Radeon RX 580 Revisit: Is This the Graphics Card to Buy in 2022?

2021 has been a rough year for gamers, particularly those looking for a new graphics card. If you already have a half decent GPU, then it's simply been disappointing and maybe a bit frustrating that you tin can't turn your cold difficult cash into actress FPS. Only for those of yous who are rocking a super old graphics card, or don't have i at all, things might be getting desperate.

If you're in that group of people, we've been recommending to avoid paying excessively high scalper prices for a shiny new Ampere or RDNA2 GPU, and instead expect at the second paw market where yous're still getting rolled, just you'll cease upwards losing a lot less coin.

Take the GeForce RTX 3070 for example, it's meant to price $500 only due to limited supply and loftier demand only getting your easily on one for any price is extremely hard. Over at eBay people are selling them for well over $chiliad, nigh models fetch between $1300 and $1400. Fifty-fifty the RTX 3060 is regularly selling for over $800.

That's an insane markup but with nearly zero chance of snapping upwardly a $500 model over at places like Newegg or Amazon, some gamers are taking the striking. This is why we've been recommending you get rolled on a much cheaper and older second paw graphics card similar the Radeon RX 580 8GB. When nosotros fabricated that recommendation final time, you could snap i up for around $300, today though they're more like $400+. Insane, right?

If you land an RX 580 8GB for even $500, under normal market weather condition you lot'd exist able to sell information technology for at least $100, so yous'd potentially lose $400 on that transaction. But if y'all pay $1300 for an RTX 3070, which should only be worth $500, you'd stand up to lose $800.

Let's say the goal is to secure RTX 3070 functioning, but you tin can't afford to drop over $1000 on a graphics card. Ownership the RX 580 now in hopes that in a twelvemonth from today, RTX 3070-like operation will be achievable for $500, that transaction will finish up costing you $900 in total, $400 for the hit on the Radeon, and so $500 for the new graphics bill of fare in a year's time.

The culling should yous have $1300 correct now, is to just purchase the RTX 3070, it'll cost effectually $400 more the second hand stop-gap scenario, but you tin savour 3070-like performance today. Or I suppose you could go on hanging in there and try to get a 3070 at a more reasonable price, only adept luck with that.

The Radeon RX 580 8GB option only makes sense if you tin can't beget to spend more than than $500 on a graphics card and you have no style of gaming right now. So I guess the next question is, just how well does the RX 580 8GB handle games in 2022?

Rather than practise our usual revisit where nosotros compare the RX 580 head-to-head with the GTX 1060 6GB or a range of newer GPUs, today's comparison is going to be very dissimilar and non something we've washed earlier. That's because the reality today is different, and it doesn't thing how the RX 580 compares to other GPUs given you either can't buy them or they cost as well much, fifty-fifty on the 2d paw market.

All you lot actually need to know is, how well does the RX 580 perform and to respond that question we've tested 17 games at 1080p and 1440p using three quality presets. Testing was conducted on our Ryzen ix 5950X exam system using 32GB of DDR4-3200 CL14 memory, then the results are going to exist entirely GPU express.

Permit's get into it…

Benchmarks

We'll kickoff with one of the most graphically demanding games released in the last twelvemonth, Assassinator'south Creed Valhalla. For those targeting 1080p the RX 580 is good for over sixty fps using the medium quality preset and over lxx fps with the everyman quality preset.

The loftier preset provides a bang-up residual of visuals and performance, and here we're looking at 52 fps on average, a frame rate that most gamers would deem acceptable for this type of single player championship.

If yous're after a 1440p gaming feel, and then the medium or lowest quality presets will be in order equally you lot're looking at just 38 fps on boilerplate with high. Every bit for the very high and ultra high presets, I skipped testing those as they won't be suitable for apply with the RX 580.

In summary, this game nonetheless looks great even with the medium quality setting so yous can certainly enjoy this game with an RX 580.

Those of y'all afterwards a competitive experience volition get that with the RX 580 in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Half-dozen Siege, fifty-fifty at 1440p using the high quality preset you're looking at over 100 fps on average.

For those of you with loftier refresh rate 1080p panels, the medium preset allowed for 200 fps on average with a 1% low of 159 fps. Given most gamers would opt to play Rainbow Half dozen Siege using a blend of medium to low quality settings, the RX 580 is more than than powerful enough hither.

