AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon RX 7600 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single shared benchmark result for the AMD Radeon HD 7790, the Geekbench Metal score of 17,666. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 does not have a Geekbench Metal result, so a direct apples-to-apples comparison on that particular test is not possible. However, the RX 7600 has a broad suite of benchmarks across multiple APIs and workloads, allowing for a detailed analysis of its performance character relative to its own nearest rivals.

The HD 7790's Geekbench Metal score of 17,666 places it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 scores 17,639, a 0.2% delta, and the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588, a 0.4% delta. The HD 7790 sits slightly above both, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 scores 17,789, a 0.7% delta above it. This indicates that, in the Metal API, the HD 7790 delivers performance comparable to modern mid-range parts, despite its age.

For the RX 7600, the data reveals a multi-faceted profile. Its highest recorded score is in Geekbench OpenCL at 88,051, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 34,401. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2,310. The PassMark suite shows a range: DirectX 9 at 226, DirectX 10 at 84, DirectX 11 at 172, DirectX 12 at 58, G2D at 984, G3D at 16,634, and GPU compute at 8,790. The average benchmark score for the RX 7600 is 15,171, which places it at the 57th percentile of all GPUs.

The RX 7600's nearest rivals by average score are instructive. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM averages 15,199, a 0.2% delta above the RX 7600. The AMD Radeon 680M averages 15,270, a 0.7% delta above. The AMD Radeon Pro 560X averages 15,082, a 0.6% delta below, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti averages 15,063, a 0.7% delta below. The RX 7600 is thus bracketed by older and integrated solutions, showing that its average score is not dramatically higher than those of much less expensive parts.

The disparity in average scores between the two cards is significant. The HD 7790's single Geekbench Metal score of 17,666 is higher than the RX 7600's average of 15,171. This is a notable finding, but it must be weighed carefully. The HD 7790's score comes from one test in one API, while the RX 7600's average is derived from ten separate tests across multiple APIs and workloads, including compute, DirectX variants, and 2D. A single high score in Metal does not necessarily translate to superiority in all scenarios.

The wins tally is zero for both cards, reflecting the lack of overlap in their benchmark suites. The HD 7790 has no recorded wins because it has only one benchmark, and the RX 7600 has no recorded wins because it has no direct head-to-head tests against the HD 7790. The data instead shows two different performance regimes: the HD 7790's lone score suggests a strong showing in a specific API, while the RX 7600's varied scores indicate a broader, more consistent performance envelope.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the RX 7600 is the more comprehensively measured product, with results spanning graphics, compute, and legacy DirectX APIs. Its average benchmark score of 15,171, while below the HD 7790's single Metal score, is supported by a wider range of evidence. The HD 7790's 17,666 in Geekbench Metal is a strong number, but it is a single data point. The database shows the RX 7600 at the 57th percentile versus the HD 7790's 61st percentile, meaning the HD 7790 ranks higher globally in the database, but again, this ranking is based on a single test.

For a user prioritizing the Metal API specifically, the HD 7790 shows a higher raw score. For a user needing consistent performance across DirectX 9 through 12, OpenCL, Vulkan, and 2D workloads, the RX 7600 has the recorded evidence. The RX 7600's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,310 and its PassMark G3D score of 16,634 indicate a solid modern rasterization capability. Its PassMark GPU compute score of 8,790 shows non-graphics throughput.

The data does not support a clear overall winner because the benchmark sets do not overlap. The HD 7790 wins on its single Metal metric; the RX 7600 wins on breadth and on modern API coverage. The RX 7600's OpenCL score of 88,051 is far higher than any number recorded for the HD 7790, but the HD 7790 has no OpenCL score, so a direct comparison is absent. The verdict from the data alone is that the RX 7600 is the more versatile card, while the HD 7790 holds a specific advantage in one API. Neither card dominates the other in a way that is fully quantifiable from the available measurements.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras of AMD GPU design. The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip, built on the GCN 2.0 architecture, and is part of the Southern Islands generation (HD 7700). It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 2,080 million transistors on a die size of 160 mm². The RX 7600 uses the Navi 33 chip, based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, and belongs to the Navi III generation (RX 7000). It is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die. The transistor density difference is stark: the RX 7600 packs 65.2 million transistors per square millimeter, versus 13.0 million for the HD 7790.

Memory configurations diverge significantly. The HD 7790 has 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 128-bit bus width, but with 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock rates reflect the generational gap: the HD 7790 runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the RX 7600 runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

The compute resources are also vastly different. The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units. The RX 7600 has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 7600 also includes 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the HD 7790. Pixel rate for the RX 7600 is 169.9 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s for the HD 7790. Texture rate is 339.8 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 21.75 TFLOPS for the RX 7600 versus 1.792 TFLOPS for the HD 7790. The RX 7600 also supports FP16 at 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1), while the HD 7790 has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power and interface specifications differ as well. The HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W and requires a 250 W suggested PSU, using a single 6-pin connector. The RX 7600 has a TDP of 165 W, a 450 W suggested PSU, and uses a single 8-pin connector. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the HD 7790 and PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RX 7600. Display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 for the HD 7790, while the RX 7600 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1.

