Best RX 580 Graphics Card for 2018 – Buyer’s Guide

(Interactive GTX 580 comparison chart with ability to sort found below. Click on each row above to find the latest price on Amazon.com)

Rumors are that AMD is about to present its new AMD Vega GPU architecture soon and, given the success of AMD’s release in the CPU segment with the Ryzen family, it’s easy to understand why AMD fans are getting hyped. NVIDIA has been dominating the GPU segment for quite a while now, and even though AMD managed to come close in some aspects and offer better price/performance ratios, the truth is that AMD never managed to rank up to NVIDIA’s high-end cards such as the GTX 1080, the GTX 1080 Ti, or the Titan XP. AMD Vega is expected to change the scenery a bit, and go after NVIDIA’s top dogs. Before Vega sees the light of the day, though, AMD opted to give its current Polaris architecture one more go, and thus the RX 500 series was born.

Known as Polaris Enhanced, AMD’s RX 500 series is basically a refresh of the Polaris-based RX 400 series, and it was primarily designed to tighten up the competition in the mid and low-end segments, and give users who were hesitant to update when the RX 400 series came out a reason to consider upgrading. Featuring roughly the same specs as the RX 400 series, the RX 500 series does have some higher clocks and other refinements that reflect in a modest performance increase, while the prices remain the same, in the $200-$300 range, depending on manufacturer and model.

The Radeon RX 580 is the highline of the RX 500 family, and the direct descendant of the RX 480, so they are very much similar cards. Specs-wise, the RX 580 and the RX 480 share the same number of stream processors (2304), texture units (144) and ROPs (32). They both come in 4GB and 8GB variants, and the only noticeable difference between the RX 580 and the RX 480 are the operating frequencies, which are higher for the 580 (1257MHz base and 1340MHz boost vs. the 480’s 1120MHz base and 1266MHz boost), and the higher TDP (180W vs. 150W for the 480). Keep in mind that these are the reference specifications, though – manufacturers can tweak and tune them to their will to squeeze out the very best of Polaris. If you’re wondering which manufacturer did it better, wonder no more – here are the best RX 580 implementations out there.

Best RX 580 for overclocking – XFX GTR-S Black Edition

XFX Gtr-S black Edition Rx 580 8GB OC+ 1450Mhz W/Red LED Fans and...

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If your quest for performance cannot be limited by stock settings, and you feel the urge to push your card to its limits, the XFX GTR-S Black Edition RX 580 is the card to go with. The card comes with some colossal clock speeds out of the box: 1430MHz base and 1450MHz Boost, but the card’s specs allow you to push it even further. XFX opted for an 8-pin + 6-pin power setup paired with Ultra Low Noise XL inductors for better power delivery, a massive unibody heatsink with a full backplate to offer enhanced cooling for the GPU and VRM area as well, and easily-upgradable fans – all in an effort to provide you with the perfect setup for overclocking. This Radeon RX 580 also features XFX’s True Clock Technology, which ensures that the overclocking settings and overall settings are enforced at hardware level directly via BIOS, rather than via software only.

The XFX Black Edition has the looks to go with its performance as well, the card coming with a black backplate and heatsink enclosure, along with white fans for a powerful contrast.

At roughly $280, the XFX GTR-S Black Edition is not the cheapest RX 580 out there, but it is well worth its money if you really want a card that you can push to extreme.

Quietest RX 580 – ASUS ROG Strix

ASUS ROG-STRIX-RX580-O8G-GAMINGOC Edition GDDR5 DP HDMI DVI VR Ready...

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AMD cards are not exactly known for being neither cool nor quiet, and the RX 580 is no exception – while the card does provide solid performance for its price, it does so by chewing through a lot of power and pumping out a lot of heat. If you’ want to keep an RX 580 both cool and quiet, you need to resort to some heavy cooling solution, and luckily, that’s exactly what the ASUS ROG RX 580 packs.

Asus’ cooling solution, which consists of 3 large fans and a tremendous heatsink, is designed to keep even the wildest video cards out there running at peak performance and not sound like a jet engine, and that’s exactly what it manages to do for the RX 580 as well. With its Fan Stop technology, the card is basically dead-silent when not under load, but when you do put it to work, the three fans can provide the necessary cooling while remaining almost inaudible. The hefty cooling also allowed Asus to push the RX 580 to some more-than-decent clocks: 1360MHz in Gaming Mode and 1380MHz in OC Mode.

Silence doesn’t come cheap, though, so be ready to fork roughly $280 for the Asus ROG Strix RX 580.

Best RX 580 for SFF PC builds – Gigabyte AORUS

Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8GB Graphic Cards GV-RX580AORUS-8GD

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Small cases and hot video cards are not a good mix, and with NVIDIA offering numerous variants of its cool Pascal-based cards that are just right for a SFF build, there’s really no reason to go with AMD for such build. However, if you cannot resist AMD’s calling, and still want to opt for a small form factor build, you’d better go with a card that has a proven track record when it comes to cooling, such as the AORUS RX 580.

