AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and AMD Radeon HD 7790 sit at opposite ends of the GPU timeline, with the RX 7900 XTX representing the modern RDNA 3.0 flagship and the HD 7790 a compact GCN 2.0 part from 2013. The database records an average benchmark score of 19,410 for the RX 7900 XTX against 17,666 for the HD 7790, a gap that reflects nearly a decade of architectural evolution. However, the percentile rankings tell a nuanced story: the RX 7900 XTX sits at the 64th percentile of all GPUs, while the HD 7790 lands at the 61st percentile, meaning both cards occupy surprisingly similar positions in the overall performance distribution despite their vast differences in raw power. The head-to-head benchmark list is empty, so direct same-test comparisons are unavailable, but the available data across different test suites provides a clear picture of where each card excels.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 7900 XTX delivers its strongest showing in compute-heavy and modern API workloads. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 85,612, a figure that dwarfs any result recorded for the HD 7790, which has no Vulkan entry in the database. The RX 7900 XTX also posts a Geekbench OpenCL score of 50,465, while the HD 7790 lacks an OpenCL result entirely, instead appearing only in Geekbench Metal with a score of 17,666. This means the only directly comparable metric, average benchmark score, shows the RX 7900 XTX ahead by 1,744 points, or roughly 9.9% over the HD 7790. That percentage, however, understates the real performance chasm because the average score for the RX 7900 XTX is pulled down by several low DirectX legacy tests: Passmark DirectX 10 at 166, DirectX 12 at 131, and DirectX 9 at 330, while its Passmark G3D score reaches 31,238 and its GPU compute score hits 17,689.

The HD 7790, by contrast, shows strength in the one benchmark where it appears. Its Geekbench Metal score of 17,666 is substantial for a card of its vintage, and the database places it in the 61st percentile overall. When compared to its nearest rivals, the HD 7790 is essentially at parity with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which averages 17,639, a delta of only 0.2% in favor of the HD 7790. It also edges out the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, plus 0.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, plus 0.7%), while trailing the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 by 0.7% (17,789). These margins are all within noise, suggesting the HD 7790, despite its age, competes at the same level as modern mid-range parts in the Metal API, likely due to driver optimizations or the specific workload characteristics of that test.

The RX 7900 XTX, meanwhile, sits 0.4% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in average score (19,410 vs. 19,334), 1.2% above the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19,177), and 1% below the AMD FirePro D300 (19,637). The RX 7900 XTX also trails the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 by 1% (19,602). These rival comparisons are striking because the RX 7900 XTX, a modern flagship, only narrowly edges out older and lower-tier cards in the database's aggregate metric, a result of its poor showing in legacy DirectX tests dragging down its average. In the Passmark G2D test, the RX 7900 XTX scores 1,267, which is high but not indicative of gaming performance, and its DirectX 11 score of 356 is modest for a card of its capability.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7900 XTX wins decisively in modern API benchmarks and compute workloads. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 85,612 is the single highest recorded value across both cards' entire benchmark suites, and its OpenCL score of 50,465 is more than double its own average benchmark score. The Passmark G3D result of 31,238 and GPU compute of 17,689 further reinforce its dominance in DirectX 12-era and general-purpose compute tasks. In practical terms, this card is built for ray tracing, high-resolution rendering, and AI-adjacent workloads, which is supported by its hardware configuration: 6,144 shading units, 96 ray tracing cores, and 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s are orders of magnitude beyond the HD 7790, which manages only 16.00 GPixel/s and 56.00 GTexel/s.

The HD 7790 wins in the specific niche of legacy API compatibility and low-power operation. Its only recorded benchmark, Geekbench Metal, shows it performing at a level that rivals modern mid-range GPUs, which suggests it holds up well in Apple's Metal framework, a scenario where the RX 7900 XTX has no recorded result. The HD 7790 also carries a much lower power draw at 85 W TDP versus 355 W for the RX 7900 XTX, and it requires only a single 6-pin power connector with a suggested PSU of 250 W, compared to the RX 7900 XTX's dual 8-pin connectors and 750 W PSU recommendation. For anyone running older DirectX 11 or Metal-based software, the HD 7790's 1,024 MB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus are sufficient, and its 2,080 million transistors on a 28 nm process are far more modest than the RX 7900 XTX's 57,700 million on 5 nm.

