The Radeon RX 580 stands as the current crown jewel in AMD’s lineup and potentially the best mainstream graphics card ever sold. The Radeon RX 580 absolutely screams through 1080p games at 60fps or more with all graphics options cranks to 11, can deliver superb 1440p gameplay if you dial graphics back to High in modern games, and can even power virtual reality experiences. It’s incredibly powerful, incredibly versatile, and theoretically incredibly well priced—again, in theory. In the wake of the card’s launch, stocks are low and prices are inflated, just like with the RX 570.
The 4GB version is the bang-for-buck champion and superb for no-compromises 1080p gaming, but if you’re gaming in VR or at 1440p, consider stepping up to the 8GB model, which officially starts at $230. But right now, you’ll find some basic 4GB models starting at $260 on Newegg, with all 8GB selling for $310 or more. Supply and demand is nasty sometimes.
Compared to Nvidia’s GeForce card, the 4GB RX 580’s a no-brainer versus the 3GB GeForce GTX 1060 when prices are equal. You can actually buy 3GB GTX 1060 cards for prices near MSRPRemove product link, however. The more potent 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 trades blows with the 8GB RX 580 at similar suggested pricing, so be sure to read PCWorld’s Radeon RX 580 review to see the strengths and weaknesses of each.