AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon Pro 460 Comparison

# AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon Pro 460

The AMD Radeon HD 7790 and AMD Radeon Pro 460 represent two distinct generations of graphics technology, separated by over three years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear overall winner in the Pro 460, which dominates the single available head-to-head benchmark, yet the HD 7790 remains competitive in specific metrics despite its older design. The Pro 460 achieves a Geekbench Metal score of 20,426 compared to the HD 7790's 17,666, a 13.5% advantage that tells only part of the story. Both cards sit at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, suggesting they occupy similar performance tiers despite their generational gap. The HD 7790 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Pro 460 has no recorded launch price. This comparison reveals how architectural efficiency and memory capacity can outweigh raw clock speeds and older manufacturing processes.

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon Pro 460 is the stronger performer in the benchmark data, winning the only head-to-head test with a 13.5% margin over the HD 7790 in Geekbench Metal. For users prioritizing raw compute performance in Metal-based applications, the Pro 460 is the clear choice. Its 20,426 Metal score places it 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K40c and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560, showing it competes with far more expensive workstation hardware. The HD 7790, by contrast, scores 17,666 in Metal, sitting 0.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon 780M — remarkably close for a card from 2013. The Pro 460's additional benchmarks reveal versatility: 15,284 in OpenCL and 16,816 in Vulkan, demonstrating consistent performance across multiple APIs. However, the HD 7790's 56 TMUs and 16 ROPs deliver a texture rate of 56 GTexel/s versus the Pro 460's 58.05 GTexel/s, a much smaller gap than the Metal scores suggest. The Pro 460 wins for modern workloads, especially those leveraging 4 GB of VRAM, while the HD 7790 remains relevant for older titles and lighter tasks. The data does not support choosing the HD 7790 for new purchases, but its end-of-life status and lower power draw of 85 W versus 35 W present an interesting trade-off for constrained builds.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU performs better in Geekbench Metal?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 20,426, which is 13.5% higher than the HD 7790's 17,666. This is the only direct head-to-head benchmark available, and the Pro 460 wins decisively.

Q: How do these cards compare to modern GPUs?

A: The HD 7790 scores within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and 0.4% of the AMD Radeon 780M. The Pro 460 sits 0.7% behind the GeForce RTX 4060 and 0.5% behind the Radeon 780M, meaning both cards are surprisingly close to contemporary entry-level performance.

Q: What are the memory differences?

A: The Pro 460 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and 81.28 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1 GB of GDDR5 with the same 128-bit bus but higher 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Pro 460 offers four times the capacity but 15% lower bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The Pro 460 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the HD 7790 supports Vulkan 1.2.170, giving the Pro 460 a more modern Vulkan implementation.

Q: How do power requirements differ?

A: The HD 7790 has an 85 W TDP with a 1x 6-pin power connector and a 250 W suggested PSU. The Pro 460 has a 35 W TDP with no power connectors, making it far more power-efficient and suitable for compact systems.

Q: Are these cards still in production?

A: Both are end-of-life products. The HD 7790 was released in March 2013, and the Pro 460 followed in October 2016, so neither is current-generation hardware.

Architecture Differences

The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip built on GCN 2.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The Pro 460 uses the Baffin chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on 14 nm with 3,000 million transistors on a smaller 123 mm² die. This represents a significant generational leap: the Pro 460 packs 44% more transistors into 23% less silicon, achieving a transistor density of 24.4 million per mm² versus the HD 7790's 13.0 million per mm². The GCN 4.0 architecture brings architectural refinements, including improved geometry processing and better compute efficiency. The Pro 460 offers 1:1 FP16 performance at 1.858 TFLOPS, matching its FP32 output, while the HD 7790 has no FP16 capability listed. The Pro 460 also supports Vulkan 1.3, a newer API version than the HD 7790's Vulkan 1.2.170. The HD 7790 belongs to the Southern Islands generation (HD 7700 series), while the Pro 460 comes from the Radeon Pro Mac 400 series. Both use PCIe 3.0, but the HD 7790 runs at x16 lanes while the Pro 460 is limited to x8. Display outputs differ substantially: the HD 7790 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, whereas the Pro 460 is integrated into portable devices with dependent outputs. The power delivery architecture reflects different design philosophies — the HD 7790 is a dual-slot card with external power, while the Pro 460 is an IGP with no additional connectors.

