AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark between the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT and the AMD Radeon HD 7790 is Geekbench Metal, and the result is decisive. The RX 6650 XT scores 97,969 points against 17,666 for the HD 7790, a lead of 454.6%. This is not a marginal gap; it is a generational chasm that places the two cards in entirely different performance tiers.

The RX 6650 XT’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 19,765, which places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The HD 7790’s average score is 17,666, putting it in the 61st percentile. While the percentile difference is only four points, the raw score gap tells a different story: the RX 6650 XT delivers roughly 11.9% higher average performance. However, this comparison is skewed by the fact that the HD 7790 has only one recorded benchmark, Geekbench Metal, while the RX 6650 XT has eleven. The Metal test is the only true head-to-head data point, and there the newer card is over five times faster.

Looking at the RX 6650 XT’s individual benchmark results, its strongest showing is in Geekbench Metal at 97,969, followed by Geekbench Vulkan at 81,306. Its Passmark G3D score of 17,166 is substantial, while its DirectX 9 score of 215 and DirectX 11 score of 169 indicate strong legacy API performance. The HD 7790 has no comparable data in these tests, so any claims about its DirectX or Vulkan performance would be speculation. The database records what it records: one benchmark, one win for the RX 6650 XT, zero wins for the HD 7790.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is fundamental. The RX 6650 XT uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip with GCN 2.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 28 nm process. That process difference alone explains much of the performance disparity: 7 nm versus 28 nm is a four-generation jump in manufacturing technology.

Transistor counts tell a similar story. The RX 6650 XT packs 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7 million per square millimeter. The HD 7790 has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, for a density of 13.0 million per square millimeter. The RX 6650 XT has over five times the transistor budget and more than three times the density, which directly enables its higher compute throughput.

The RX 6650 XT features 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 32 dedicated ray tracing cores. The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware at all. In raw compute, the RX 6650 XT delivers 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 21.59 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, while the HD 7790 manages 1.792 TFLOPS of FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability. Pixel rate is 168.6 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 337.3 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. Every metric that matters for rendering throughput favors the newer card by a wide margin.

Memory architecture also diverges significantly. The RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory on the same 128-bit bus, but only achieves 96.00 GB/s. The RX 6650 XT’s effective memory clock is 17.5 Gbps, while the HD 7790’s is 6 Gbps. In a 2022 game, 1 GB of VRAM is a severe limitation; in 2013, it was adequate for the titles of that era. The bandwidth difference alone, 280.3 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, means the RX 6650 XT can feed its shaders far more effectively.

API support further separates the two. The RX 6650 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The DirectX 12_2 feature level on the RX 6650 XT enables hardware ray tracing and mesh shaders, neither of which the HD 7790 can handle. The Vulkan version gap, 1.4 versus 1.2.170, also matters for modern titles that use newer Vulkan extensions. The power connectors differ too: the RX 6650 XT requires a single 8-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the HD 7790 uses a single 6-pin connector and a 250 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6650 XT wins in every scenario where modern rendering features matter. Its 32 ray tracing cores make it suitable for games that use DXR or Vulkan ray tracing, a workload the HD 7790 cannot even attempt. Its 8 GB frame buffer allows it to handle high-resolution textures and modern game assets without stuttering or texture pop-in. Its 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for demanding 1080p and 1440p gaming, and its 21.59 TFLOPS of FP16 throughput supports accelerated compute workloads in applications that use half-precision math.

The HD 7790’s strengths are limited to its era. Its 85 W TDP is lower than the RX 6650 XT’s 176 W, making it easier to cool in a small chassis. Its 250 W suggested PSU means it can run on an older or less powerful power supply. Its 183 mm length, recorded as 7.2 inches, allows it to fit in compact cases where the RX 6650 XT might struggle, though the RX 6650 XT’s dimensions are not recorded in the database. For DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 workloads, the HD 7790’s architecture, GCN 2.0, was designed for that generation of APIs, and its Passmark scores, if they existed, would likely be competitive. But the database shows no such scores, so there is no data to support that claim.

In practical terms, the HD 7790 is a card for legacy systems running older operating systems and games that predate 2014. It has no ray tracing, no Vulkan 1.3 support, and only 1 GB of VRAM, which modern titles will exhaust quickly. The RX 6650 XT is a card for current and near-future gaming, with the API support and memory capacity to handle upcoming releases. The data does not suggest any scenario where the HD 7790 outperforms the RX 6650 XT in a modern workload.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the superior GPU in every measurable way. Its Geekbench Metal score is 454.6% higher than the HD 7790’s, its average benchmark score is 11.9% higher, and its architectural advantages, from process node to memory bandwidth to ray tracing support, are overwhelming. The HD 7790’s only advantages are its lower power draw, 85 W versus 176 W, and its smaller physical length, 183 mm versus an unspecified size for the RX 6650 XT.

Anyone building a new system or upgrading a modern one should choose the RX 6650 XT without hesitation. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, 32 ray tracing cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support make it a viable choice for current games at high settings. Its 176 W TDP is manageable with a 450 W suggested PSU, and its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is compatible with modern motherboards.

The HD 7790 is a relic. Its 1 GB of VRAM and 1.792 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient for any game released in the last several years. Its 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth is a fraction of what even entry-level modern cards offer. The only reason to select it would be for a retro build or a system with strict power and size constraints, and even then, its 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it was never a high-performance part even in its own time. The RX 6650 XT, at the 65th percentile, is not a top-tier card either, but it is a generation ahead of the HD 7790 in every relevant specification.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RX 6650 XT than the HD 7790 in Geekbench Metal?

A: The RX 6650 XT scores 97,969 points, while the HD 7790 scores 17,666 points, a difference of 454.6%.

Q: Does the HD 7790 support ray tracing?

A: No. The HD 7790 has no ray tracing cores, while the RX 6650 XT has 32 dedicated RT cores.

Q: What are the memory capacities of the two cards?

A: The RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 280.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 7790 has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card requires a more powerful power supply?

A: The RX 6650 XT has a 176 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the HD 7790 has an 85 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: What are the DirectX versions supported by each card?

A: The RX 6650 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What is the process node difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RX 6650 XT is built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, while the HD 7790 uses TSMC’s 28 nm process.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT | AMD Radeon HD 7790 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | GCN 2.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 2,080 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 160 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 13.0M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 896 |

| TMUs | 128 | 56 |

| ROPs | 64 | 16 |

| RT Cores | 32 | None |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 280.3 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Effective Memory Clock | 17.5 Gbps | 6 Gbps |

| FP32 Compute | 10.79 TFLOPS | 1.792 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | 21.59 TFLOPS | None recorded |

| Pixel Rate | 168.6 GPixel/s | 16.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 337.3 GTexel/s | 56.00 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 176 W | 85 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Length | Not recorded | 183 mm (7.2 inches) |

| Release Date | 2022-05-09 | 2013-03-21 |

| Launch MSRP | 399 USD | 149 USD |