G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Radeon RX 480 vs Radeon RX 580 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Radeon RX 480 vs Radeon RX 580: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 185W, a 35W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 241mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 580 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon RX 580

2017

Why buy it

✅3.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Radeon RX 480 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX 580 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌23.3% higher power demand at 185W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 580 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3% in PassMark G3D (8,799 vs 8,546), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 580 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon RX 480 has no comparable frame-generation support and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2016. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 580 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $229 vs $229, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 3% (38.4 vs 37.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon RX 480 vs Radeon RX 580 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

Radeon RX 580

The Radeon RX 580 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1257 MHz to 1340 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,799 points. Launch price was $229.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 480 scores 8,546 and the Radeon RX 580 reaches 8,799 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 480 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX 580 uses GCN 4.0, both on a 14 nm process. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 480) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 580). Raw compute: 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480) vs 6.175 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580). Boost clocks: 1266 MHz vs 1340 MHz.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
G3D Mark Score	8,546	8,799+3%
Architecture	GCN 4.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	14 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2304	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.834 TFLOPS	6.175 TFLOPS+6%
Boost Clock	1266 MHz	1340 MHz+6%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	144	144
L1 Cache	576 KB	576 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 580 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon RX 480 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 580.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	256 GB/s	256 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon RX 480) vs 12 (Radeon RX 580). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
DirectX	12.0	12
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon RX 580). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 580).

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
Encoder	VCE 3.4	VCE 3.0
Decoder	UVD 6.3	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 480 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX 580's 185W — a 20.9% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 480) vs 500W (Radeon RX 580). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
TDP	150W-19%	185W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	240mm	241mm
Height	95mm	—
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	57.0+20%	47.6

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon RX 480 came in at $229, while the Radeon RX 580 launched at $229. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) vs 38.4 (Radeon RX 580) — the Radeon RX 580 offers 2.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 580 (2017 vs 2016).

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 580
MSRP	$229	$229
Performance per Dollar	37.3	38.4+3%
Codename	Ellesmere	Polaris 20
Release	June 29 2016	April 18 2017
Ranking	#305	#301

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