Radeon RX 6850M XT vs RX 580

Place in the ranking	245	77
Place by popularity	1	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	18.18	no data
Power efficiency	8.58	18.89
Architecture	GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code name	Polaris 20	Navi 22
Market segment	Desktop	Laptop
Release date	18 April 2017 (7 years ago)	4 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$229	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	2304	2560
Core clock speed	1257 MHz	2321 MHz
Boost clock speed	1340 MHz	2581 MHz
Number of transistors	5,700 million	17,200 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	185 Watt	165 Watt
Texture fill rate	193.0	413.0
Floating-point processing power	6.175 TFLOPS	13.21 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	64
TMUs	144	160
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	40

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).

Laptop size	no data	large
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	241 mm	no data
Width	2-slot	no data
Supplementary power connectors	1x 8-pin	None

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	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	12 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	2000 MHz	2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth	256.0 GB/s	384.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

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	1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort	No outputs
HDMI	+	-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_0)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.4	6.5
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.0	2.1
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark 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 23.01

RX 6850M XT 45.17
+96.3%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.

RX 580 8847

RX 6850M XT 17369
+96.3%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RX 580 19274

RX 6850M XT 42016
+118%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

RX 580 13927

RX 6850M XT 33901
+143%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RX 580 82516

RX 6850M XT 172972
+110%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	96 −44.8%	139 +44.8%
1440p	44 −97.7%	87 +97.7%
4K	38 −76.3%	67 +76.3%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	2.39	no data
1440p	5.20	no data
4K	6.03	no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −133%	95−100 +133%
Cyberpunk 2077	45−50 −248%	160 +248%
Elden Ring	75−80 −18.7%	89 +18.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	80 −38.8%	110−120 +38.8%
Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −133%	95−100 +133%
Cyberpunk 2077	45−50 −47.8%	68 +47.8%
Forza Horizon 4	95−100 −200%	297 +200%
Metro Exodus	83 −25.3%	100−110 +25.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	50−55 −68.6%	85−90 +68.6%
Valorant	90−95 −97.8%	180−190 +97.8%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	117 +5.4%	110−120 −5.4%
Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −133%	95−100 +133%
Cyberpunk 2077	45−50 −15.2%	53 +15.2%
Dota 2	51 −139%	122 +139%
Elden Ring	75−80 −116%	160−170 +116%
Far Cry 5	70−75 +65.9%	44 −65.9%
Fortnite	110−120 −60.2%	180−190 +60.2%
Forza Horizon 4	95−100 −162%	259 +162%
Grand Theft Auto V	77 −63.6%	126 +63.6%
Metro Exodus	57 +32.6%	43 −32.6%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	202 −4%	210−220 +4%
Red Dead Redemption 2	50−55 −68.6%	85−90 +68.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	70−75 −123%	160−170 +123%
Valorant	90−95 −97.8%	180−190 +97.8%
World of Tanks	240−250 −12%	270−280 +12%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	68 −63.2%	110−120 +63.2%
Counter-Strike 2	40−45 −133%	95−100 +133%
Cyberpunk 2077	45−50 +4.5%	44 −4.5%
Dota 2	80−85 −18.8%	95 +18.8%
Far Cry 5	70−75 −41.1%	100−110 +41.1%
Forza Horizon 4	95−100 −129%	227 +129%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	70 −200%	210−220 +200%
Valorant	90−95 −97.8%	180−190 +97.8%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	35−40 −134%	89 +134%
Elden Ring	40−45 −143%	95−100 +143%
Grand Theft Auto V	35−40 −134%	89 +134%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 −0.6%	170−180 +0.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 −124%	45−50 +124%
World of Tanks	150−160 −85.7%	280−290 +85.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	45−50 −68.1%	75−80 +68.1%
Counter-Strike 2	18−20 −158%	45−50 +158%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 −47.4%	28 +47.4%
Far Cry 5	65−70 −123%	140−150 +123%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 −177%	166 +177%
Metro Exodus	53 −79.2%	95−100 +79.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	30−35 −152%	80−85 +152%
Valorant	60−65 −148%	150−160 +148%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	20−22 −145%	45−50 +145%
Dota 2	57 −73.7%	99 +73.7%
Elden Ring	18−20 −161%	45−50 +161%
Grand Theft Auto V	57 −73.7%	99 +73.7%
Metro Exodus	18 −117%	35−40 +117%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	73 −105%	150−160 +105%
Red Dead Redemption 2	14−16 −100%	30−33 +100%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	57 −73.7%	99 +73.7%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	28 −92.9%	50−55 +92.9%
Counter-Strike 2	20−22 −145%	45−50 +145%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 −85.7%	13 +85.7%
Dota 2	35−40 −100%	78 +100%
Far Cry 5	30−33 −137%	70−75 +137%
Fortnite	31 −119%	65−70 +119%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 −163%	92 +163%
Valorant	27−30 −183%	80−85 +183%

This is how RX 580 and RX 6850M XT compete in popular games:

RX 6850M XT is 45% faster in 1080p
RX 6850M XT is 98% faster in 1440p
RX 6850M XT is 76% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Far Cry 5, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RX 580 is 66% faster.
in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1080p resolution and the Low Preset, the RX 6850M XT is 248% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RX 580 is ahead in 4 tests (6%)
RX 6850M XT is ahead in 59 tests (94%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	23.01	45.17
Recency	18 April 2017	4 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	12 GB
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	185 Watt	165 Watt

RX 6850M XT has a 96.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 12.1% lower power consumption.

The Radeon RX 6850M XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 580 in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon RX 580 is a desktop card while Radeon RX 6850M XT is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.