AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs NVIDIA Quadro K5200 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data for the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and the AMD Radeon HD 7790 presents an unusual comparison challenge: there are no direct head-to-head benchmark entries shared between the two cards in the database. Instead, each card has its own distinct set of measurement results, which requires a careful examination of their respective scores to draw any meaningful conclusions.

The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 shows two benchmark entries: a Geekbench OpenCL score of 19,024 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 20,180. Its average benchmark score across these tests is calculated at 19,602. The AMD Radeon HD 7790, by contrast, has only a single recorded Geekbench Metal score of 17,666, which also serves as its average benchmark score. The absence of overlapping tests means the database cannot produce a direct apples-to-apples performance delta between these two specific cards.

However, the nearest rival data provides context for each card's standing. The Quadro K5200's average score of 19,602 places it in a tight cluster of competitors. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, which averages 19,765, by a mere 0.8%. It also sits 0.2% behind the AMD FirePro D300, which posts an average of 19,637. Interestingly, the K5200 edges out both the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (average score 19,410) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (average score 19,334), leading each by 1.0% and 1.4% respectively. This suggests the K5200 is operating in a performance band where a 1% swing either way separates it from far more modern or far more specialized hardware.

The HD 7790's lone Metal score of 17,666 also places it within a competitive range. It is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560, which averages 17,551, and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M, which averages 17,588. The HD 7790 also leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 by a slim 0.2%, with the RTX 4060 averaging 17,639. On the other side, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 posts an average of 17,789, which puts it 0.7% ahead of the HD 7790.

The raw gap between the two cards in question is substantial: the K5200's average of 19,602 is roughly 11% higher than the HD 7790's 17,666. This is a meaningful margin, though the different benchmark APIs involved (OpenCL and Vulkan versus Metal) mean the comparison is not perfectly controlled. The data indicates the K5200 holds a clear overall average score advantage, but the HD 7790's result comes from a single API, which could favor its architecture differently in other tests.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the average benchmark scores recorded in the database, the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 is the faster card. Its average score of 19,602 versus the AMD Radeon HD 7790's 17,666 gives the K5200 a decisive lead of approximately 1,936 points, or about 11% overall. This is not a marginal difference; it represents a tier of performance that the HD 7790 cannot reach in the recorded data.

The percentile rankings reinforce this. The K5200 sits at the 64th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the HD 7790 sits at the 61st. This three-percentile-point spread suggests the K5200 is positioned slightly higher in the overall performance distribution. For a user choosing between these two based on pure compute capability, the K5200 is the clear winner in the database's measurements.

However, the verdict is not solely about raw score. The HD 7790 is a smaller, lower-power card with a 85 W TDP versus the K5200's 150 W TDP. It also requires only a 250 W suggested PSU, while the K5200 calls for a 450 W unit. If the use case prioritizes energy efficiency and modest system requirements, the HD 7790 is the more conservative choice. But for performance, the data unambiguously favors the K5200.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different architectural lineages, and the database records several key distinctions. The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 is built on the GK110B chip, using the Kepler architecture, and belongs to the Quadro Kepler (Kx200) generation. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 is built on the Bonaire chip, using the GCN 2.0 architecture, and belongs to the Southern Islands (HD 7700) generation.

Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, so the node is identical. But the transistor counts diverge sharply. The K5200 packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million transistors per mm². The HD 7790 has only 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, with a density of 13.0 million per mm². The K5200 is a far larger and more complex chip, which explains its higher transistor budget and larger physical footprint.

The K5200 features 2,304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This means the K5200 has roughly 2.6 times the shading units, 3.4 times the TMUs, and 3 times the ROPs of the HD 7790. These structural differences directly explain the performance gap in compute-heavy workloads.

Memory architecture also differs. The K5200 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 192.3 GB/s. The HD 7790 uses 1,024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 96.00 GB/s. The K5200's memory bandwidth is exactly double that of the HD 7790, which is a critical factor for large datasets and high-resolution textures.

