GeForce Go 7900 GTX vs Radeon HD 8490

NVIDIA

GeForce Go 7900 GTX

2015Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1075 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8490

2009Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce Go 7900 GTX vs Radeon HD 8490 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 7900 GTX vs Radeon HD 8490 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 7900 GTX vs Radeon HD 8490: 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 7900 GTX

2015

Why buy it

  • 19.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • 31.6% higher power demand at 250W vs 190W.

Radeon HD 8490

2009

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 256 MB).
  • Draws 190W instead of 250W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce Go 7900 GTX across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2009 hardware with 1 GB 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?
GeForce Go 7900 GTX is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.7% in PassMark G3D (270 vs 263), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce Go 7900 GTX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8490 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 8490 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce Go 7900 GTX has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce Go 7900 GTX vs Radeon HD 8490 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce Go 7900 GTX

The GeForce Go 7900 GTX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 2 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1075 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 270 points. Launch price was $649.

AMD

Radeon HD 8490

The Radeon HD 8490 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 263 points. Launch price was $249.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce Go 7900 GTX scores 270 and the Radeon HD 8490 reaches 263 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce Go 7900 GTX is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon HD 8490 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs 800 (Radeon HD 8490). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490).

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
G3D Mark Score
270+3%
263
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
TeraScale
Process Node
28 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
2816+252%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.06 TFLOPS+346%
1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs
96+500%
16
TMUs
176+340%
40
L1 Cache
1 MB+525%
0.16 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce Go 7900 GTX gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8490 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
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
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce Go 7900 GTX has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8490 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 8490 gives you 300% 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 7900 GTX and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 8490. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8490) — the GeForce Go 7900 GTX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
1 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 8490). OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
DirectX
9.0c
11.2+24%
OpenGL
2.1
4.4+110%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 8490). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,WMV9,H.264 (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8490).

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
Encoder
No
UVD 3.1
Decoder
PureVideo
UVD 3.1
Codecs
MPEG-2,WMV9,H.264
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce Go 7900 GTX draws 250W versus the Radeon HD 8490's 190W — a 27.3% difference. The Radeon HD 8490 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8490). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
TDP
250W
190W-24%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
168mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
1.1
1.4+27%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce Go 7900 GTX (2015 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GTXRadeon HD 8490
MSRP
$99
Codename
GM200
RV790
Release
June 2 2015
April 2 2009
Ranking
#179
#762

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