Radeon RX 580 vs RX 6500 XT: is the upgrade worth it?
Moving from a Radeon RX 580 to an RX 6500 XT is not worth it: in a test of seven games at Full HD, both cards were practically equally fast – an average of 57 FPS (RX 580) versus 56 FPS (RX 6500 XT). The newer card is more power-efficient and supports ray tracing, but because of its 4 GB of memory and narrowed PCIe bus it did not beat the older card in games.
Summary
- The test comes from the YouTube channel Benchmark (October 2022), at 1080p resolution.
- The RX 6500 XT won in Far Cry 6, Borderlands 3, Watch Dogs Legion and narrowly in Stray.
- The RX 580 won in Resident Evil Village, Cyberpunk 2077 and clearly in Horizon Zero Dawn.
- If you have an RX 580, an upgrade only makes sense to a significantly more powerful card.
In-game results
| Game | Settings | RX 6500 XT | RX 580 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil Village | high | 66 FPS | 72 FPS |
| Far Cry 6 | high | 70 FPS | 64.5 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | medium | 46.5 FPS | 49 FPS |
| Stray | high | 45.5 FPS | 44.5 FPS |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | Original | 47.5 FPS | 58 FPS |
| Borderlands 3 | high | 54 FPS | 51 FPS |
| Watch Dogs Legion | high | 61 FPS | 59 FPS |
| Average | 56 FPS | 57 FPS |
The values are average FPS from the test. In your computer they may differ depending on the processor, drivers and game version.
Why the newer card didn't win
- Memory: the base RX 6500 XT had only 4 GB of GDDR6. In games with large textures it runs out of memory sooner.
- PCIe x4 bus: the RX 6500 XT uses only four PCIe 4.0 lanes. On older PCIe 3.0 motherboards it has half the bandwidth and loses even more performance.
- No video encoder: the card has no hardware H.264/H.265 encoder, which is a drawback for streaming and recording.
On the other hand, the RX 6500 XT is much more power-efficient: around 107 W against roughly 185 W for the RX 580. In a small case or with a weaker power supply, that can be decisive.
What to do with an RX 580 in 2026
The RX 580 is a 2017 card and AMD no longer supports it with the latest game drivers. It is still enough for esports and older games at Full HD. For new games it is weak and does not support ray tracing, which some games require. If you are planning an upgrade, aim for a current card with 8–16 GB of memory and check that your power supply can handle it. You will find a performance comparison in our list of graphics cards.
A card that has been used for mining or has run for years is worth cleaning and re-pasting – temperatures then drop by tens of degrees and the card stops overheating.
What next
- Graphics card repair and cleaning – replacing thermal paste and pads, repairs after mining.
- How to choose a gaming PC – which card to pair with your monitor.
- The cheapest gaming PC – where you can save on a build.
Sources
- Radeon RX 580 vs RX 6500 XT in seven games, YouTube channel Benchmark (2022).
Frequently asked questions
Is the RX 6500 XT better than the RX 580?
Why is the RX 6500 XT slower in older computers?
Is the RX 580 enough for gaming in 2026?
This text was prepared with the help of AI. Facts, figures and procedures were checked by Yegor.