Specification Differences

The Pro 460 provides more shading units (1,024 vs. 896), more TMUs (64 vs. 56), and identical ROPs (16 vs. 16). Its base clock runs at 850 MHz with a 907 MHz boost, while the HD 7790 has no listed base or boost clocks — only its memory clock of 1,500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) is specified. The Pro 460's memory runs at 1,270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective), slightly slower than the HD 7790's. This clock disparity explains the bandwidth difference: 96.00 GB/s for the HD 7790 versus 81.28 GB/s for the Pro 460. The Pro 460's higher core configuration compensates, delivering 1.858 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.792 TFLOPS for the HD 7790, a 3.7% advantage. Pixel rates favor the HD 7790 at 16.00 GPixel/s versus 14.51 GPixel/s, while texture rates slightly favor the Pro 460 at 58.05 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. The Pro 460 has a 35 W TDP, less than half the HD 7790's 85 W, and requires no power connectors or suggested PSU. The HD 7790 measures 183 mm (7.2 inches) in length and uses a dual-slot design, while the Pro 460 has no listed dimensions. The HD 7790 has a 149 USD launch MSRP; the Pro 460 has none recorded. Memory capacity is the most dramatic difference: 4 GB versus 1 GB, a 300% increase that matters for modern textures and workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench Metal, where the Pro 460 scores 20,426 against the HD 7790's 17,666, a 13.5% victory. This substantial margin reflects the Pro 460's architectural advantages — more shading units, higher transistor density, and double the FP16 throughput. The HD 7790's higher memory bandwidth (96.00 GB/s vs. 81.28 GB/s) and pixel rate (16.00 vs. 14.51 GPixel/s) do not compensate for the Pro 460's compute advantage in this test. The Pro 460's additional benchmark results show consistency: its OpenCL score of 15,284 and Vulkan score of 16,816 both trail its Metal score, suggesting Metal is where this card performs best. The HD 7790 has no other benchmark data, limiting direct API comparisons. When examining rival positioning, the Pro 460's Metal score edges out the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 0.2% and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 by 0.7%, while falling 0.5% behind the Radeon 780M and 0.7% behind the RTX 4060. The HD 7790's Metal score sits 0.2% below the RTX 4060 and 0.4% below the Radeon 780M, but 0.7% ahead of the Quadro RTX 4000. This means the older card is closer to modern mid-range performance than its age suggests, yet the Pro 460's overall average benchmark score of 17,509 versus 17,666 for the HD 7790 shows the older card actually has a higher average — driven by the HD 7790's single Metal result. The Pro 460's multiple API scores pull its average down, indicating Metal-specific optimization.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 460 wins decisively in compute-intensive and modern API workloads. Its 13.5% Metal benchmark lead, superior shading unit count (1,024 vs. 896), and 4 GB memory capacity make it the choice for Metal-based rendering, machine learning inference, and modern game textures. The Pro 460 also wins on power efficiency with its 35 W TDP, enabling fanless or low-profile designs without external power connectors. Its Vulkan 1.3 support and 1:1 FP16 performance open doors to contemporary graphics features that the HD 7790 cannot access. For portable or compact systems, the Pro 460's IGP form factor and lack of power requirements are decisive advantages.

The AMD Radeon HD 7790 wins in specific technical metrics that could matter for certain workloads. Its 96.00 GB/s memory bandwidth is 18% higher than the Pro 460's 81.28 GB/s, which could benefit bandwidth-bound tasks like high-resolution texturing. The HD 7790 also delivers higher pixel fill rate (16.00 GPixel/s vs. 14.51 GPixel/s), potentially improving performance in fill-rate-limited scenarios such as heavy alpha blending or multiple render targets. Its dual-slot design with dedicated power connector suggests better sustained cooling in desktop towers, and the higher 250 W suggested PSU headroom indicates it can operate in systems with more robust power delivery. The HD 7790's 149 USD launch MSRP (stated once) also positions it as a lower-cost entry point historically, though no current pricing data exists. For legacy DirectX 12 workloads or applications where memory bandwidth trumps capacity, the HD 7790's specifications give it an edge despite losing the benchmark. Its smaller 1 GB frame buffer, however, limits modern game compatibility, making the Pro 460 the more versatile overall choice.