AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs NVIDIA Quadro M4000M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data for these two GPUs comes from different benchmark suites, so a direct apples-to-apples comparison requires careful interpretation. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M has two recorded benchmark scores: 19,989 in Geekbench OpenCL and 20,971 in Geekbench Vulkan. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has one recorded score: 17,666 in Geekbench Metal. The average benchmark score for the Quadro M4000M is 20,480, while the Radeon HD 7790 averages 17,666.

The Quadro M4000M holds a clear overall advantage in the database. Its average score of 20,480 is approximately 16% above the Radeon HD 7790's 17,666. In the OpenCL test, the Quadro posts 19,989, a figure that sits 13% higher than the Radeon's Metal result. The Vulkan score of 20,971 is even stronger, surpassing the Radeon's single recorded benchmark by roughly 19%. These are meaningful gaps, indicating that the Quadro M4000M delivers substantially higher raw compute throughput in the tested workloads.

Looking at the broader database context, the Quadro M4000M sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon HD 7790 sits at the 61st percentile. The percentile difference is modest, but the average score gap is not. The Quadro's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20,534 (0.3% higher), the Intel Arc B570 at 20,556 (0.4% higher), the Intel Arc A750 at 20,582 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X at 20,662 (0.9% higher). The Quadro trails each of these by less than 1%, placing it in a tightly packed performance cluster. It is effectively within noise of these newer and larger GPUs, which speaks to the efficiency of its Maxwell 2.0 architecture in these compute tests.

The Radeon HD 7790's nearest rivals are a different group. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 scores 17,639 (0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588 (0.4% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17,551 (0.7% lower), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 scores 17,789 (0.7% higher). The Radeon HD 7790 sits in the middle of this group, with its 17,666 average score landing within 1% of all four rivals. This indicates that despite its age, the HD 7790 remains competitive in this specific benchmark cluster, though that cluster is far below the Quadro M4000M's performance tier.

The performance gap between the two cards is consistent with their respective positions in the database. The Quadro M4000M's average score of 20,480 versus the Radeon HD 7790's 17,666 represents a 15.9% difference in the Quadro's favor. When examining the individual benchmark results, the Vulkan score of 20,971 is the Quadro's strongest showing, while the OpenCL score of 19,989 is still well above the Radeon's Metal result of 17,666. No benchmark in the database shows the Radeon HD 7790 outperforming the Quadro M4000M.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro M4000M wins in every measurable compute category recorded in the database. Its FP32 performance is rated at 2.593 TFLOPS, compared to 1.792 TFLOPS for the Radeon HD 7790, a 44.7% advantage. Pixel throughput favors the Quadro as well: 64.83 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s, a difference of over 4x. Texture rate is similarly lopsided, with the Quadro delivering 81.04 GTexel/s against the Radeon's 56.00 GTexel/s, a 44.7% edge. Memory bandwidth also favors the Quadro at 160.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s, a 67.1% advantage.

The compute resource counts reinforce the Quadro's dominance. The Quadro M4000M has 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The Radeon HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. The ROP count disparity is particularly striking: the Quadro has exactly four times the ROPs of the Radeon. This explains the massive pixel rate difference and suggests the Quadro is far better suited to fill-rate-bound workloads.

Memory capacity is another clear differentiator. The Quadro M4000M ships with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the Radeon HD 7790 has 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. For modern workloads that require large framebuffers or datasets, the Quadro's 4 GB capacity is a substantial practical advantage. The Radeon's 1 GB limit would likely constrain performance in texture-heavy or high-resolution scenarios regardless of its compute capabilities.

The Radeon HD 7790 does have one notable advantage: power draw. Its TDP is 85 W, while the Quadro M4000M is rated at 100 W. The Radeon also has a suggested PSU of 250 W, whereas the Quadro's database entry lists no suggested PSU. However, the Quadro achieves significantly higher performance while drawing only 15 W more, indicating better performance-per-watt in the recorded metrics. The Radeon's lower power consumption makes it the more frugal option, but the Quadro's efficiency advantage is evident when accounting for the performance delta.

In terms of form factor, the Radeon HD 7790 is a dual-slot card measuring 183 mm (7.2 inches) in length and requires a single 6-pin power connector. The Quadro M4000M uses an MXM module form factor with no power connectors listed, making it suitable for mobile workstations. The Quadro is a mobile-oriented part, while the Radeon is a desktop card, which explains the form factor differences. For use cases requiring a desktop card with a standard PCIe slot, the Radeon is the appropriate choice. For mobile workstation deployments, the Quadro is the only viable option between the two.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M has an average benchmark score of 20,480, compared to 17,666 for the AMD Radeon HD 7790, a difference of 2,814 points in favor of the Quadro.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in FP32 compute performance?