The near recently released game I've used for testing is Biomutant and I was shocked by not just how proficient this game looked, but also by how well information technology ran on the RX 580, pushing over threescore fps at all times at 1080p using the loftier quality preset. The only higher option is the 'max' preset merely given how adept the game looks on loftier, I encounter little need to go there, especially when using a 'make exercise' type solution like the RX 580.

From medium to high you can heave performance by 34% and at 91 fps on average at 1080p gameplay was very polish, or you can enjoy 58 fps on average at 1440p if you're after that higher resolution experience. Overall I was impressed by just how well the RX 580 handled this new title.

Outriders is another new championship and information technology proved to be quite demanding using the high quality settings. Here the RX 580 was merely good for 57 fps on boilerplate, though the game was of class playable. For those gaming at 1080p the medium quality preset looks to be the all-time residuum of visuals and performance and although we're simply looking at a 17% increase from loftier, 67 fps on average is much smoother.

If you lot're interested in prioritizing performance though, the depression quality preset volition boost frame rates past a farther 34% to 90 fps on average. In my opinion the depression quality preset is required at 1440p, but if you're happy with 44 fps on average, then the medium preset will offer a nice visual upgrade.

Horizon Zero Dawn is another visually impressive and enervating game at that, but information technology plays quite well at 1080p using the RX 580, though practice annotation nosotros're going to ignore the 'ultimate quality' preset.

With the favour operation preset enabled, the RX 580 rendered 79 fps at 1080p and 57 fps at 1440p, both acceptable for this type of game. The original preset immune for a smoothen 70 fps at 1080p, though the 1440p results were a bit sketchy at 49 fps. Then when favoring quality I recommend gaming at 1080p as here the RX 580 will withal deliver 58 fps.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider was released in late 2022, and so it'southward kind of old at this point, merely it's still visually appealing, and as such demanding even on modern GPUs. We skipped the high and highest presets and opted for everyman, low and medium instead. As is the example with most of these games, visually it still looks adept even on medium settings.

The RX 580 was proficient for 62 fps on average at 1080p and 44 fps at 1440p. I'd probably go for the depression quality preset equally it boosted functioning by most 30% at each resolution, allowing for 79 fps at 1080p and 57 fps at 1440p.

Doom Eternal is not just visually impressive, but besides an exceptionally well optimized game. Using the nightmare preset which is the second highest, the RX 580 was skilful for 125 fps at 1080p and 93 fps at 1440p. So with virtually all the bells and whistles the game played flawlessly at 1440p, impressive stuff.

Expiry Stranding was released in belatedly 2022, but it remains one of the better looking games out there. I've skipped testing the very loftier preset which enables the highest level of visual settings, and instead tested the other three presets: default, medium and low.

Even with the default quality preset which you could call 'high', the RX 580 was skilful for 78 fps at 1080p and 56 fps at 1440p which was a smooth gaming experience.

Adjacent up we have Dirt 5 where we tested the medium preset and here yous can savour 53 fps on average with the RX 580 or 44 fps at 1440p, and then neat. The low preset is probably the all-time balance though equally visually the game still looks quite good simply fps performance is boosted by almost 20%.

Fortnite is a bit like Rainbow Six Siege in the sense that information technology's a competitive multiplayer game that requires loftier frame rates and is often played using a mix of low to medium-type quality settings. That's proficient news for those hoping to crank some 90'south with an RX 580 as you lot're looking at 161 fps on average at 1080p with the medium quality settings and a whopping 238 fps with the depression quality preset.

Even at 1440p the RX 580 was good for 102 fps on average with the medium quality settings and 160 fps using low. And so for these competitive shooters that crave loftier fps, the RX 580 is very suitable.

Sentry Dogs: Legion was released belatedly concluding year and here we're skipping the ii highest preset options, very high and ultra. The game still looks good using the high preset where the RX 580 delivers 58 fps at 1080p and 40 fps at 1440p. For roughly a 20% boost in performance the medium preset jacked frame rates upwards to 70 fps at 1080p and 48 fps at 1440p. Then the downgrade to low simply boosted frame rates past 10%, then medium is probably the best option here.

Resident Evil Village is a new title with super impressive visuals, yet like Doom Eternal it plays uncommonly well on just about annihilation, probably because it'south been optimized to take reward of ray tracing with the latest hardware.

