AMD Radeon HD 6930
AMD graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
AMDAMD Radeon HD 6930 Specifications
Radeon HD 6930 GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The AMD Radeon HD 6930 GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
HD 6930 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the Radeon HD 6930's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The Radeon HD 6930 by AMD dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
AMD's Radeon HD 6930 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The Radeon HD 6930's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
Radeon HD 6930 by AMD Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the HD 6930, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
HD 6930 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the AMD Radeon HD 6930 against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
TeraScale 3 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The AMD Radeon HD 6930 is built on AMD's TeraScale 3 architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the HD 6930 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
AMD's Radeon HD 6930 Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the AMD Radeon HD 6930 determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the Radeon HD 6930 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
Radeon HD 6930 by AMD Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the AMD Radeon HD 6930 are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
AMD API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the AMD Radeon HD 6930. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
Radeon HD 6930 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The AMD Radeon HD 6930 is manufactured by AMD as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the Radeon HD 6930 by AMD represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
Radeon HD 6930 Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
About AMD Radeon HD 6930
Who Should Consider It
The AMD Radeon HD 6930 is a card from the Northern Islands generation, built on the TeraScale 3 architecture, and it is best suited for gamers who are comfortable dialing back settings to secure playable frame rates. With its 1024 MB GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus, the card is adequate for 1080p gaming, but only when texture quality and anti-aliasing are moderated. The data does not support expecting high-refresh-rate experiences or maxed-out detail levels in modern titles; instead, the card sits in a position where it can handle esports titles and older AAA games at medium settings. The 50th percentile ranking against all GPUs indicates that it is squarely in the middle of the pack, outclassed by newer hardware but still a step above integrated solutions from its era. For a user who has a legacy system with a PCIe 2.0 slot and needs a functional discrete GPU without chasing the latest features, this card will deliver a baseline experience. However, for those targeting 1440p or higher resolutions with demanding visual settings, the 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth and 32 ROPs will become a bottleneck, and the card is not recommended for such workloads. The 1.920 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is a modest figure by today's standards, meaning compute-heavy tasks like physics simulations or GPU-accelerated rendering will be slow. In summary, the HD 6930 is a fallback option for budget-restricted builds or as a temporary stopgap, not a primary driver for a modern gaming rig.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The HD 6930 does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores; these features are absent from the specifications. The card relies on the TeraScale 3 architecture, which was designed before ray tracing became a mainstream concern. For API support, the card offers DirectX 11.2 (feature level 11_0) and OpenGL 4.4, but it does not support Vulkan. This means the card is limited to older rendering paths, and any game that requires DirectX 12 or Vulkan will be incompatible without workarounds. The display outputs include two DVI ports, one HDMI 1.4a port, and two mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connections, which provide flexibility for multi-monitor setups. The HDMI 1.4a specification supports 4K at 30 Hz, but the card's memory and compute resources are insufficient for smooth 4K gaming, so this output is more suited for desktop productivity than gaming. The lack of modern feature support, no mesh shaders, no variable rate shading, and no hardware-accelerated ray tracing, means that the HD 6930 is effectively locked out of recent graphical advancements. Benchmark results indicate that the card will struggle with any title that heavily leverages compute shaders or asynchronous compute, as the TeraScale 3 architecture predates those optimizations. For users who prioritize compatibility with contemporary games, the absence of Vulkan is a critical limitation, as many modern engines now default to it.
Power and Cooling
The HD 6930 has a thermal design power (TDP) of 186 W, which is a substantial draw for its performance class. The card requires two 6-pin power connectors, and the recommended power supply is 450 W. This is a modest PSU requirement by modern standards, but the dual-slot cooler must be properly ventilated to avoid thermal throttling under sustained load. The card's physical dimensions are 220 mm (8.7 inches) in length, which should fit in most mid-tower cases, but users with compact builds should verify clearance. The dual-slot design means it will occupy two expansion slots, potentially blocking adjacent PCIe slots. The 40 nm process node and 2,640 million transistors on a 389 mm² die indicate that this is a power-hungry chip compared to more efficient modern designs, but for its era, the 186 W TDP was within the normal range. The cooling solution is a capable air cooler, and the card does not require any special liquid cooling setup. The 450 W PSU recommendation assumes a system with a typical CPU and a few peripherals; if the user has a high-end processor or multiple drives, a larger PSU would be advisable, though the fact pack does not specify a higher figure. During idle or light usage, the card will draw significantly less than 186 W, but under gaming loads, the cooling system must dissipate that heat effectively to maintain stability. The memory operates at 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective), which contributes to the overall power draw, but the majority of the consumption comes from the 1280 shading units operating at the listed clock.