The percentile data also shows that the HD 7790's performance tier is closer to the RX 7900 XTX's than the raw specs would suggest. With a 61st percentile ranking versus 64th for the RX 7900 XTX, the HD 7790 is only three percentile points behind, meaning that in the database's aggregate scoring, these cards belong to adjacent performance classes. This is likely because the RX 7900 XTX's low DirectX 9, 10, and 12 scores (330, 166, and 131 respectively) penalize its average heavily, while the HD 7790's single Metal score of 17,666 is a clean, unweighted result.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the RX 7900 XTX is the clear choice for anyone running modern DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan, or OpenCL workloads. Its Vulkan score of 85,612 and OpenCL score of 50,465 are the highest in this comparison, and its Passmark G3D result of 31,238 shows strong rasterization performance. The card's 24 GB memory capacity and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for high-resolution textures and large datasets, and its 96 ray tracing cores and 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 compute are unmatched by the HD 7790's 1.792 TFLOPS. The RX 7900 XTX also has a launch MSRP of 999 USD, which the database records as its initial price point.

The HD 7790, on the other hand, is the pick for legacy software and low-power systems. Its Geekbench Metal score of 17,666 places it within 0.7% of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 and 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, proving it can still hold its own in Metal-based applications. Its 85 W TDP and single 6-pin connector allow it to run in small form factor builds where the RX 7900 XTX's 355 W TDP and dual 8-pin requirement would be impractical. The HD 7790's launch MSRP was 149 USD, but the database does not track current pricing, so any cost comparison is outside the recorded scope.

For a user deciding between these two, the data points to the RX 7900 XTX for future-proofing and maximum performance, while the HD 7790 remains a viable option for specific legacy or Metal-centric use cases. The RX 7900 XTX's average benchmark score of 19,410 is 1,744 points higher than the HD 7790's 17,666, and its percentile ranking is three points higher, but the HD 7790's single benchmark result is competitive with modern mid-range cards, which is remarkable for a GPU released in 2013.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19,410, which is 1,744 points higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7790's average of 17,666.

Q: How does the HD 7790 compare to modern GPUs in the database?

A: The HD 7790's Geekbench Metal score of 17,666 puts it 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639), 0.4% above the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588), and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551), while trailing the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 (17,789) by 0.7%.

Q: What is the RX 7900 XTX's strongest benchmark result?

A: The RX 7900 XTX scores 85,612 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is its highest recorded benchmark, followed by 50,465 in Geekbench OpenCL and 31,238 in Passmark G3D.

Q: Does the HD 7790 support modern APIs like Vulkan or DirectX 12?

A: The HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, but the database only records a Geekbench Metal score for it, not Vulkan or DirectX results.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 7790 has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the two cards compare in power requirements?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has a 355 W TDP, requires dual 8-pin power connectors, and suggests a 750 W PSU, whereas the HD 7790 has an 85 W TDP, uses a single 6-pin connector, and suggests a 250 W PSU.

Architecture Differences

The RX 7900 XTX is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with the Navi 31 chip codenamed Plum Bonito. It packs 57,700 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 109.1 million per mm². This chip supports a base clock of 1929 MHz, a boost clock of 2498 MHz, and a game clock of 2365 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The card features 6,144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, 192 raster output units, and 96 ray tracing cores, delivering a pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute of 61.39 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 122.8 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). It connects via PCIe 4.0 x16 and outputs video through 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C. Its dimensions are 287 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 51 mm in width, occupying a dual-slot profile. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and was released on 2022-11-02 as part of the Radeon RX 7000 series, succeeding the Navi II generation and preceding Navi IV.

The HD 7790 uses the GCN 2.0 architecture on a 28 nm process, with the Bonaire chip from the Southern Islands generation (HD 7700 series). It contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.0 million per mm². The card has no recorded base, boost, or game clocks, but its memory runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). It features 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units, with no ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 16.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 56.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute is 1.792 TFLOPS, with no FP16 data recorded. The memory subsystem consists of 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. It connects via PCIe 3.0 x16 and outputs through 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. The card is 183 mm long (7.2 inches) with no recorded height or width, uses a dual-slot design, and supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. It was released on 2013-03-21, succeeding the Northern Islands generation and preceding Sea Islands.

The architectural differences are stark: the RX 7900 XTX operates on a 5 nm node versus 28 nm, has 28 times more transistors, and offers 34 times more FP32 compute (61.39 vs. 1.792 TFLOPS). The RX 7900 XTX also has 6,144 shading units versus 896, 384 TMUs versus 56, and 192 ROPs versus 16. Memory bandwidth is 10 times higher on the RX 7900 XTX (960.0 vs. 96.00 GB/s), and it supports ray tracing cores, which the HD 7790 lacks entirely. The HD 7790's advantage lies in its compact size and lower power draw, but in raw architectural terms, the RX 7900 XTX is a generation-defining leap forward. The database records both cards as end-of-life production status, but the RX 7900 XTX's newer release date and modern feature set make it the superior choice for contemporary workloads.