The API support shows a notable difference. The K5200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The K5200 has a slightly newer Vulkan version, while the HD 7790 has a more complete DirectX 12 feature level (12_0 versus 11_1). This means the HD 7790 may have an edge in certain DirectX 12 workloads, though the K5200's raw compute power could compensate.

Specification Differences

The specification table shows where the two cards diverge most clearly. Clock speeds are a major differentiator. The K5200 has a base clock of 667 MHz and a boost clock of 771 MHz. The HD 7790's base and boost clocks are not recorded in the database, so no direct clock comparison can be made. Memory clocks are nearly identical, with the K5200 at 1,502 MHz and the HD 7790 at 1,500 MHz, both translating to 6 Gbps effective.

Pixel and texture rates follow the hardware counts. The K5200 achieves a pixel rate of 37.01 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 148.0 GTexel/s. The HD 7790 achieves 16.00 GPixel/s and 56.00 GTexel/s. The K5200 is roughly 2.3 times faster in pixel throughput and 2.6 times faster in texture throughput. Floating-point performance (FP32) is 3.553 TFLOPS for the K5200 versus 1.792 TFLOPS for the HD 7790, again a near-double advantage for NVIDIA.

Power and physical dimensions differ as well. The K5200 has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU, while the HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W and a 250 W suggested PSU. The K5200 is longer at 267 mm (10.5 inches) compared to the HD 7790's 183 mm (7.2 inches). Both are dual-slot cards and use a single 6-pin power connector. Display outputs also differ: the K5200 has 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, while the HD 7790 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

Release dates are recorded: the K5200 launched on July 21, 2014, and the HD 7790 launched on March 21, 2013. The K5200 is over a year newer. The K5200's predecessor is Quadro Fermi and its successor is Quadro Maxwell, while the HD 7790's predecessor is Northern Islands and its successor is Sea Islands. The HD 7790 has a recorded launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the K5200 has no MSRP listed in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 has an average benchmark score of 19,602, while the AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average score of 17,666. The K5200 leads by approximately 11%.

Q: How does each card compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The K5200 is 0.2% behind the AMD FirePro D300, 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, and 1.0% and 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB respectively. The HD 7790 is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 780M, 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The K5200 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7790 has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The K5200 has 2,304 shading units, while the HD 7790 has 896. The K5200 also has 192 TMUs versus 56, and 48 ROPs versus 16.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The K5200 has a TDP of 150 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W and a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: When was each card released?

A: The K5200 was released on July 21, 2014. The HD 7790 was released on March 21, 2013.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro K5200 wins in almost every performance metric recorded in the database. Its FP32 throughput of 3.553 TFLOPS is nearly double the HD 7790's 1.792 TFLOPS. Its pixel rate (37.01 GPixel/s) and texture rate (148.0 GTexel/s) are similarly dominant. The K5200's 8 GB memory capacity and 192.3 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large-frame-buffer workloads, such as high-resolution rendering or complex scientific visualization. Its higher shading unit count (2,304 versus 896) and ROP count (48 versus 16) give it a structural advantage in geometry-heavy and fill-rate-bound tasks. The K5200 also has a slightly higher percentile ranking at 64 versus 61.

The AMD Radeon HD 7790 wins in efficiency and system footprint. Its 85 W TDP is nearly half the K5200's 150 W, and its 250 W suggested PSU requirement is more modest. Its physical length of 183 mm (7.2 inches) makes it easier to fit in smaller cases, versus the K5200's 267 mm (10.5 inches). The HD 7790 also has a more complete DirectX 12 feature level (12_0 versus 11_1), which could benefit specific modern game titles that take advantage of that feature set. Its single recorded Metal benchmark score of 17,666 shows it can hold its own in that API, and its nearest-rival deltas are all within 0.7%, indicating consistent performance in its class.

For users with limited power budgets or small form factor builds, the HD 7790 is the pragmatic pick. For users who need maximum compute throughput, large memory capacity, and higher absolute performance, the K5200 is the superior choice based on the recorded data.