Radeon RX 580 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT

AMD

Radeon RX 580

2017Core: 1257 MHzBoost: 1340 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 5500 XT

2019Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1845 MHz

Radeon RX 580 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 580 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT 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 580 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT: 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 580

2017

Why buy it

  • 16.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 15.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $229 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 38.4 vs 45.6 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • 42.3% higher power demand at 185W vs 130W.
  • 33.9% longer card at 241mm vs 180mm.

Radeon RX 5500 XT

2019

Why buy it

  • Costs $30 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
  • Delivers 18.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.6 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 130W instead of 185W, a 55W reduction.
  • Measures 180mm instead of 241mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 580 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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 16.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 5500 XT instead at 9,080 vs 8,799, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 5500 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 14nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2017. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 5500 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $229, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 18.8% (45.6 vs 38.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon RX 580 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon RX 580 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 5500 XT

The Radeon RX 5500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 12 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,080 points. Launch price was $169.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 580 scores 8,799 and the Radeon RX 5500 XT reaches 9,080 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 580 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 XT uses RDNA 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 580) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Raw compute: 6.175 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Boost clocks: 1340 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
G3D Mark Score
8,799
9,080+3%
Architecture
GCN 4.0
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2304+64%
1408
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.175 TFLOPS+19%
5.196 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1340 MHz
1845 MHz+38%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
144+64%
88
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation
FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Both cards support Frame Generation in supported games, so this part of the feature set is broadly comparable.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
FSR Frame Generation
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 video memory. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 580) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — a 14.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 580. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon RX 580 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 5500 XT.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
256 GB/s+14%
224 GB/s
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (Radeon RX 580) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
DirectX
12
12.1
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon RX 580) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 580) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500 XT).

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
Encoder
VCE 3.0
VCN 2.0
Decoder
UVD 6.3
VCN 2.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 580 draws 185W versus the Radeon RX 5500 XT's 130W — a 34.9% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 580) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
TDP
185W
130W-30%
Recommended PSU
500W
450W-10%
Power Connector
8-pin
8-pin
Length
241mm
180mm
Height
110mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
47.6
69.8+47%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon RX 580 came in at $229, while the Radeon RX 5500 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon RX 5500 XT was 13.1% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 38.4 (Radeon RX 580) vs 45.6 (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — the Radeon RX 5500 XT offers 18.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 5500 XT (2019 vs 2017).

FeatureRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 5500 XT
MSRP
$229
$199-13%
Performance per Dollar
38.4
45.6+19%
Codename
Polaris 20
Navi 14
Release
April 18 2017
December 12 2019
Ranking
#301
#291

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