Introduction
Even after six years since its launch in 2017, the AMD Radeon RX 580 remains one of the best video cards in terms of price to performance ratio in 2023. According to various benchmarks and real-world gaming tests, the RX 580 can still deliver excellent 1080p gaming and even solid 1440p performance in many titles – rivalling and sometimes surpassing newer budget offerings like Nvidia‘s RTX 3050.
For PC builders on a tight budget or those looking to upgrade an aging system without breaking the bank, the enduring capabilities of the RX 580 make it a smart choice. The fact that it has significantly come down in price over the years to around $150-250 while still possessing plenty of muscle also adds to the value proposition.
In this article we’ll dive deeper into why the RX 580 can keep up graphically six years later, how it compares performance and efficiency-wise to other budget cards new and old, some of the best RX 580 models available, and tips to maximize your RX 580.
Benchmarks Demonstrate Strong 1080p Performance in New Titles
Synthetic benchmarks and game testing confirms AMD’s RX 580 chipset with 8GB of VRAM can run demanding new games at close to 60 FPS or higher at 1920 x 1080 resolution with high settings enabled (and much better performance if slightly dialed down to medium).
In the popular open-world title Elden Ring, for example, the RX 580 scored an average of 59 FPS in benchmarking at 1080p on high. This met the rather strict requirements for smooth playable performance defined by reviewers like Gamers Nexus. Another graphically intensive 2022 release God of War saw the RX 580 manage 68 FPS at the same resolution and detail preset.
While not quite hitting the golden 60 FPS mark in all cases, staying close to it means some minor graphical setting tweaks would get most titles performing excellently. For esports and competitive online games like Apex Legends, Fortnite and Valorant, the RX 580 delivers frame rates way above what’s necessary on high settings.
AAA Titles Continue to Run Well on the RX 580 at 1080p
Zooming out beyond the last couple years shows AMD’s aged Polaris GPU keeps up its 1080p capabilities even in relatively recent AAA games where high FPS is preferred like first-person shooters. 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare saw the RX 580 averaging around 100 FPS on high settings at 1080p in multiplayer.
The 2020 release of Horizon Zero Dawn, one of the most visually impressive open world games available, managed a score of 66 FPS on average at 1920 x 1080 on high. Very playable results for sure. Going back further to a classic from 2016, Doom Eternal ran at about 140 FPS on high settings at 1080p – exemplifying the staying power of the RX 580’s raw performance.
1440p Gaming Also Decent in Many Titles
The RX 580 is certainly most in its element running games at 1920 x 1080, but stepping up to 1440p resolution is doable as well depending on the title. In Horizon Zero Dawn for example, it achieved a very solid 61 FPS at 2560 x 1400 on a mix of medium and high settings. 2018’s Monster Hunter World saw 45 FPS on average with a comparable preset.
Considering the $200-300 price tag on the RX 580 currently, being able to drive many games at beyond 60 FPS in 1440p is exceptional and not something newer budget cards can claim. The difference from native 1080p visually is also rather noticeable, so getting good 2560 x 1400 results gives owners an option to slightly future proof their system.
Direct Comparison to Budget GPUs New and Old
To fully demonstrate the enduring performance capabilities of the RX 580, let’s pit it directly against some other entry-level and last-gen graphics cards in the same price segment. Nvidia’s latest current budget offering is the $250 RTX 3050. In Horizon Zero Dawn at 1080p high, the 3050 manages 72 FPS vs the RX 580’s very close 66 FPS.
The 2021 release Nvidia RTX 3050 loses more clearly in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla though, scoring just 48 FPS vs the RX 580’s 55 FPS at the same settings. Overall the two trade blows, reflecting that Nvidia’s newer architecture and features doesn’t overwhelm the RX 580 despite coming out years later and costing more.
AMD’s latest budget card the RX 6500 XT retails for around $200, but gets solidly beat by the older RX 580 in many head-to-head matchups. In Doom Eternal at 1080p high settings, the RX 580 scored 141 FPS compared to just 110 FPS from the 6500 XT. Showing that even AMD’s own newer low-end models can’t keep pace.
The RX 580 also fares well against the popular last-gen RX 590 card, which features higher clock speeds. But after overclocking to the limit, the RX 580 only lags behind the peak Rx 590 by about 10% on average across various games while costing noticeably less. Demonstrating the value of buying previous-gen.
Efficiency and Operating Costs
Considering the recent energy cost concerns and environmental consciousness, efficiency and power draw are important considerations for PC gamers alongside sheer performance. And the aging Radeon RX 580 remains very solid in this area as well when compared to Nvidia’s RTX 3000 series and AMD’s latest RDNA cards which use more advanced manufacturing processes.
The RX 580 draws around 185 watts under gaming loads overclocked. Roughly on par with what the $350 RTX 3060 uses, while lagging behind only 10-15% or so in 1080p game FPS. Compared to the power hungry RTX models above it like the 3070 Ti and 3080 that draw well over 300 watts yet cost two or three times more, the value is clear. Those wanting better energy efficiency can undervolt the RX 580 as well.
We can apply the same efficiency logic when pitting the RX 580 against AMD’s own new RX 6000 GPUs. The RX 6600 for example is rated at up to 132 watt power draw, edging out the older 580. But considering the RX 6600 still costs $100 more on average, equivalent or slightly better performance for significantly less money and power gives the last-gen RX 580 the overall advantage for budget gamers.