API support shows the RX 7600's modernity. The HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RX 7600 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 7600's ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are absent from the HD 7790's feature set.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The HD 7790 has an average benchmark score of 17,666, while the RX 7600 has an average of 15,171. However, the HD 7790's score is based on a single Geekbench Metal test, whereas the RX 7600's average is derived from ten tests.

Q: Does the RX 7600 support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 7600 includes 32 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The HD 7790 has no ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The HD 7790 has 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth with 1 GB of GDDR5, while the RX 7600 has 288.0 GB/s with 8 GB of GDDR6. Both use a 128-bit bus width.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare for each card?

A: For the HD 7790, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is 0.2% lower, the AMD Radeon 780M is 0.4% lower, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 is 0.7% higher. For the RX 7600, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is 0.2% higher, the AMD Radeon 680M is 0.7% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti is 0.7% lower.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RX 7600 has 13,300 million transistors, versus 2,080 million for the HD 7790. The RX 7600 also uses a 6 nm process, whereas the HD 7790 uses 28 nm.

Q: What is the release date difference?

A: The HD 7790 was released on 2013-03-21, and the RX 7600 was released on 2023-05-24. The HD 7790 is end-of-life, while the RX 7600 is active in production.

Where Each One Wins

The HD 7790 wins in the Geekbench Metal benchmark, where its score of 17,666 exceeds the RX 7600's average of 15,171. This suggests a specific strength in Apple's Metal API, likely due to the database's measurement conditions. The HD 7790 also holds a higher percentile ranking at 61% versus the RX 7600's 57%, although this ranking is derived from a single test.

The RX 7600 wins in every other measurable category. Its OpenCL score of 88,051 and Vulkan score of 34,401 show strong cross-platform compute and graphics performance. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,310 indicates modern DirectX 12 capability. In PassMark tests, the RX 7600 shows higher scores across DirectX 9 (226), DirectX 10 (84), DirectX 11 (172), G2D (984), G3D (16,634), and GPU compute (8,790), though the HD 7790 has no comparable scores in these tests.

The RX 7600 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, with 8 GB versus 1 GB and 288.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. It has more shading units (2,048 vs 896), more TMUs (128 vs 56), more ROPs (64 vs 16), and higher pixel and texture rates. The RX 7600's FP32 throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS is over twelve times the HD 7790's 1.792 TFLOPS.

For users focused on legacy or specific API workloads, the HD 7790's Metal score is the only recorded advantage. For all other workloads, including modern DirectX, Vulkan, OpenCL, and compute, the RX 7600 has the data on its side. The HD 7790's lower TDP of 85 W versus 165 W suggests it is more power-efficient, but the database does not include power consumption measurements, so this is not a benchmark win.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification field. The HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip with GCN 2.0 architecture, while the RX 7600 uses Navi 33 with RDNA 3.0. The process node is 28 nm for the HD 7790 and 6 nm for the RX 7600. Transistor count is 2,080 million versus 13,300 million, and die size is 160 mm² versus 204 mm². Transistor density is 13.0M per mm² versus 65.2M per mm².

Memory size is 1 GB versus 8 GB, type is GDDR5 versus GDDR6, and bandwidth is 96.00 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s. Memory clock is 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). Shading units are 896 versus 2,048, TMUs are 56 versus 128, and ROPs are 16 versus 64. The RX 7600 has 32 ray tracing cores; the HD 7790 has none. Pixel rate is 16.00 GPixel/s versus 169.9 GPixel/s, texture rate is 56.00 GTexel/s versus 339.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 1.792 TFLOPS versus 21.75 TFLOPS. The RX 7600 has FP16 at 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1); the HD 7790 has no FP16 figure.

TDP is 85 W versus 165 W, power connectors are 1x 6-pin versus 1x 8-pin, and suggested PSU is 250 W versus 450 W. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 versus 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1. DirectX support is 12 (12_0) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2), and Vulkan is 1.2.170 versus 1.4. OpenGL is 4.6 for both. Length is 183 mm (7.2 inches) versus 204 mm (8 inches); the RX 7600 also has a height of 115 mm (4.5 inches), while the HD 7790 has no recorded height. Both are dual-slot cards. Production status is end-of-life versus active, release dates are 2013-03-21 versus 2023-05-24, and launch MSRP is 149 USD for the HD 7790 and 269 USD for the RX 7600.