AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a significant performance gap between these two AMD graphics solutions, though the comparison is complicated by the fact that each product was tested under different benchmark suites. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has two benchmark entries in the database: a Geekbench OpenCL score of 19549 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 22757. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has a single Geekbench Metal score of 17666. When averaging these results, the RX Vega M GL achieves an average benchmark score of 21153, while the HD 7790 sits at 17666. This produces a raw performance difference of roughly 19.7% in favor of the newer integrated part when comparing average scores directly.

The percentile data reinforces this separation. The RX Vega M GL places in the 66th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the HD 7790 sits in the 61st percentile. That five-point percentile gap is modest, but the underlying score difference is more meaningful when contextualized against each card's nearest rivals. The RX Vega M GL sits remarkably close to the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, which averages 21237, a delta of only -0.4%. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 by 0.6% (21035) and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT by 2.1% (20713). The only rival it trails is the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile at 21379, a 1.1% deficit. These are tight margins, indicating the RX Vega M GL performs in a very competitive band despite its integrated nature.

The HD 7790's nearest rivals tell a different story. It lands within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17639), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M (17588), and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551). It trails the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 by 0.7% (17789). So while the HD 7790 is an older discrete card, its recorded benchmark performance clusters with much newer hardware, which speaks to how well it has aged in compute-oriented workloads. Still, the raw gap between the two cards in this comparison is substantial: the RX Vega M GL's best single score (22757 in Vulkan) exceeds the HD 7790's only recorded score (17666) by 28.8%.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture. The RX Vega M GL uses GCN 4.0 on a chip called Polaris 22, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The HD 7790 uses GCN 2.0 on the Bonaire chip, built by TSMC on a 28 nm node. This process difference is significant: the newer part packs 5,000 million transistors into a 208 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.0 million per square millimeter. The older card contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, for a density of 13.0 million per square millimeter. The RX Vega M GL therefore nearly doubles the transistor count while using a smaller process, though its die is physically larger due to the sheer number of integrated components.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The RX Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, delivering 179.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7790 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The bandwidth advantage for the Vega part is 86.7%, which is a massive difference for memory-bound workloads. The memory clock ratings also differ: the Vega M GL runs at 700 MHz with 1400 Mbps effective, while the HD 7790 runs at 1500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective. The newer card relies on its wide bus and HBM2 architecture rather than high clock speeds.

Compute resources also favor the RX Vega M GL. It has 1280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These translate into a pixel rate of 32.35 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 80.88 GTexel/s for the Vega part, versus 16.00 GPixel/s and 56.00 GTexel/s for the HD 7790. The Vega M GL more than doubles the pixel throughput and leads texture rate by 44.4%. FP32 compute is listed at 2.588 TFLOPS for the Vega M GL, with FP16 at the same 2.588 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The HD 7790 lists 1.792 TFLOPS FP32 and no FP16 figure. The Vega part leads FP32 by 44.4%, consistent with its texture rate advantage.

API support differences are smaller but present. Both support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The RX Vega M GL supports Vulkan 1.3, while the HD 7790 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The newer card has a more recent Vulkan revision, which can matter for compatibility with newer titles and extensions.

Where Each One Wins

The RX Vega M GL wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 output of 2.588 TFLOPS is 44.4% higher than the HD 7790's 1.792 TFLOPS. This advantage shows up in the OpenCL benchmark score of 19549, which alone exceeds the HD 7790's entire recorded average of 17666 by 10.7%. The Vulkan score of 22757 pushes the advantage even further, indicating strong performance in modern graphics APIs that leverage the newer architecture's scheduling and memory system.

The HD 7790, despite its age and lower raw specs, holds its own in one important dimension: efficiency of implementation. Its average score of 17666 places it within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M by 0.4%. This suggests that in certain workloads, particularly those that were optimized for GCN 2.0's characteristics, the older card can punch above its spec sheet. The HD 7790 also has a lower transistor count (2,080 million versus 5,000 million) and a smaller die (160 mm² versus 208 mm²), which historically has implications for manufacturing cost and thermal density, though the database does not record pricing for the Vega part.

In terms of power draw, the HD 7790 has a higher TDP of 85 W compared to the RX Vega M GL's 65 W. This is notable because the Vega part delivers substantially more performance while consuming 23.5% less power according to TDP ratings. However, the two cards occupy different physical niches: the RX Vega M GL is an IGP with no slot width, no power connectors, and a bus interface of IGP, while the HD 7790 is a dual-slot card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, one 6-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The HD 7790 also has discrete display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2), while the Vega M GL's outputs are listed as portable device dependent, meaning it relies on the host laptop's display connections.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for users who prioritize compute performance: the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL dominates the HD 7790 in every measured specification category. Its average benchmark score of 21153 is 19.7% higher than the HD 7790's 17666. It leads in shading units (1280 versus 896), TMUs (80 versus 56), ROPs (32 versus 16), memory bandwidth (179.2 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s), and FP32 compute (2.588 TFLOPS versus 1.792 TFLOPS). It achieves this with a lower TDP of 65 W versus 85 W, and it supports a newer Vulkan revision (1.3 versus 1.2.170).

The HD 7790 is not without merit. Its benchmark score clusters with much newer hardware, sitting within 0.2% of the GeForce RTX 4060 and ahead of the Radeon 780M. For users constrained to a PCIe slot with discrete power delivery, the HD 7790 remains a functional option with standard display outputs and a 183 mm (7.2 inch) length that fits many cases. The database records its launch MSRP as 149 USD, which may have made it attractive at the time, but no pricing information exists for the RX Vega M GL to enable a direct comparison.

The verdict depends on the use case. For laptop or compact systems where the RX Vega M GL is integrated, the performance advantage is substantial and the power draw is lower. For desktop builds with a PCIe slot and a 250 W PSU, the HD 7790 offers a tested, self-contained solution. But on pure performance data, the RX Vega M GL is the stronger part by a comfortable margin.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL averages 21153, while the AMD Radeon HD 7790 averages 17666, a difference of 19.7%.

Q: How does the RX Vega M GL compare to its nearest rival?

A: It trails the AMD Radeon HD 8970M by only 0.4% (21237 versus 21153) and beats the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT by 2.1%.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The RX Vega M GL has 179.2 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, while the HD 7790 has 96.00 GB/s from 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Does the HD 7790 outperform any modern GPUs?

A: Yes, the HD 7790's average score of 17666 is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M (17588) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551).

Q: What are the TDP ratings for both cards?

A: The RX Vega M GL has a TDP of 65 W, while the HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W.

Q: Which card supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The RX Vega M GL supports Vulkan 1.3, while the HD 7790 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL | AMD Radeon HD 7790 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN 2.0 |

| Process node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 5,000 million | 2,080 million |

| Die size | 208 mm² | 160 mm² |

| Transistor density | 24.0M / mm² | 13.0M / mm² |

| Memory size | 4 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory type | HBM2 | GDDR5 |

| Memory bus width | 1024 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 179.2 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Memory clock | 700 MHz (1400 Mbps effective) | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) |

| Shading units | 1280 | 896 |

| TMUs | 80 | 56 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Pixel rate | 32.35 GPixel/s | 16.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 80.88 GTexel/s | 56.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 compute | 2.588 TFLOPS | 1.792 TFLOPS |

| FP16 compute | 2.588 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not listed |

| TDP | 65 W | 85 W |

| Slot width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power connectors | Not listed | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 250 W |

| Bus interface | IGP | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Vulkan version | 1.3 | 1.2.170 |

| Average benchmark score | 21153 | 17666 |

| Percentile vs all GPUs | 66 | 61 |