Adaptive Sync Support Adds Value
Nearly all modern gaming monitors feature Adaptive Sync – either Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync tech to enable smoother gameplay free of stutters or tearing. As an AMD card, the RX 580 supports the open standard FreeSync rather than the proprietary G-Sync. For those with adaptive sync monitors, this is a nice feature to leverage out of the box that adds even more long-term value.
Models, Cooling and Noise
The Radeon RX 580 GPU powers a wide range of third party graphics cards from brands like Asus, MSI, XFX, PowerColor and more. Variations mainly come down to cooling solutions which impacts thermal performance and noise. The Asus Dual series RX 580 with twin axial fans is a proven model that runs cool and quiet. For even lower noise, the Asus Strix RX 580 trades blows with some pricer Nvidia RTX models in quiet operation.
XFX and PowerColor also have RX 580 editions with capable cooling. Going with these brands over lesser known names is advisable for better reliability and customer support as well. For small form factor SFF builds, there are also “mini” RX 580 models measuring under 7-inches in length. So plenty of options exist in 2023 catering to various needs. Just try to avoid any single fan blower-style coolers which run louder and hotter.
Better CPUs and Memory Can Boost Performance
It’s always easy to focus solely on video cards when it comes to gaming PCs. But the reality is the GPU is still just one component in a complete rig, and will scale its gaming performance accordingly with your processor (CPU) and memory (RAM). The AMD Radeon RX 580 performs exceptionally well paired with a good quad or six-core processor. In testing, even previous gen chips like the Intel Core i5-8400 or one of AMD‘s last-gen Ryzen 5 CPUs keeps the card running at peak efficiency with ample frames.
On the RAM front, it’s recommended to utilize dual channel memory running at at least DDR4-3200 speeds or better to prevent bottlenecks. With a suitable CPU and 16-32GB of fast DDR4 RAM to back it up, the enduring RX 580 has plenty of muscle left in it to maintain smooth 60 FPS gaming in AAA titles at 1080p and admirable 1440p performance.
Maximum Overclocking Headroom Yet Cool Operation
For those wanting to squeeze every last bit of performance out of their aging RX 580 in 2023, overclocking the card is remarkably straight-forward yet effective using AMD’s handy tuning software Adrenaline Edition. There is substantial headroom past factory boost speeds, with many RX 580 models able to overclock an additional 10% gaining 500-600MHz peak boost clocks around 1450MHz. This requires only sliding a software tuning slider as opposed to intensive manual tweaking. For even higher clocks, undervolting can stabilize previously unstable peaks.
Impressively, even while overclocked to the maximum stable limit, RX 580 cooling solutions have no problem keeping the GPU below 75C in most environments and relatively quiet. So those willing to tune can attain nearly the performance of an RX 590 while saving money. Just be sure to get an RX 580 variant from a brand like Asus, Sapphire or PowerColor boasting robust coolers.
The RX 580 as an Upgrade Path for Older Systems
The RX 580 holds unique long-term appeal beyond new system builds – serving as an exceptional upgrade to those still soldiering on with an aging computer powered by older Intel and AMD processors. Its very reasonable power requirements jive well with older motherboards, and it does not bottleneck or suffer dramatically even paired with previous gen quad core CPUs or memory.
Upgrading the graphics subsystem fueled by the RX 580 essentially future proofs the rest of an older PC‘s components – allowing owners to reliably game on high preset levels for years longer avoiding a full upgrade. So outside of standard budget gaming rigs, its value appeal extends to aging pre-built office machines and aging systems in need of refreshing now that used RX 580 prices are so low. The RX 580 basically grants a second life rather than one riding off into the sunset.
The RX 5000 Series Should Hold Strong for Several More Years
If its exceptional 1080p capabilities and admirable 1440p performance six years after release are any indication, the RX 580 graphics architecture and AMD’s Polaris RX 5000 family still obviously packs plenty of power efficiency optimized during its manufacturing prime. With GPU generation cycles slowing down overall, the tried and true RX 580 should have at least a couple more years of smooth 1080p gaming left in it even as game system requirements increase slightly.
PC mainstays like Counter-Strike, DOTA, League of Legends and World of Warcraft aren’t going anywhere performance-wise either – assuring stellar visuals and extremely high frame rates from the RX 580 for the foreseeable future in hot titles. So current and future owners can enjoy some nice mileage out of the card in the short term barring any abrupt generational leaps in graphics rendering.
The RX 580 a Smart Choice as Prices Trend Down
Overall while its age understandably causes some hesitation in an era of constant hardware revision cycles, benchmarks confirm AMD’s Radeon RX 580 can game with the best of the recent budget GPU showings. Performance remains exceptionally strong and surprisingly close to modern card ranges that cost substantially more.
Combine that enduring speed with best-in-class power efficiency, cooling and noise operation in its bracket, along with wide Adaptive Sync monitor compatibility, and the RX 580 represents a highly compelling option at around $200 for PC builders shopping in the low spectrum. Given used models can be found for under $150 routinely and prices seem if anything still trending downwards, gamers who snap an RX 580 up today can rest easy enjoying visuals and frame rates to satisfy for years to come.