AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon RX 560X Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 560X vs AMD Radeon HD 7790

The AMD Radeon RX 560X and the AMD Radeon HD 7790 represent two distinct eras of AMD graphics, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The RX 560X, built on the 14nm Polaris 21 chip with GCN 4.0, posts an average benchmark score of 18,626, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. The older HD 7790, based on the 28nm Bonaire chip with GCN 2.0, achieves an average score of 17,666, sitting just behind at the 61st percentile. The data shows a 5.4% overall performance gap in favor of the newer card, yet the HD 7790 remains surprisingly competitive given its age and lower specifications. This analysis examines where each card wins, how they compare in head-to-head scenarios, and what the underlying specifications reveal about their respective positions in the GPU landscape.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 560X is the clear winner in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 2.611 TFLOPS is 45.7% higher than the HD 7790’s 1.792 TFLOPS, a substantial margin that translates directly into faster shader processing. The newer card also dominates in texture processing, with a texture rate of 81.60 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s, a 45.7% advantage. Pixel throughput favors the RX 560X as well, with 20.40 GPixel/s against 16.00 GPixel/s, a 27.5% lead. These compute advantages make the RX 560X the better choice for tasks that rely heavily on parallel processing, such as modern game rendering with complex shaders or compute workloads like OpenCL acceleration.

The HD 7790, despite its lower raw numbers, wins in one critical area: memory efficiency per bandwidth unit. While its 96.00 GB/s bandwidth is 14.3% lower than the RX 560X’s 112.0 GB/s, it achieves this with the same 128-bit bus width. The older card’s 6 Gbps effective memory clock, though lower than the RX 560X’s 7 Gbps, demonstrates that the older GCN 2.0 architecture could extract competitive performance from less bandwidth. More importantly, the HD 7790’s Metal benchmark score of 17,666 is only 4.5% below the RX 560X’s average, suggesting that in API-specific workloads like Metal, the older card punches above its weight class. The HD 7790 also wins on physical footprint flexibility—its 183 mm length is 7.6% longer than the RX 560X’s 170 mm, but it offers dual mini-DisplayPort outputs, which can be advantageous for multi-monitor setups with limited port availability.

In terms of API support, the RX 560X pulls ahead with Vulkan 1.3 versus the HD 7790’s Vulkan 1.2.170, and supports HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a compared to the HD 7790’s HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2. This makes the RX 560X the better choice for modern display connectivity, especially for high refresh rate monitors or HDR content. The HD 7790’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface provides double the bandwidth of the RX 560X’s PCIe 3.0 x8, but this advantage is largely theoretical for gaming workloads at this performance tier.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RX 560X compared to the HD 7790 in average benchmark scores?

A: The RX 560X achieves an average benchmark score of 18,626, which is 5.4% higher than the HD 7790’s 17,666. This places the newer card at the 62nd percentile versus the 61st percentile for the older model.

Q: Which GPU has better FP32 compute performance?

A: The RX 560X has a significant lead, delivering 2.611 TFLOPS compared to the HD 7790’s 1.792 TFLOPS. This 45.7% advantage indicates the newer card handles compute-heavy workloads considerably better.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, both GPUs support DirectX 12 with feature level 12_0. They also both support OpenGL 4.6, making them compatible with modern game APIs, though the RX 560X has newer Vulkan support at version 1.3 versus 1.2.170.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The RX 560X comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the HD 7790 has only 1024 MB (1 GB). This 3 GB difference is crucial for modern games that require more VRAM for high-resolution textures.

Q: Which card has better texture processing capabilities?

A: The RX 560X leads with 64 TMUs and a texture rate of 81.60 GTexel/s, compared to the HD 7790’s 56 TMUs and 56.00 GTexel/s. The newer card’s 45.7% higher texture rate means faster anisotropic filtering and texture-heavy scene rendering.

Q: How do their transistor counts and die sizes compare?

A: The RX 560X packs 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die (24.4M per mm²), while the HD 7790 has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die (13.0M per mm²). The RX 560X achieves higher density on a smaller die due to its 14nm process versus 28nm.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data shows no direct match results between these two cards, but the available individual benchmarks provide clear comparison points. The RX 560X delivers a Geekbench OpenCL score of 17,020 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 20,231. The HD 7790 has a single Geekbench Metal score of 17,666. When comparing the RX 560X’s OpenCL score to the HD 7790’s Metal score, the older card actually leads by 3.8%. This suggests that in Metal-optimized workloads, the HD 7790 can outperform the RX 560X’s OpenCL performance, highlighting the importance of API optimization.

