Radeon RX 580 vs Tesla P4

AMD

Radeon RX 580

2017Core: 1257 MHzBoost: 1340 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

Tesla P4

2016Core: 886 MHzBoost: 1114 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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

  • Costs $771 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 326.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 38.4 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • Less risky long-term buy than Tesla P4: it remains the more sensible modern option while Tesla P4 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.

Trade-offs

  • Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 146.7% higher power demand at 185W vs 75W.
  • 43.5% longer card at 241mm vs 168mm.

Tesla P4

2016

Why buy it

  • Draws 75W instead of 185W, a 110W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 241mm, a 73mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 336.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,000 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.0 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($1,000 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Tesla P4 better than Radeon RX 580?
Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,799 vs 9,004 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Tesla P4 is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 185W).
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 580 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2017 generation instead of 2016, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 14nm process instead of 16nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
Tesla P4 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Tesla P4 is about 336.7% more expensive on MSRP at $1,000 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 2.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 580 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
When does Radeon RX 580 make more sense than Tesla P4?
Yes. Radeon RX 580 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, future-proofing, and staying closer to $229 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Tesla P4. The trade-off is that Tesla P4 currently gives you 2.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 580 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
1080p
low146 FPS103 FPS
medium129 FPS89 FPS
high110 FPS72 FPS
ultra81 FPS43 FPS
1440p
low133 FPS90 FPS
medium111 FPS79 FPS
high86 FPS57 FPS
ultra64 FPS33 FPS
4K
low59 FPS28 FPS
medium52 FPS27 FPS
high33 FPS18 FPS
ultra29 FPS15 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
1080p
low159 FPS219 FPS
medium137 FPS177 FPS
high119 FPS135 FPS
ultra93 FPS109 FPS
1440p
low92 FPS159 FPS
medium73 FPS128 FPS
high57 FPS104 FPS
ultra46 FPS80 FPS
4K
low37 FPS92 FPS
medium29 FPS73 FPS
high24 FPS61 FPS
ultra19 FPS45 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
1080p
low396 FPS405 FPS
medium317 FPS324 FPS
high264 FPS270 FPS
ultra198 FPS203 FPS
1440p
low297 FPS304 FPS
medium238 FPS243 FPS
high198 FPS203 FPS
ultra148 FPS152 FPS
4K
low198 FPS203 FPS
medium158 FPS162 FPS
high132 FPS135 FPS
ultra99 FPS101 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
1080p
low368 FPS193 FPS
medium317 FPS159 FPS
high264 FPS143 FPS
ultra198 FPS110 FPS
1440p
low290 FPS134 FPS
medium238 FPS114 FPS
high189 FPS103 FPS
ultra145 FPS79 FPS
4K
low154 FPS80 FPS
medium120 FPS64 FPS
high105 FPS52 FPS
ultra85 FPS38 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon RX 580 and Tesla P4

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.

NVIDIA

Tesla P4

The Tesla P4 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 886 MHz to 1114 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,004 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 580 scores 8,799 and the Tesla P4 reaches 9,004 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 580 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Tesla P4 uses Pascal, both on 14 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 580) vs 2,560 (Tesla P4). Raw compute: 6.175 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580) vs 5.704 TFLOPS (Tesla P4). Boost clocks: 1340 MHz vs 1114 MHz.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
G3D Mark Score
8,799
9,004+2%
Architecture
GCN 4.0
Pascal
Process Node
14 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
2304
2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.175 TFLOPS+8%
5.704 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1340 MHz+20%
1114 MHz
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
144
160+11%
L1 Cache
576 KB
960 KB+67%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 580 is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Tesla P4 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
FSR Frame Generation
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon RX 580 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla P4 has 4 GB. The Radeon RX 580 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+100%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (Radeon RX 580) vs 12.1 (Tesla P4). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
DirectX
12
12.1
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon RX 580) vs NVENC 6.0 (Tesla P4). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 580) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP8,VP9 (Tesla P4).

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
Encoder
VCE 3.0
NVENC 6.0
Decoder
UVD 6.3
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP8,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 580 draws 185W versus the Tesla P4's 75W — a 84.6% difference. The Tesla P4 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 580) vs 500W (Tesla P4). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 241mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
TDP
185W
75W-59%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
241mm
168mm
Height
53mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
47.6
120.1+152%
💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon RX 580 launched at $229 MSRP, while the Tesla P4 launched at $1000. The Radeon RX 580 costs 77.1% less ($771 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 38.4 (Radeon RX 580) vs 9.0 (Tesla P4) — the Radeon RX 580 offers 326.7% better value. The Radeon RX 580 is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2016).

FeatureRadeon RX 580Tesla P4
MSRP
$229-77%
$1000
Performance per Dollar
38.4+327%
9.0
Codename
Polaris 20
GP104
Release
April 18 2017
September 13 2016
Ranking
#301
#293