AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single overlapping benchmark between these two GPUs, and the result is decisively one-sided. In the Geekbench Metal test, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 80,376, while the AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17,666. That is a 355% advantage for the RX 5600 XT, meaning it delivers roughly 4.5 times the Metal compute performance of the older card. This is not a marginal generational gain; it is a complete overhaul in raw throughput.

Looking at the broader database averages, the RX 5600 XT holds an average benchmark score of 20,713 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. The HD 7790, by contrast, has an average score of 17,666 from its single Metal result, sitting in the 61st percentile. While the percentile gap appears modest (only 5 points), the actual score difference is substantial, and the RX 5600 XT has a much larger pool of benchmark results supporting its average, which suggests consistency across multiple workloads rather than a single favorable test.

The RX 5600 XT's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (average score 20,662, a 0.2% gap), the Intel Arc A750 (20,582, 0.6% gap), the Intel Arc B570 (20,556, 0.8% gap), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534, 0.9% gap). These deltas are tiny, meaning the RX 5600 XT sits in a tightly contested performance tier where even a few percentage points separate competitors. For the HD 7790, its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639, 0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, 0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, 0.7% ahead), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (17,789, 0.7% behind). The HD 7790 is effectively neck-and-neck with modern integrated graphics and entry-level discrete cards, which puts its performance in a completely different league from the RX 5600 XT.

The wins tally confirms the story: the RX 5600 XT claims 1 head-to-head win, the HD 7790 claims 0. In the only test where both have recorded scores, there is no contest. The 355% delta is the kind of margin that separates a card capable of modern gaming at high settings from one that is relegated to legacy titles or basic desktop acceleration.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural eras. The RX 5600 XT is built on the Navi 10 chip using RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip with GCN 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, with a density of 13.0 million per square millimeter. The process node advantage alone explains a large portion of the performance gap: 7 nm versus 28 nm is a massive leap in efficiency and transistor packing.

The memory subsystems are also generations apart. The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s. That is a 3x difference in raw bandwidth, and the capacity difference (6 GB versus 1 GB) means the RX 5600 XT can hold far more texture data and geometry in local memory without spilling to system RAM. The memory clock is listed as 1500 MHz for both, but the effective data rates differ: 12 Gbps for the RX 5600 XT versus 6 Gbps for the HD 7790, which is why the bandwidth gap is so large despite similar base clocks.

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward the newer card. The RX 5600 XT has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 raster operation units (ROPs). The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The pixel rate is 99.84 GPixel/s for the RX 5600 XT versus 16.00 GPixel/s for the HD 7790, and the texture rate is 224.6 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 7.188 TFLOPS for the RX 5600 XT and 1.792 TFLOPS for the HD 7790. The RX 5600 XT also lists FP16 performance at 14.38 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the HD 7790 has no recorded FP16 capability, meaning it likely lacks hardware support for fast half-precision math.

API support differs as well. The RX 5600 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The feature level difference (12_1 versus 12_0) matters for certain DX12 features like variable-rate shading or advanced rasterization modes. Bus interface also differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 on the RX 5600 XT versus PCIe 3.0 x16 on the HD 7790, which doubles the potential bandwidth to the CPU for data transfers.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is the clear choice for anyone needing modern compute performance. Its average benchmark score of 20,713 is 17.3% higher than the HD 7790's 17,666, and the Metal test shows a 355% advantage. The RX 5600 XT also has a wider benchmark footprint, with results across 3DMark Steel Nomad, Geekbench Metal/OpenCL/Vulkan, and multiple Passmark tests, whereas the HD 7790 has only a single Metal score in the database. That means the RX 5600 XT's average is backed by more evidence, while the HD 7790's numbers are provisional at best.

For raw gaming and compute workloads, the RX 5600 XT is in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, placing it above the median and competitive with modern mid-range cards like the Intel Arc A750 (within 0.6%) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (within 0.9%). The HD 7790, at the 61st percentile, is closer to integrated graphics like the AMD Radeon 780M (within 0.4%) and entry-level discrete cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (within 0.2%). The practical takeaway: the HD 7790 is a legacy part that has been surpassed by today's iGPUs, while the RX 5600 XT still holds its own against current discrete options.

The HD 7790 does have one advantage in the data: power consumption. It is rated at 85 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 250 W and a single 6-pin connector. The RX 5600 XT is rated at 150 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 450 W and a single 8-pin connector. If power draw is the only constraint, the HD 7790 is far easier to run in an older or low-wattage system. But the performance gap is so large that this advantage only matters in the most constrained builds.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20,713, while the AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average of 17,666.

Q: How much faster is the RX 5600 XT in the Geekbench Metal test?

A: The RX 5600 XT scores 80,376 versus 17,666 for the HD 7790, a 355% difference.

Q: What is the memory capacity and type for each card?

A: The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RX 5600 XT has 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, while the HD 7790 has 2,080 million on a 160 mm² die.

Q: What are the TDP and PSU requirements?

A: The RX 5600 XT has a TDP of 150 W and suggests a 450 W PSU with a 1x 8-pin connector. The HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W and suggests a 250 W PSU with a 1x 6-pin connector.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different feature levels. The RX 5600 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Where Each One Wins

The RX 5600 XT wins in every category where both cards have recorded data. It dominates in compute throughput (7.188 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.792 TFLOPS), memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s), pixel fill rate (99.84 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s), and texture rate (224.6 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s). It also has more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, plus a larger memory pool. For gaming at 1080p or 1440p with modern titles, the RX 5600 XT is the only viable option between the two.

The HD 7790 wins on power efficiency in the absolute sense: 85 W TDP versus 150 W, and a 250 W PSU recommendation versus 450 W. It is also a smaller card physically, at 183 mm (7.2 inches) versus 267 mm (10.5 inches), which could matter in compact cases. If you have a very old system with a weak PSU and only need basic display output or play very old games, the HD 7790 is easier to slot in. But the database shows it is outperformed even by modern integrated graphics like the AMD Radeon 780M, which scores within 0.4% of it. So the HD 7790's only real edge is the low power draw and small footprint, not performance.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | AMD Radeon HD 7790 |

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

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 2,080 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 160 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 41.0M / mm² | 13.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1130 MHz | Not listed |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | Not listed |

| Game Clock | 1375 MHz | Not listed |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 896 |

| TMUs | 144 | 56 |

| ROPs | 64 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 99.84 GPixel/s | 16.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 224.6 GTexel/s | 56.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 7.188 TFLOPS | 1.792 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 14.38 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not listed |

| TDP | 150 W | 85 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 183 mm (7.2 inches) |

| Release Date | 2020-01-20 | 2013-03-21 |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | 149 USD |