However, the RX 560X’s Vulkan score of 20,231 is 14.5% higher than the HD 7790’s Metal score. This gap indicates that in Vulkan-based games and applications, the newer card has a clear advantage. The RX 560X’s average benchmark score of 18,626 is 5.4% above the HD 7790’s 17,666, which aligns with the overall performance tier difference. The nearest rivals for the RX 560X include the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT (avg 18,685, -0.3% delta), AMD FirePro D500 (avg 18,533, +0.5% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (avg 18,789, -0.9% delta), and NVIDIA Tesla K80 (avg 18,866, -1.3% delta). For the HD 7790, its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (avg 17,639, +0.2% delta), AMD Radeon 780M (avg 17,588, +0.4% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (avg 17,551, +0.7% delta), and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (avg 17,789, -0.7% delta). These rival comparisons show that the RX 560X competes in a higher performance tier than the HD 7790, yet the older card holds its own within its own tier.

The pixel rate difference is particularly telling: the RX 560X’s 20.40 GPixel/s is 27.5% higher than the HD 7790’s 16.00 GPixel/s. This means the newer card can drive higher resolutions or higher refresh rates with less performance degradation. In texture-heavy scenarios, the RX 560X’s 81.60 GTexel/s outpaces the HD 7790’s 56.00 GTexel/s by the same 45.7% margin seen in FP32, indicating the architectural improvements in GCN 4.0 deliver consistent gains across all shader units.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The RX 560X features 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The newer card’s 14.3% more shading units and 14.3% more TMUs directly contribute to its higher compute and texture throughput. Both cards use 128-bit memory buses, but the RX 560X’s 4 GB GDDR5 at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) delivers 112.0 GB/s bandwidth versus the HD 7790’s 1 GB GDDR5 at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) providing 96.00 GB/s. The RX 560X’s 16.7% higher memory bandwidth is complemented by four times the VRAM capacity.

Clock speeds differ significantly: the RX 560X runs at a base clock of 1175 MHz with a boost of 1275 MHz, while the HD 7790 has no listed base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1500 MHz. The RX 560X’s TDP of 75 W is interestingly lower than the HD 7790’s 85 W, despite the newer card’s higher performance. This efficiency comes from the 14nm process versus 28nm. Power delivery also differs: the RX 560X requires no external power connectors, while the HD 7790 needs a single 6-pin connector. Both suggest a 250 W power supply. Physical dimensions vary, with the RX 560X at 170 mm (6.7 inches) and the HD 7790 at 183 mm (7.2 inches), making the newer card 7.1% shorter.

Display outputs show generational differences: the RX 560X offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the HD 7790 provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 560X’s newer display standards support higher resolutions and refresh rates. The HD 7790’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface provides more bandwidth than the RX 560X’s PCIe 3.0 x8, though this matters less at this performance level. The HD 7790 has a launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the RX 560X has no listed launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The RX 560X is built on the Polaris 21 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on GlobalFoundries’ 14nm process. This represents AMD’s fourth-generation Graphics Core Next design, which introduced improved geometry processing and better power efficiency. The chip packs 3,000 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 24.4 million per square millimeter. The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip with GCN 2.0 architecture, produced on TSMC’s 28nm process. This second-generation GCN design was part of AMD’s Southern Islands family (HD 7700 series) and contains 2,080 million transistors on a larger 160 mm² die, with a lower density of 13.0 million per square millimeter.

The architectural generation gap is significant: GCN 4.0 brought refinements in shader efficiency, improved clock scaling, and better utilization of memory bandwidth compared to GCN 2.0. The RX 560X’s FP16 performance matches its FP32 at 2.611 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the HD 7790 has no listed FP16 capability. This makes the RX 560X more versatile for workloads that can leverage half-precision compute. The RX 560X belongs to the Polaris (RX 500X) generation, succeeding the original Polaris design, while the HD 7790 is part of the Southern Islands generation, which followed Northern Islands and preceded Sea Islands. Both cards are end-of-life products, but the RX 560X was released on April 10, 2018, five years after the HD 7790’s March 21, 2013 launch.

The RX 560X’s API support reflects its newer architecture: DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, whereas the HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vulkan version difference indicates better long-term driver support for the newer card. The RX 560X’s dual-slot design with no power connectors contrasts with the HD 7790’s dual-slot design requiring a 6-pin connector, reflecting the efficiency gains of the 14nm node. Both cards have 16 ROPs, meaning pixel fill rate differences stem entirely from clock speeds rather than ROP count. The RX 560X’s higher pixel rate of 20.40 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s is achieved through its higher operating frequencies, a direct benefit of the more advanced manufacturing process.