AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon Pro W5500 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two cards compare in overall benchmark performance?

A: The database records a single head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench Metal. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 54,302 versus 17,666 for the AMD Radeon HD 7790, a 67.5% advantage for the Pro W5500.

Q: Which card has the higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W5500, built on TSMC's 7 nm process, packs 40.5M transistors per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 7790, on 28 nm, achieves 13.0M per mm².

Q: What memory configurations do the two cards ship with?

A: The HD 7790 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s. The Pro W5500 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card supports a newer DirectX feature level?

A: The Pro W5500 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What are the launch MSRP values for these cards?

A: The HD 7790 launched at 149 USD, and the Pro W5500 launched at 399 USD.

Q: How do their pixel and texture fill rates differ?

A: The Pro W5500 outputs 59.36 GPixel/s and 163.2 GTexel/s. The HD 7790 outputs 16.00 GPixel/s and 56.00 GTexel/s.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent distinct architectural generations from AMD. The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip with GCN 2.0 architecture, part of the Southern Islands (HD 7700) generation. The Pro W5500 uses the Navi 14 chip with RDNA 1.0 architecture, from the Radeon Pro Navi (Navi Series) generation.

Manufacturing technology marks the largest separation. The HD 7790 is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The Pro W5500 uses a 7 nm TSMC process, fitting 6,400 million transistors onto a 158 mm² die. Despite nearly identical die sizes, the transistor density jumps from 13.0M per mm² to 40.5M per mm², representing a 3x improvement in packing density.

The compute resources scale accordingly. The HD 7790 contains 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The Pro W5500 increases these to 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This reflects RDNA's rebalanced design, which favors higher per-clock throughput.

Memory architecture also diverges. The HD 7790 uses GDDR5 at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the Pro W5500 uses GDDR6 at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). Both use a 128-bit memory bus, but the newer memory standard doubles the effective data rate per pin, yielding 224.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s.

Feature support differs in API levels. The HD 7790 lists DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Pro W5500 lists DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12_1 feature level adds support for conservative rasterization and other advanced rendering options not available on the older card.

Both cards share a 1x 6-pin power connector and PCIe x16 physical interface, though the bus protocol differs: the HD 7790 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Pro W5500 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which offers comparable bandwidth over fewer lanes.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one head-to-head benchmark result: Geekbench Metal. The Pro W5500 scores 54,302, while the HD 7790 scores 17,666. This gives the Pro W5500 a 67.5% lead, one of the largest generational gaps recorded in the database for a single API test.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides context for each card's standing. The HD 7790 sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,666. Its closest competitors include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639, 0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, 0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, 0.7% lower). The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 edges it out at 17,789, a 0.7% advantage. The HD 7790 effectively trades blows with these cards, all within a 1% band.

The Pro W5500, despite its higher raw score in the head-to-head, sits at the 58th percentile overall, with an average benchmark score of 15,679 across all its recorded tests. This average includes results from Geekbench OpenCL (45,615), Vulkan (42,021), and multiple PassMark tests. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (15,548, 0.8% lower), the AMD Radeon R9 M380 (15,521, 1% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15,852, 1.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862, 1.2% higher).

The discrepancy between the Pro W5500's single Geekbench Metal score (54,302) and its average (15,679) highlights how different APIs and workloads can produce dramatically different results. The Metal test appears to favor the newer architecture heavily, while the PassMark DirectX tests (scores ranging from 39 to 126) pull the average down substantially. The PassMark G3D score of 8,978 and compute score of 4,804 represent more moderate performance levels.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 7790 | AMD Radeon Pro W5500 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | Bonaire | Navi 14 |

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | RDNA 1.0 |

| Generation | Southern Islands (HD 7700) | Radeon Pro Navi (Navi Series) |

| Process node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 6,400 million |

| Die size | 160 mm² | 158 mm² |

| Transistor density | 13.0M / mm² | 40.5M / mm² |

| Memory clock | 1500 MHz, 6 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 1024 MB | 8 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 896 | 1,408 |

| TMUs | 56 | 88 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel rate | 16.00 GPixel/s | 59.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 56.00 GTexel/s | 163.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.792 TFLOPS | 5.224 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | None listed | 10.45 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 85 W | 125 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 300 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Length | 183 mm (7.2 inches) | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Height | Not listed | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Release date | 2013-03-21 | 2020-02-09 |

| Launch MSRP | 149 USD | 399 USD |

| Predecessor | Northern Islands | Radeon Pro Vega |

| Successor | Sea Islands | None listed |

Where Each One Wins

The Pro W5500 wins decisively in the recorded head-to-head benchmark, and the specification sheet reinforces that dominance. Its 5.224 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is roughly 2.9x the HD 7790's 1.792 TFLOPS. Pixel rate jumps from 16.00 GPixel/s to 59.36 GPixel/s, a 3.7x improvement. Texture rate rises from 56.00 GTexel/s to 163.2 GTexel/s, a 2.9x gain. These figures point to clear advantages in fill-rate-bound workloads, such as high-resolution rendering and heavy texture sampling.

The Pro W5500 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 8 GB GDDR6 buffer is eight times larger than the 1 GB GDDR5 on the HD 7790, and its 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is 2.3x higher. For modern workloads with large texture sets or compute datasets, the older card would hit memory limits far sooner. The Pro W5500's FP16 throughput of 10.45 TFLOPS (2:1) further extends its lead in mixed-precision compute tasks, a capability the HD 7790 does not list.

The HD 7790's advantages are narrower but real. It consumes less power, rated at 85 W TDP versus 125 W, and requires a 250 W suggested PSU versus 300 W. It is also physically shorter at 183 mm versus 241 mm, which may fit smaller cases. Its dual-slot cooler is a trade-off for that compact length, whereas the Pro W5500 achieves single-slot thickness despite its greater length, a benefit for dense workstation builds.

The HD 7790's 61st percentile ranking versus the Pro W5500's 58th percentile is notable. While the Pro W5500 wins the head-to-head, the HD 7790's average benchmark score (17,666) actually exceeds the Pro W5500's average (15,679). This reflects the different test suites recorded for each card. The HD 7790 only has a Geekbench Metal result, while the Pro W5500 includes several PassMark tests where it scores lower. In the specific Metal test, the Pro W5500 is far ahead; in broader compute and DirectX workloads, the picture is more mixed.

For use-case planning, the Pro W5500 suits applications that leverage its 8 GB frame buffer, GDDR6 bandwidth, and modern RDNA feature set. Its four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs support multi-monitor professional setups. The HD 7790, with its older GCN architecture and smaller memory, remains viable for legacy applications or lightweight workloads where its lower power draw and smaller footprint matter. The delta in launch MSRP, 149 USD versus 399 USD, reflects the seven-year gap between releases and the Pro W5500's workstation positioning.