G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

FirePro M4000

2012

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 33W instead of 150W, a 117W reduction.
✅Measures 82mm instead of 240mm, a 158mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 10.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌354.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 33W.
❌192.7% longer card at 240mm vs 82mm.

FirePro M4000

2012

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 33W instead of 150W, a 117W reduction.
✅Measures 82mm instead of 240mm, a 158mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 10.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌354.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 33W.
❌192.7% longer card at 240mm vs 82mm.

Quick Answers

So, is FirePro M4000 better than Radeon HD 6790?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 1,596 vs 1,567 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer FirePro M4000 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (33W vs 150W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

FirePro M4000 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2012 generation instead of 2011, more VRAM at 2 GB instead of 1 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 28nm process instead of 40nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

FirePro M4000 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. FirePro M4000 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and you are getting 1.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 6790 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 6790 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 6790 is 2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM, 1,567 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

FirePro M4000 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 6790 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
1080p
low	21 FPS	29 FPS
medium	13 FPS	17 FPS
high	8 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	5 FPS
1440p
low	13 FPS	14 FPS
medium	7 FPS	7 FPS
high	3 FPS	3 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	2 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	5 FPS
medium	3 FPS	3 FPS
high	2 FPS	2 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	1 FPS

Open FirePro M4000 Open Radeon HD 6790

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
1080p
low	38 FPS	70 FPS
medium	20 FPS	40 FPS
high	14 FPS	28 FPS
ultra	10 FPS	18 FPS
1440p
low	12 FPS	31 FPS
medium	6 FPS	19 FPS
high	4 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	9 FPS
4K
low	3 FPS	9 FPS
medium	2 FPS	6 FPS
high	2 FPS	5 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	3 FPS

Open FirePro M4000 Open Radeon HD 6790

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
1080p
low	72 FPS	71 FPS
medium	57 FPS	56 FPS
high	48 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	54 FPS	53 FPS
medium	43 FPS	42 FPS
high	36 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	35 FPS
medium	29 FPS	28 FPS
high	24 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	18 FPS

Open FirePro M4000 Open Radeon HD 6790

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
1080p
low	72 FPS	71 FPS
medium	57 FPS	56 FPS
high	41 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	10 FPS	53 FPS
medium	8 FPS	42 FPS
high	7 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	6 FPS	35 FPS
medium	5 FPS	28 FPS
high	4 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	18 FPS

Open FirePro M4000 Open Radeon HD 6790

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FirePro M4000 and Radeon HD 6790

FirePro M4000

The FirePro M4000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 27 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,596 points.

Radeon HD 6790

The Radeon HD 6790 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 840 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,567 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro M4000 scores 1,596 and the Radeon HD 6790 reaches 1,567 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro M4000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 6790 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 512 (FirePro M4000) vs 800 (Radeon HD 6790). Raw compute: 0.6912 TFLOPS (FirePro M4000) vs 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790).

Feature	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
G3D Mark Score	1,596+2%	1,567
Architecture	GCN 1.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	512	800+56%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6912 TFLOPS	1.344 TFLOPS+94%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	128 KB	160 KB+25%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro M4000 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6790 has 1 GB. The FirePro M4000 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 256 KB (FirePro M4000) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6790) — the Radeon HD 6790 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+100%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro M4000) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790). Vulkan: 1.2 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 3.

Feature	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
DirectX	12+7%	11.2 (11_0)
Vulkan	1.2	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	6+100%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro M4000) vs None (Radeon HD 6790). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (FirePro M4000) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790).

Feature	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
Encoder	VCE 1.0	None
Decoder	UVD 4.0	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M4000 draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 6790's 150W — a 127.9% difference. The FirePro M4000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M4000) vs 450W (Radeon HD 6790). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 82mm vs 240mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80.

Feature	FirePro M4000	Radeon HD 6790
TDP	33W-78%	150W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	82mm	240mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	75°C-6%	80
Perf/Watt	48.4+365%	10.4

💰

Value Analysis

The FirePro M4000 launched at $0 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149. The FirePro M4000 costs 100+% less ($149 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (FirePro M4000) vs 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) — the FirePro M4000 offers Infinity% better value. The FirePro M4000 is the newer GPU (2012 vs 2011).