AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs NVIDIA Quadro K6000 Comparison

# NVIDIA Quadro K6000 vs AMD Radeon HD 7790

The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and AMD Radeon HD 7790 represent two very different philosophies in GPU design, and their benchmark results reflect that divergence clearly. The K6000 is a professional workstation card built for maximum compute throughput, while the HD 7790 is a compact consumer GPU aimed at mainstream gaming. In the single head-to-head benchmark available, the AMD card wins decisively in Geekbench Metal, but the full picture requires examining architecture, memory, and intended workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7790 takes the sole head-to-head victory in Geekbench Metal, scoring 17,666 against the Quadro K6000’s 7,932. That represents a 55.1% advantage for the AMD card, a massive margin in a compute-oriented API. This result is striking because the K6000 carries far more raw hardware resources, but Metal performance depends heavily on driver optimization and architecture efficiency, areas where GCN 2.0 demonstrates clear superiority in this specific test.

However, the K6000 wins in overall average benchmark score. Its average across Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan is 19,030, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The HD 7790’s average, based solely on its Metal result, is 17,666, which puts it at the 61st percentile. The K6000’s Vulkan score of 25,409 and OpenCL score of 23,749 are far above the HD 7790’s single Metal result, indicating that in multi-API compute workloads, the professional card pulls ahead substantially.

For users prioritizing Metal-specific performance, the HD 7790 is the clear choice. For those needing broad compute capability across OpenCL and Vulkan, the K6000 dominates. The data suggests the AMD card is better suited to Apple ecosystem workloads, while the NVIDIA card excels in general-purpose GPU compute tasks.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational and philosophical. The K6000 uses the GK110B chip based on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The HD 7790 uses AMD’s Bonaire chip based on GCN 2.0, also on TSMC’s 28 nm node, but with just 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, achieving a slightly higher density of 13.0M per mm².

The K6000’s compute resources are overwhelming on paper. It features 2,880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation pipelines. The HD 7790 counters with 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These numbers translate to theoretical peak performance of 5.196 TFLOPS FP32 for the K6000 versus 1.792 TFLOPS for the HD 7790. Pixel fill rates are 54.12 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 216.5 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations diverge just as sharply. The K6000 carries 12 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7790 has only 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s. Clock speeds are similar at around 1,500 MHz memory effective (6 Gbps) for both, and the base/boost clocks for the HD 7790 are not specified in the data, while the K6000 runs at 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost.

Power and physical design also differ. The K6000 draws 225 W TDP with dual-slot cooling and dual 6-pin power connectors, requiring a 550 W power supply. The HD 7790 sips 85 W with a single 6-pin connector and a 250 W PSU recommendation. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16 and are dual-slot cards, but the K6000 is 267 mm long versus 183 mm for the HD 7790.

API support shows minor differences: the K6000 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Display outputs vary, with the K6000 offering 2x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2, while the HD 7790 provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more raw compute power?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K6000 has 5.196 TFLOPS FP32 performance, nearly three times the HD 7790’s 1.792 TFLOPS. Its shading unit count of 2,880 vastly exceeds the AMD card’s 896.

Q: Why does the HD 7790 win in Geekbench Metal despite having fewer resources?

A: The HD 7790 scores 17,666 in Geekbench Metal versus the K6000’s 7,932, a 55.1% advantage. This likely reflects GCN 2.0’s superior Metal driver implementation and architecture efficiency for that API, despite the K6000’s larger hardware configuration.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The K6000 delivers 288.4 GB/s over a 384-bit bus with 12 GB of GDDR5. The HD 7790 provides 96.00 GB/s over a 128-bit bus with only 1,024 MB, so the NVIDIA card offers roughly three times the bandwidth.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The K6000 has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W power supply, while the HD 7790 has an 85 W TDP and needs only a 250 W PSU. The AMD card also uses a single 6-pin connector versus dual 6-pin on the NVIDIA card.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The K6000’s average score across three benchmarks is 19,030, placing it at the 63rd percentile. The HD 7790’s average, based on one benchmark, is 17,666, at the 61st percentile. The K6000 edges ahead in overall average.

Q: Which card has better API compatibility?

A: Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2, but the K6000 offers Vulkan 1.2.175 versus 1.2.170 on the HD 7790. The HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the K6000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. Process node is identical at 28 nm from TSMC, but transistor counts diverge dramatically: 7,080 million for the K6000 versus 2,080 million for the HD 7790. Die size follows suit at 561 mm² versus 160 mm², with transistor density slightly higher on the AMD chip at 13.0M per mm² versus 12.6M per mm².

Memory capacity is 12 GB versus 1,024 MB, bus width is 384-bit versus 128-bit, and bandwidth is 288.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. Shading units, TMUs, and ROPs all favor NVIDIA by roughly 3:1 margins. Clock speeds show the K6000 with explicit 797 MHz base and 902 MHz boost clocks, while the HD 7790’s clocks are not listed. Memory clock is effectively identical at 6 Gbps for both.

Pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput all massively favor the K6000. TDP ratings are 225 W versus 85 W, power connectors are 2x 6-pin versus 1x 6-pin, and suggested PSU is 550 W versus 250 W. Physical dimensions differ, with the K6000 at 267 mm length and 111 mm height versus 183 mm length for the HD 7790. Display outputs and API versions also vary as detailed above. The K6000’s launch MSRP was 5,265 USD, while the HD 7790 launched at 149 USD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench Metal, and it produces a striking upset. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17,666, while the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 manages just 7,932. The delta of -55.1% for the K6000 means NVIDIA’s card delivers less than half the Metal performance of AMD’s much smaller, lower-power GPU. This result is particularly notable given the K6000’s 5.196 TFLOPS FP32 capability and 288.4 GB/s bandwidth, yet the HD 7790’s 1.792 TFLOPS and 96.00 GB/s prove more effective in this workload.

Beyond the head-to-head, the K6000’s other benchmarks reveal its strengths. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 23,749 and Vulkan score of 25,409 are both far above the HD 7790’s Metal result, suggesting that in OpenCL and Vulkan environments, the K6000 would likely outperform the AMD card by similar or larger margins. The average benchmark score of 19,030 for the K6000 versus 17,666 for the HD 7790 reinforces this pattern, showing the NVIDIA card as the more consistent performer across multiple APIs.

The nearest rival data provides additional context. The K6000’s average score of 19,030 sits within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19,036) and 0.1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19,049). The HD 7790’s 17,666 average is 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639) and 0.4% above the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588). These comparisons show both cards performing competitively against much newer hardware in their respective performance tiers, despite their 2013 vintage. The K6000’s percentile ranking of 63 versus the HD 7790’s 61 confirms the NVIDIA card holds a slight overall edge in the benchmark database.