GeForce Go 7800 vs Radeon HD 7290M

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.

GeForce Go 7800 vs Radeon HD 7290M FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce Go 7800 vs Radeon HD 7290M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce Go 7800

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌150% higher power demand at 250W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7290M

2012

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
✅Draws 100W instead of 250W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7290M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 7% in PassMark G3D (123 vs 115), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce Go 7800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2013 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7290M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7290M is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce Go 7800 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce Go 7800 vs Radeon HD 7290M Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce Go 7800

The GeForce Go 7800 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 863 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 115 points. Launch price was $649.

Radeon HD 7290M

The Radeon HD 7290M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 123 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce Go 7800 scores 115 versus the Radeon HD 7290M's 123 — the Radeon HD 7290M leads by 7%. The GeForce Go 7800 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7290M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce Go 7800) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7290M). Raw compute: 4.156 TFLOPS (GeForce Go 7800) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7290M).

Feature	GeForce Go 7800	Radeon HD 7290M
G3D Mark Score	115	123+7%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304+80%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.156 TFLOPS+91%	2.176 TFLOPS
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	192+140%	80
L1 Cache	192 KB	320 KB+67%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+200%	0.5 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce Go 7800 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7290M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce Go 7800	Radeon HD 7290M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce Go 7800 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7290M carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 7290M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce Go 7800 and System on the Radeon HD 7290M. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce Go 7800) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7290M) — the GeForce Go 7800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce Go 7800	Radeon HD 7290M
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+200%	0.5 MB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce Go 7800) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 7290M). OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce Go 7800	Radeon HD 7290M
DirectX	9.0c	11.2 (11_0)+24%
OpenGL	2.1	4.4+110%
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce Go 7800) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 7290M). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (GeForce Go 7800) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX,Xvid (Radeon HD 7290M).

Feature	GeForce Go 7800	Radeon HD 7290M
Encoder	None	UVD 3
Decoder	PureVideo	UVD 3
Codecs	MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX,Xvid

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce Go 7800 draws 250W versus the Radeon HD 7290M's 100W — a 85.7% difference. The Radeon HD 7290M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce Go 7800) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290M). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 75°C.