A: The Quadro M4000M delivers 2.593 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Radeon HD 7790 delivers 1.792 TFLOPS. The Quadro is 44.7% faster in this metric.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The Quadro M4000M has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon HD 7790 has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The Quadro M4000M has a pixel rate of 64.83 GPixel/s, which is over four times the Radeon HD 7790's 16.00 GPixel/s. This is largely due to the Quadro's 64 ROPs versus the Radeon's 16 ROPs.

Q: What is the power consumption of each card?

A: The Quadro M4000M has a TDP of 100 W, while the Radeon HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W. The Radeon also lists a suggested PSU of 250 W, while the Quadro lists no suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU supports a higher Vulkan version?

A: The Quadro M4000M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon HD 7790 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, though the Quadro supports DirectX 12 (12_1) while the Radeon supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ substantially across nearly every specification category. The Quadro M4000M uses the GM204 chip with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, while the Radeon HD 7790 uses the Bonaire chip with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical at 13.1M per mm² for the Quadro and 13.0M per mm² for the Radeon, both fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process.

Clock behavior differs notably. The Quadro M4000M has a base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1,013 MHz. The Radeon HD 7790's database entry lists no base or boost clock. Memory clocks also differ: the Quadro runs at 1,253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the Radeon runs at 1,500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). Despite the Radeon's higher memory clock, the Quadro's wider 256-bit bus gives it much higher total bandwidth.

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. The Quadro has 4 GB of GDDR5, while the Radeon has 1 GB. Bus widths are 256-bit versus 128-bit. Bandwidth is 160.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. The Quadro's larger capacity and higher bandwidth make it the clear choice for memory-intensive workloads.

Compute unit counts diverge across all categories. The Quadro has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Radeon has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Pixel rate is 64.83 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 81.04 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 2.593 TFLOPS versus 1.792 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The Quadro is rated at 100 W TDP and uses an MXM module form factor with no power connectors. The Radeon is rated at 85 W TDP, uses a dual-slot form factor, requires one 6-pin power connector, and lists a 250 W suggested PSU. The Radeon measures 183 mm (7.2 inches) in length. The Quadro's dimensions are not listed in the database.

Display outputs differ significantly. The Quadro's outputs are listed as portable device dependent, reflecting its mobile workstation orientation. The Radeon offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16 interfaces. The Radeon's launch MSRP was 149 USD. The Quadro's launch MSRP is not listed in the database.

Architecture Differences

The Quadro M4000M is built on NVIDIA's Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM204 chip, part of the Quadro Maxwell-M (Mx000M) generation. The Radeon HD 7790 uses AMD's GCN 2.0 architecture with the Bonaire chip, part of the Southern Islands (HD 7700) generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the architectural approaches differ fundamentally.

The Maxwell 2.0 architecture in the Quadro is designed for high efficiency per clock, with a strong emphasis on geometry throughput and memory compression. The GM204 chip packs 5,200 million transistors into a 398 mm² die. GCN 2.0 on the Radeon uses a different design philosophy, emphasizing parallel compute through its 896 shading units organized in compute units. The Bonaire chip contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die.

The API support reflects the architectural generations. The Quadro supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The DirectX 12 feature level difference (12_1 versus 12_0) indicates the Quadro supports additional features such as conservative rasterization and rasterizer ordered views. The Vulkan version gap is also notable, with the Quadro supporting a much newer specification.

The production status of both GPUs is end-of-life. The Quadro's predecessor is the Quadro Kepler-M and its successor is the Quadro Pascal-M. The Radeon's predecessor is Northern Islands and its successor is Sea Islands. The Quadro was released in August 2015, while the Radeon was released in March 2013, giving the Radeon a roughly two-and-a-half-year head start in the market.

The architectural differences explain much of the performance gap. The Quadro's Maxwell 2.0 design achieves 2.593 TFLOPS with 1,280 shading units at a 975 MHz base clock. The Radeon's GCN 2.0 design achieves 1.792 TFLOPS with 896 shading units, though its clock speeds are not listed in the database. The Quadro's 64 ROPs versus the Radeon's 16 ROPs is the most dramatic architectural divergence, directly enabling the Quadro's 64.83 GPixel/s pixel rate. The Quadro's transistor count of 5,200 million is exactly 2.5 times the Radeon's 2,080 million, reflecting the much larger and more capable silicon.