AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs Intel Arc B570 Comparison

# Intel Arc B570 vs AMD Radeon HD 7790

The Intel Arc B570 and AMD Radeon HD 7790 represent two very different eras of GPU design. The Arc B570 is a modern Battlemage-generation part built on a 5 nm process, while the HD 7790 is a Southern Islands-era card from 2013 built on 28 nm. Benchmark data shows the Arc B570 delivers dramatically higher raw performance, with an average benchmark score of 20556 compared to 17666 for the HD 7790. However, the HD 7790 remains relevant in legacy API scenarios, where its older architecture can still post competitive numbers. The following analysis breaks down where each card wins, how their architectures differ, and what the recorded measurements show.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B570 dominates in virtually every modern workload category. Its Passmark G3D score of 14195 dwarfs the HD 7790's available data, and its compute performance is in a different class entirely. The Arc B570 records a Passmark GPU Compute score of 7281, while the HD 7790 has no comparable compute benchmark in the database. For DirectX 12 workloads, the Arc B570 scores 72 in Passmark's DX12 test, a figure that reflects its modern 12_2 feature set. The HD 7790, by contrast, supports only DirectX 12 (12_0) and has no recorded DX12 benchmark result.

The HD 7790's one clear area of strength is in legacy DirectX 9 performance. The database records a Passmark DirectX 9 score of 164 for the HD 7790, though no equivalent DirectX 9 score exists for the Arc B570 in the measurements. This suggests the older card can still hold its own in older titles that rely on legacy API paths. The HD 7790 also posts a Geekbench Metal score of 17666, which places it within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and 0.4% of the AMD Radeon 780M in the nearest rivals data. The Arc B570 has no Metal benchmark recorded, so this is a category where the HD 7790 has measurable data and the Arc B570 does not.

For modern gaming and compute, the Arc B570 is the clear choice. Its average benchmark score of 20556 puts it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M390X, while sitting 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750. The HD 7790's average of 17666 places it 0.2% behind the RTX 4060 and 0.4% behind the Radeon 780M, but 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560. The Arc B570 also holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, compared to the HD 7790's 61st percentile.

Architecture Differences

The Arc B570 uses Intel's Xe2-HPG architecture on the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 19,600 million transistors into a 272 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 72.1M per mm². The HD 7790 uses AMD's GCN 2.0 architecture on the Bonaire chip, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains just 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, with a density of 13.0M per mm². The Arc B570's transistor count is nearly 10 times higher, and its density is more than 5 times greater.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The Arc B570 features 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s. Clock speeds also diverge: the Arc B570 runs at a fixed 2500 MHz for both base and boost, with memory at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The HD 7790 has no base or boost clock recorded, but its memory runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective).

Compute resources show the generational gap. The Arc B570 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, plus 18 ray tracing cores. The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and just 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing support. Pixel throughput is 200.0 GPixel/s for the Arc B570 versus 16.00 GPixel/s for the HD 7790. Texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS for the Arc B570, while the HD 7790 manages 1.792 TFLOPS. The Arc B570 also supports FP16 at 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1), a capability the HD 7790 lacks entirely.

API support differs as well. The Arc B570 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. Display outputs also diverge: the Arc B570 offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the HD 7790 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons are limited because the two cards share almost no common test results in the database. The Arc B570 has a comprehensive suite of Passmark tests, while the HD 7790 only has a Geekbench Metal score and other results not directly comparable to the Arc B570's suite.

The most striking difference appears in the Passmark G3D test. The Arc B570 scores 14195, a figure that places it in a completely different performance tier from the HD 7790's era. For context, the Arc B570's nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, averages 20582 in overall benchmark score, and the Arc B570 sits just 0.1% behind it. The HD 7790's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, averages 17639, and the HD 7790 sits 0.2% ahead of it. This means the Arc B570's average score of 20556 is roughly 16% higher than the RTX 4060's average, despite the RTX 4060 being a much newer card than the HD 7790.

In compute workloads, the Arc B570's Passmark GPU Compute score of 7281 demonstrates strong general-purpose performance. The HD 7790 has no comparable compute result, so no direct comparison is possible. The Arc B570's Geekbench OpenCL score of 83514 and Vulkan score of 96844 further illustrate its compute capabilities, while the HD 7790's only recorded Geekbench result is a Metal score of 17666.

The HD 7790 does show competitive results in its nearest-rival context. Its average score of 17666 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551) and within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon 780M (17588). This suggests that, for a 2013 card, the HD 7790 still performs admirably in the specific workloads where it has recorded data.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better overall benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, compared to 17666 for the AMD Radeon HD 7790. The Arc B570 also ranks in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 7790 ranks in the 61st percentile.

Q: Does the HD 7790 win in any benchmark category?

A: The HD 7790 has a recorded Passmark DirectX 9 score of 164 and a Geekbench Metal score of 17666, neither of which has a direct equivalent in the Arc B570's recorded benchmark suite. The Arc B570 lacks a Metal score entirely.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The Arc B570 delivers 380.0 GB/s from 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus. The HD 7790 provides 96.00 GB/s from 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The Arc B570's bandwidth is roughly four times higher.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Arc B570 has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU with a single 8-pin power connector. The HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W and needs a 250 W suggested PSU with a single 6-pin connector.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the Intel Arc B570 supports ray tracing, with 18 dedicated RT cores. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has no ray tracing cores and no ray tracing capability.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The Intel Arc B570 is listed as Active in production, with a release date of 2025-01-15. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 is End-of-life, having been released on 2013-03-21.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The Arc B570 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture on a 5 nm process with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. The HD 7790 uses GCN 2.0 on a 28 nm process with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. Transistor density is 72.1M per mm² for the Arc B570 versus 13.0M per mm² for the HD 7790.

Memory specifications show the Arc B570 with 10 GB GDDR6, a 160-bit bus, and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1024 MB GDDR5, a 128-bit bus, and 96.00 GB/s. The Arc B570's clock is fixed at 2500 MHz base and boost, with memory at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The HD 7790 has no base or boost clock recorded, with memory at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective).

Compute resources: the Arc B570 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 18 RT cores. The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no RT cores. Pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. FP32 is 11.52 TFLOPS versus 1.792 TFLOPS. The Arc B570 adds FP16 at 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1), which the HD 7790 lacks.

Power and physical specifications: the Arc B570 draws 150 W with a 450 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin connector. The HD 7790 draws 85 W with a 250 W suggested PSU and a single 6-pin connector. Both are dual-slot cards. The Arc B570 measures 272 mm in length; the HD 7790 is 183 mm. The Arc B570 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the HD 7790 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

API support: the Arc B570 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. Display outputs: the Arc B570 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. The HD 7790 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. The Arc B570's launch MSRP is 219 USD, and the HD 7790's launch MSRP was 149 USD.