Information technology's worth noting that I accept tested with the highest possible preset, likewise as medium and then depression. With the max preset we're even so looking at 72 fps on boilerplate at 1080p. Even at 1440p yous're looking at 50 fps on average which is plenty to enjoy the game. The balanced preset increases frame rates past 16-xviii% depending on resolution and then nosotros see a massive uplift using the lowest preset.

One of the most demanding games we have on hand for testing is Cyberpunk 2077, fifty-fifty with the lowest possible in-game quality settings this one is catchy on older hardware. Using the low quality preset, which is the lowest preset there is, the RX 580 8GB was good for just 55 fps on average at 1080p. The game is playable, though it doesn't look near as skillful every bit it could, but we're going for a compromised selection, and so I guess that's okay.

Medium does look very practiced and is technically playable at 1080p, though I'd say 1440p is out of the question. So this is virtually as bad as it gets for the RX 580.

Moving on, we take i the best optimized titles in Forza Horizon 4. This one manages to look great merely also play at very high frame rates, even with an RX 580. Although nosotros're not testing with the ultra preset, the game looks stellar using loftier and here the 580 allowed for 88 fps on boilerplate at 1080p and 68 fps at 1440p.

The downgrade to 'medium' boosts performance past a footling over 30 fps and at present we're getting into high refresh rate territory at 1080p. So for an additional 40% or more than performance, the very depression preset works a treat.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Society tin can be enjoyed at 1080p using the maximum quality preset, which has been labeled 'Epic'. We're looking at 61 fps on average at 1080p, 69 fps with the high preset and 83 fps using medium. Of course, 1440p is a lot more enervating, but yet using the medium preset the 580 was notwithstanding good for 55 fps on average, then a good result overall.

F1 2022 isn't particularly demanding despite looking very good. Using the highest graphics preset, ultra high, the RX 580 was able to render 86 fps on average and then 64 fps at 1440p. Frankly, that's excellent performance and most games won't crave more in this championship.

Dropping downwardly to the medium preset did heave performance by 50-65% depending on resolution and at 1080p we're now well into loftier refresh rate gaming territory.

Last up we have Noon Legends and like the other competitive shooters I've tested, this is a game where you lot probably aren't that interested in the high preset, instead opting for medium or low. With an RX 580 you'll be good for around ninety fps at 1080p using the medium preset, or consistently over 100 fps using depression.

Those targeting 1440p will take to settle for a threescore fps-like feel using either the high or medium preset, while low will permit you to get up around 80 fps.

What Nosotros Learned

The Radeon RX 580 remains a capable gaming graphics menu in mid-2021. Sure, information technology's no RTX 3070, simply for someone with $500 or less to spend on a graphics card, it's i of the few options available at the moment.

When I was recommending a second paw RX 580 a few months ago in a Q&A segment, I was fairly comfy doing so as they could typically be had for around $300. At $500 though, it seems a flake nutty, only then what's the culling? Are you comfortable spending more than than twice every bit much on a 3070? Information technology'south a tough call really and obviously at that place's no great pick to cull from.

We exercise accept noticed GTX 1060 6GB cards tin can be had for effectually $300, so that might be worth looking into, and perhaps we'll end up looking at the old mid-range Pascal GPU on a like piece soon.

Concluding year we compared the two head to caput in over 30 games and the RX 580 was just five% faster on average, and then assuming that all the same holds true today, the GTX 1060 would exist the card to wait out for.

Information technology's worth keeping in listen that we have no idea when the shortage state of affairs will meliorate and by how much. You could wait it out and later this year accept a much ameliorate option bachelor at $500, or things could become worse, though we're non sure there's much more room to motion in the 'worse' direction, dare I say it.

Point is, whatever you practice it's somewhat of a risk, but at the cease of the 24-hour interval if it allows you to unwind and savour some games it'due south probably going to be worth it.

Personally I would have given it a few months to try and get an RTX 3070 or 6700 XT at a reasonable price before giving up and settling on a way-too-expensive 2nd hand graphics menu like an RX 580 or GTX 1060.

But please, practise let u.s. know what y'all've done or plan to do in the comments section. Too let u.s. know what yous thought nigh this benchmark covering multiple quality presets, rather than a head-to-head comparison with a competing GPU every bit we normally practice.