Fitted with Gigabyte’s renowned Windforce 2X cooling system, which consists of a carefully-designed heatsink and two 90mm fans to keep it cool, along with the AORUS-specific cooper plate solution integrated into the backplate of the card, the Gigabyte AORUS RX 580 provides a very good balance between performance and thermal efficiency. The card features an 8-pin connector, and has a length of 232mm, so it should fit most SFF cases that can accommodate a dual-slot video card.

Performance-wise, this RX 580 lives up to its AORUS name, coming with a stock 1340MHz clock that can go up to 1365MHz in Gaming Mode, and as high as 1380MHz in OC mode. Higher values might be achievable via overclocking, but overclocking an AMD video card in a SFF means having a death wish for your hardware.

Best Value RX 580 – MSI Gaming X 4G

MSI VGA Graphic Cards RX 580 Gaming X 8G

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If you’re on a very tight budget, and want the most bang for your buck, the MSI Gaming X 4G is the RX 580 you want to go with. As its name suggests, the 4G is the model that comes with 4GB of video memory instead of 8GB, but that’s still plenty to play all recent games in Full HD resolutions with the details pushed to the max, and with a price tag of $219, it’s a steal.

In that price, you get MSI’s premium design and cooling, so you can be sure you won’t run into any stability issues, design errors or anything else that might prevent you from using the card to its full potential. The Twin Frozr VI cooling system will keep the card properly cooled, and thanks to the large fans and their design, you will barely hear anything even if the card is under heavy load.

MSI managed to pump out some decent numbers out of the RX 580: 1340MHz base clock, 1380MHz in Gaming Mode and 1393MHz in OC mode – these are all on par with the 8GB models out there. However, there is a difference in the memory clocks: while the 8GB models usually have the memory running at 8000MHz (or higher, via overclock), the 4G model runs at 7000MHz only. This should not translate into a noticeable performance difference, though.

There is also an 8GB version of the RX 580 Gaming X available, but with a price tag of roughly $279, it is not as competitive as the 4GB version.

Best RX 580 aftermarket card of 2017 – Sapphire Nitro+ Limited Edition

Sapphire 11265-01-20G Radeon Nitro+ Rx 580 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/...

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Sapphire is one of the heavy names in the AMD camp, so the fact that they offer the best implementation for the RX 580 is not really a surprise. The Sapphire Nitro+ Limited Edition RX 580 provides you with the best of the best the RX 580 has to offer. On the power side, the card comes with an 8-pin connector and a 6-pin connector, along with high-polymer capacitors and Black Diamond 4 Chokes for better power filtering and distribution, meaning that the Nitro+ can support a hefty overclock. Adding to the overclock potential is also the fact that the Nitro+ Limited Edition features cherry-picked GPUs that have proved to be the most robust and reliable, so you’re no longer at the mercy of the silicon lottery.

In the cooling department, Sapphire redesigned its Dual-X cooler to be more efficient, and now features two 8mm and two 6mm heatpipes, paired with a large fin area to serve for heat dissipation and two 95mm fans. Speaking of fans, they also come with the Quick Connect feature, which makes replacing the fans a breeze, and it’s no coincidence we mentioned replacing the fans – the Nitro+ Limited Edition comes with 2 translucent led-lit extra fans to give the card a more imposing look, so if the RGB lighting does not suffice, just replace the fans for an extra kick.

On the inside, the Nitro+ Limited Edition is just as impressive as on the outside: the core clock can go as high as 1450MHz in Boost Mode, and that’s before you tinker with it, so you’re bound to be able to hit some pretty nice figures with a bit of experimenting.

All the muscle-power and the extras the Sapphire Nitro+ Limited Edition comes with don’t come cheap, though – the card is priced just below the $300 mark, which places it at the higher end of the price chart for the RX 580. Be that as it may, the card provides great value for its price.

ModelVRAM Max Base/Boost Clock (MHz)PinsPortsCooler TypeLighting Length (mm)Backplate?Warranty
Aorus Radeon RX 580 4/8 GB138083x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB232Yes3 Years
Aorus Radeon RX 580 XTR 8G8 GB14396 + 83x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB276Yes3 Years
Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming OC8 GB138082x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVITriple FanRGB298Yes3 Years
Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC8 GB143182x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVITriple FanYes298Yes3 Years
Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 Gaming 8G4/8 GB135583x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB232Yes3 Years
MSI Radeon RX 580 Armor8 GB136682x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanNo269No3 Years
MSI Radeon RX 580 Gaming X4/8 GB139382x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB276Yes3 Years
MSI Radeon RX 580 Gaming X+8 GB14418 + 82x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB279Yes3 Years
PowerColor Radeon RX 580 Red Devil Golden Sample8 GB14256 + 83x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanLED241Yes3 Years
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB PULSE4/8 GB136682x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanNo230Yes3 Years
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 580 NITRO+4/8 GB14116 + 82x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB260Yes3 Years
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 580 NITRO+ Limited Edition8 GB14506 + 82x DP, 2x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanRGB260Yes3 Years
XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS XXX Edition OC4/8 GB13866 + 83x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanNo270Yes3 Years
XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS Black Edition8 GB142583x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanNo270Yes3 Years
XFX Radeon RX 580 GTR-S Black Edition 8 GB14506 + 83x DP, 1x HDMI, 1x DVIDual FanLED (Red or White)280Yes3 Years
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