluate their software library against the OpenGL 4.4 and DirectX 11.2 API limits. Titles that require Vulkan are excluded. The absence of Vulkan support is particularly limiting, as many modern engines have dropped older API paths in favor of the newer standard.

Power and Cooling

The TDP is rated at 30 W, which is modest for a GPU with 400 shading units. This power envelope allows the card to be cooled by the passive or low-profile solutions typical of portable devices. The slot width is listed as MXM Module, and the bus interface is MXM-II — a standardized mobile form factor that defines both the physical dimensions and the electrical connection.

The data lists no power connectors for this card, consistent with an MXM module that draws power from the host board rather than external cables. No suggested PSU is provided, as the card is not intended for desktop power supply sizing. The 30 W figure is the total board power, supplied by the laptop's power delivery system.

The 40 nm process node from TSMC is a key factor in the low power draw. With 627 million transistors in a 104 mm² die, the transistor density of 6.0M per mm² is modest by today's standards but was efficient for its time. A 30 W thermal load requires only a minimal cooling solution — the MXM-II form factor dictates the design, as the module must fit within the laptop's thermal envelope.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem consists of 1024 MB of GDDR3 on a 128-bit bus, running at 800 MHz with 1600 Mbps effective data rate. Total bandwidth is 25.60 GB/s. These figures are internally consistent: the 128-bit bus width combined with the 1600 Mbps effective rate yields exactly 25.60 GB/s, and the 1024 MB capacity is typical for the card's release period.

For high resolutions, the 25.60 GB/s bandwidth is the limiting factor. Texture streaming and frame buffer reads will saturate the available bandwidth quickly as resolution increases. The 8 ROPs further constrain pixel throughput, so pushing to higher resolutions would see significant performance drops. The 1024 MB capacity is also a constraint — applications with large texture sets will exceed this allocation, causing spills or texture thrashing.

The GDDR3 type is older than later memory standards, but it matches the card's 2009 release window. The memory clock of 800 MHz is the base frequency, and the effective rate of 1600 Mbps accounts for the double-data-rate nature of GDDR3. The 128-bit bus is a middle ground — narrower than high-end parts of the era but wider than entry-level parts. This bus width, combined with the 25.60 GB/s bandwidth, positions the card for moderate-resolution gaming with restrained settings, not for high-resolution or high-refresh workloads.