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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon RX 580

2017

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
27.9% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 38.4 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌68.2% higher power demand at 185W vs 110W.
❌33.9% longer card at 241mm vs 180mm.

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 110W instead of 185W, a 75W reduction.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 241mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon RX 580

2017

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 110W instead of 185W, a 75W reduction.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 241mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
27.9% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 38.4 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌68.2% higher power demand at 185W vs 110W.
❌33.9% longer card at 241mm vs 180mm.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5500 better than Radeon RX 580?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 8,837 vs 8,799 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5500 is a 2019 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, while Radeon RX 580 is a 2017 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2017 and a 7nm process instead of 14nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 5500 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $179 MSRP. Radeon RX 5500 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon RX 5500 is about $50 cheaper on MSRP at $179 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 0.4% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $179 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (110W vs 185W), and FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation.

Is Radeon RX 580 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon RX 580 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $229 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Radeon RX 5500 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon RX 580 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	113 FPS	84 FPS
medium	100 FPS	72 FPS
high	86 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	105 FPS	74 FPS
medium	87 FPS	64 FPS
high	68 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	53 FPS	28 FPS
medium	47 FPS	27 FPS
high	30 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	16 FPS

Open Radeon RX 580 Open Radeon RX 5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	151 FPS	106 FPS
medium	131 FPS	74 FPS
high	115 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	73 FPS
medium	73 FPS	45 FPS
high	58 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	37 FPS	34 FPS
medium	30 FPS	24 FPS
high	25 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	20 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon RX 580 Open Radeon RX 5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	396 FPS	349 FPS
medium	317 FPS	304 FPS
high	264 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	297 FPS	285 FPS
medium	238 FPS	239 FPS
high	198 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	148 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	198 FPS	176 FPS
medium	158 FPS	151 FPS
high	132 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	74 FPS

Open Radeon RX 580 Open Radeon RX 5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	317 FPS	140 FPS
medium	277 FPS	113 FPS
high	226 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	81 FPS
1440p
low	258 FPS	103 FPS
medium	221 FPS	85 FPS
high	164 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	60 FPS
medium	107 FPS	48 FPS
high	89 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	29 FPS

Open Radeon RX 580 Open Radeon RX 5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon RX 580 and Radeon RX 5500

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.

Radeon RX 5500

The Radeon RX 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,837 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 580 scores 8,799 and the Radeon RX 5500 reaches 8,837 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 580 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 580) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500). Raw compute: 6.175 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500). Boost clocks: 1340 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
G3D Mark Score	8,799	8,837
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
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Both cards support modern Frame Generation technology, allowing them to insert intermediate frames to smooth motion and boost perceived FPS in supported games.

Feature	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
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)

The Radeon RX 580 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5500 has 4 GB. The Radeon RX 580 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 580) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500) — a 14.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 580. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	256 GB/s+14%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

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

Feature	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
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). 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).

Feature	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
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's 110W — a 50.8% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 580) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500). 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.

Feature	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 5500
TDP	185W	110W-41%
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	80.3+69%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon RX 580 launched at $229 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5500 launched at $179. The Radeon RX 5500 costs 21.8% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 38.4 (Radeon RX 580) vs 49.4 (Radeon RX 5500) — the Radeon RX 5500 offers 28.6% better value. The Radeon RX 5500 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2017).