How It Compares
The nearest rival data for the HD 6930 is empty, which means there are no direct comparison points provided in the fact pack. This absence indicates that the card does not have a clear set of competitors within the benchmark database's immediate scoring range, or that its historical position has been superseded by later generations. Without rival names, scores, or deltaPct values, the analysis cannot cite specific percentage differences. The card's percentile rank of 50 places it exactly at the median of all GPUs in the database, which suggests that half of the tested GPUs perform better and half perform worse. This is a useful anchor point: the HD 6930 is neither a low-end part nor a high-performance option; it is a mid-tier product from its generation. The predecessor, Evergreen, and the successor, Southern Islands, bracket this card in the product lineup, but no performance figures are available for those architectures in the fact pack. The lack of nearest rivals means that the HD 6930's score is isolated, and any comparison must be made qualitatively. In practice, the card's 1280 shading units and 80 TMUs suggest it was designed to compete with mid-range options from NVIDIA at the time, but specific rival names are not listed. Users should interpret the 50th percentile as a sign that the card is average in the grand scheme of GPUs, but that average is heavily skewed by the many low-end integrated and entry-level parts included in the database.
Benchmark Performance
The benchmark data for the HD 6930 is minimal: the average benchmark score is 0, and there are no benchmark entries listed. The percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs is the only quantitative performance indicator. A percentile of 50 means that the card performs better than 50% of all GPUs tracked in the database, but this figure is not tied to any specific frame rate or synthetic score. Without nearest rivals, the analysis cannot compute deltaPct values or make percentage-based comparisons. The pixel rate is 24.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 60.00 GTexel/s, which are theoretical maximums based on clock speeds and unit counts. In real-world gaming, the card will achieve a fraction of these rates due to driver overhead, thermal limits, and game engine inefficiencies. The FP32 compute throughput of 1.920 TFLOPS is a hard ceiling for compute workloads, but games rarely saturate this fully. The 50th percentile ranking suggests that the card can handle 1080p gaming at medium settings in titles from its release era (late 2011), but modern games with higher geometry complexity and more advanced shaders will push the card to its limits. The memory bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s is a critical constraint; for comparison, the card's 256-bit bus and 4.8 Gbps effective memory speed are on the lower end for a 2011-era card, and this will cause stuttering in games that require more than 1 GB of VRAM at high resolutions. The absence of benchmark scores means that this analysis is limited to architectural and theoretical metrics, which point to a card that is functional but not competitive with anything from the last five years.
FAQ
Q: Does the AMD Radeon HD 6930 support DirectX 12 or Vulkan?
A: No. The card supports DirectX 11.2 (feature level 11_0) and OpenGL 4.4, but it does not support Vulkan. This limits compatibility with modern games that require DirectX 12 or Vulkan.
Q: What is the maximum display resolution supported?
A: The card has two DVI ports, one HDMI 1.4a port, and two mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 standards support 4K resolution, but the card's 1 GB VRAM and 153.6 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for smooth 4K gaming; it is better suited for 1080p.
Q: How much power does the card require?
A: The TDP is 186 W, and the card requires two 6-pin power connectors. The recommended power supply wattage is 450 W.
Q: Is this card suitable for ray tracing?
A: No. The card does not have dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores. It is based on the TeraScale 3 architecture, which predates hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
Q: What is the memory configuration?
A: The card has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. The memory clock is 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective).
Q: When was this card released, and what is its production status?
A: The card was released on November 30, 2011, and its production status is end-of-life. The launch MSRP was 180 USD.
Memory Subsystem
The HD 6930 is equipped with 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, which is a modest capacity by any modern standard. The 256-bit memory bus and 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth are the key figures here. At the time of release, 1 GB was the standard for mid-range cards, but today it is severely limiting for high-resolution textures. The memory clock runs at 1200 MHz, translating to 4.8 Gbps effective, which was typical for GDDR5 in 2011. The 153.6 GB/s bandwidth is a hard ceiling for how quickly the GPU can access textures, frame buffers, and geometry data. For 1080p gaming with medium settings, this bandwidth is sufficient, but at 1440p or with high-resolution texture packs, the card will suffer from texture pop-in and frame drops due to memory pressure. The 32 ROPs are also a limiting factor for fill-rate-bound scenes, especially at higher resolutions where more pixels must be processed per frame. The 1280 shading units and 80 TMUs are well-balanced with the memory subsystem for the card's intended use case, but the 1 GB VRAM is the primary weakness. Games that require more than 1 GB of VRAM will cause the card to spill over into system memory, which is significantly slower and will result in stuttering. The pixel rate of 24.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 60.00 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that assume ideal conditions; in practice, the memory bandwidth will often be the bottleneck before these units are fully saturated. For a card at the 50th percentile, the memory subsystem is adequate for its era but obsolete for current gaming workloads. Users should avoid high-resolution texture mods or games with open-world environments that stream large amounts of data, as the 153.6 GB/s will not keep up. The dual-slot cooler and 186 W TDP suggest that the memory chips are not heavily overclocked, so there is little headroom for manual memory overclocking without risking instability. In summary, the memory subsystem is the card's Achilles' heel for modern use, and any resolution above 1080p will expose its limitations.
Compare Radeon HD 6930 with Other GPUs
Select another GPU to compare specifications and benchmarks side-by-side.
Browse GPUs