Radeon RX 580 2048SP vs HD 5970
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 5970 and Radeon RX 580 2048SP, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
RX 580 2048SP outperforms ATI HD 5970 by a whopping 237% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 558 | 260 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 43 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.82 | 27.52 |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) | GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) |
| GPU code name | Hemlock | Polaris 20 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 18 November 2009 (14 years ago) | 15 October 2018 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $699 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
RX 580 2048SP has 3256% better value for money than ATI HD 5970.
Detailed specifications
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 1600 | 2048 |
| Core clock speed | 725 MHz | 1168 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1284 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 2,154 million | 5,700 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 294 Watt | 150 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 58.00 | 164.4 |
| Floating-point performance | 2x 2,320.0 gflops | no data |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Length | 305 mm | 241 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 4000 MHz | 7000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 128.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |
Connectivity and outputs
Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.
| Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x mini-DisplayPort | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort |
| HDMI | no data | + |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11.2 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |
| Shader Model | 5.0 | 6.4 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Vulkan | N/A | 1.2.131 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
RX 580 2048SP outperforms HD 5970 by 237% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
RX 580 2048SP outperforms HD 5970 by 237% in Passmark.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.91 | 19.94 |
| Recency | 18 November 2009 | 15 October 2018 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 8 GB |
| Chip lithography | 40 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 294 Watt | 150 Watt |
RX 580 2048SP has a 237.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, a 700% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 185.7% more advanced lithography process, and 96% lower power consumption.
The Radeon RX 580 2048SP is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 5970 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
