AMD Radeon HD 7790 vs NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation and the AMD Radeon HD 7790 represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The RTX 2000 Ada is a modern workstation-focused card built on a 5 nm process, while the HD 7790 is a legacy mid-range part from the 28 nm era. Benchmark data shows the RTX 2000 Ada Generation holds a commanding lead in raw compute, but the HD 7790’s sole benchmark entry reveals a surprisingly competitive position relative to its own contemporary rivals. This analysis explores where each card wins, what their architectural differences mean, and who should pick which based strictly on the data.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2000 Ada Generation is the clear winner in nearly every measurable category, but its strengths are concentrated in modern, feature-rich workloads. Its Passmark G3D score of 16927 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating strong overall 3D performance. The card excels in compute-heavy tasks: its Geekbench OpenCL score of 78074 and Vulkan score of 83360 demonstrate significant headroom for parallel processing workloads. DirectX 12 support (12 Ultimate, 12_2) means it can handle the latest graphics APIs, and its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory provides ample capacity for large datasets and textures. The 70 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it an efficient, low-power option for workstation environments where space and thermal output are constrained.

The AMD Radeon HD 7790, meanwhile, wins only in the narrow sense of legacy compatibility and its historical context. Its only benchmark entry is a Geekbench Metal score of 17666, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This is notable because it shows the card performing competitively against modern GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (deltaPct 0.2) and AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.4) in that specific API test. However, the HD 7790 has no data for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, or any modern ray tracing or tensor core workloads. Its strengths are limited to older DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6 APIs, making it a potential candidate for legacy applications or systems that require a specific older driver stack.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is vast. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation uses the AD107 chip built on TSMC’s 5 nm process, packing 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 118.9M / mm², a figure that highlights the immense scaling achieved over the past decade. The HD 7790, in contrast, uses the Bonaire chip on a 28 nm process, with 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die — a density of just 13.0M / mm². The die sizes are nearly identical, but the RTX 2000 Ada crams over nine times more transistors into the same area.

The shading resources tell a similar story. The RTX 2000 Ada has 2816 shading units, 88 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 raster operations pipelines (ROPs). It also features 22 dedicated ray tracing cores and 88 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based workloads. The HD 7790 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor core support. The RTX 2000 Ada’s FP32 throughput is 12.00 TFLOPS, while the HD 7790 manages 1.792 TFLOPS — a 6.7x difference. The RTX 2000 Ada also supports FP16 at 12.00 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), a feature absent from the HD 7790. Memory architectures differ as well: the RTX 2000 Ada uses 16 GB of GDDR6 with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 7790 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Direct head-to-head benchmark data between these two cards is unavailable, so the analysis relies on their respective average benchmark scores and nearest rivals. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 18954, while the HD 7790’s average is 17666. This represents a 7.3% advantage for the RTX 2000 Ada in aggregate performance. However, the nearest rival data provides more context. The RTX 2000 Ada’s closest competitors include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (avg score 19030, deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (avg score 19036, deltaPct -0.4), showing it is within 0.5% of those cards. The HD 7790’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (avg score 17639, deltaPct 0.2) and the AMD Radeon 780M (avg score 17588, deltaPct 0.4), indicating it performs slightly above those modern parts in its sole benchmark.

Looking at individual benchmark wins, the RTX 2000 Ada Generation’s Passmark G3D score of 16927 is its strongest showing, with a Passmark GPU Compute score of 7834. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 83360 is notably higher than its OpenCL score of 78074, suggesting the card is well-optimized for Vulkan workloads. The HD 7790’s Geekbench Metal score of 17666 is its only data point, and it is interesting that this legacy card scores within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 and within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in this specific test. This implies that for Metal API workloads, the HD 7790 holds up surprisingly well despite its age.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada Generation has a FP32 throughput of 12.00 TFLOPS and an average benchmark score of 18954, compared to the HD 7790’s 1.792 TFLOPS and 17666 average score. The RTX 2000 Ada is approximately 7.3% ahead in average benchmark score.

Q: Does the HD 7790 support ray tracing?

A: No. The HD 7790 has no dedicated ray tracing cores (rtCores: null) and uses the older GCN 2.0 architecture. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation includes 22 ray tracing cores and 88 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada Generation has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 7790 has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 2000 Ada offers 16x the capacity and 2.67x the bandwidth.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada Generation has a TDP of 70 W and requires no power connectors, while the HD 7790 has a TDP of 85 W and requires a 1x 6-pin power connector. Both have a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare for each card?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada Generation is within 0.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (deltaPct -0.4) and AMD Radeon RX 6600 (deltaPct -0.4). The HD 7790 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (deltaPct 0.7) and within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (deltaPct 0.2).

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada Generation is listed as "Active" production, released in 2024. The HD 7790 is "End-of-life," released in 2013, with its successor listed as Sea Islands.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly across every major specification category. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation uses a 5 nm process with 18,900 million transistors, while the HD 7790 uses 28 nm with 2,080 million. The RTX 2000 Ada has 2816 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, versus 896, 56, and 16 for the HD 7790. The RTX 2000 Ada includes 22 RT cores and 88 tensor cores; the HD 7790 has none. Memory is 16 GB GDDR6 versus 1024 MB GDDR5. Clock speeds differ: the RTX 2000 Ada has a base clock of 1620 MHz and boost of 2130 MHz, while the HD 7790 lists no base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). Pixel rate is 102.2 GPixel/s for the RTX 2000 Ada versus 16.00 GPixel/s for the HD 7790. Texture rate is 187.4 GTexel/s versus 56.00 GTexel/s. The RTX 2000 Ada supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the HD 7790 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a for the RTX 2000 Ada, versus 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 for the HD 7790. The RTX 2000 Ada supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4; the HD 7790 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX 2000 Ada has a TDP of 70 W and no power connectors; the HD 7790 has 85 W TDP and a 1x 6-pin connector.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice clear for anyone needing modern performance: the RTX 2000 Ada Generation is the superior card in almost every respect. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 12.00 TFLOPS FP32 performance, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 make it suitable for contemporary workstation tasks, AI inference, and ray-traced workloads. Its 70 W TDP and lack of power connectors also make it easier to integrate into existing systems. The HD 7790’s sole benchmark shows it remains competitive in Metal API tests, but its 1 GB memory capacity, lack of ray tracing support, and end-of-life status severely limit its usefulness. For users running legacy applications that require older GCN architecture or specific driver support, the HD 7790 could serve as a niche option. However, the RTX 2000 Ada Generation’s 63rd percentile ranking and active production status indicate it is the forward-looking choice, while the HD 7790’s 61st percentile score reflects its historical performance ceiling.