GPU Comparison

Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.

Quick Verdict

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is significantly faster than the Radeon RX 580, leading by roughly 33% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.

Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)

VS
Price
€149
Performance
6%
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+300% Memory Bus (256-bit vs 64-bit)
+125% Stream Processors (2,304 vs 1,024)
+78% Bandwidth (256 GB/s vs 144 GB/s)
AMD
Radeon RX 6500 XT
Price
€169
Performance
8%
VRAM
4 GB GDDR6
Key Specs Advantage
+110% Boost Clock (2,815 MHz vs 1,340 MHz)

Radeon RX 6500 XT vs Radeon RX 580: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon RX 6500 XT vs Radeon RX 580

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is significantly faster, around 33% ahead of the Radeon RX 580. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Right now the Radeon RX 580 starts at $149 EUR against $169 EUR for the Radeon RX 6500 XT. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 6500 XT wins on performance-per-dollar by about 18%. The Radeon RX 580 is trading below its $229 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 6500 XT is trading below its $200 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.

Power & Efficiency

The Radeon RX 6500 XT draws just 113W versus 185W for the Radeon RX 580, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom. Its more modern RDNA 2 architecture on a TSMC N6 process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

With 8GB against 4GB, the Radeon RX 580 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 4GB can fall short. The Radeon RX 580's memory is also faster — 256 GB/s versus 144 GB/s (256-bit vs 64-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.

Generation & Longevity

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is roughly 5 years newer than the Radeon RX 580 (RDNA 2 vs GCN 4.0 (Polaris)), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.

Which should you buy: Radeon RX 580 or Radeon RX 6500 XT?

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 580 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Radeon RX 6500 XT better than the Radeon RX 580?

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is significantly faster, roughly 33% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the Radeon RX 580 or the Radeon RX 6500 XT?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the Radeon RX 6500 XT worth the extra $20 EUR over the Radeon RX 580?

Often yes — despite the higher price the Radeon RX 6500 XT delivers better performance-per-dollar here.

Does the Radeon RX 580 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (vs 4GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

SpecificationRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 6500 XT
ArchitectureGCN 4.0 (Polaris)RDNA 2
Process NodeGloFo 14nmTSMC N6
CUDA Cores (Stream Processors / Stream Processors)2,3041,024
Ray Tracing Cores16

Clock Speeds

SpecificationRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 6500 XT
Base Clock1,257 MHz2,310 MHz
Boost Clock1,340 MHz2,815 MHz

Memory

SpecificationRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 6500 XT
VRAM Capacity8 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6
Memory Bus256-bit64-bit
Memory Speed8 Gbps18 Gbps
Bandwidth256 GB/s144 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

SpecificationRadeon RX 580Radeon RX 6500 XT
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x4
TDP185 W113 W
Power Connectors1x 8-pin1x 6-pin
ReleasedApr 2017Jan 2022