GeForce GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 8790M

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 GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 8790M 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 GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 8790M: 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 GTS 450

2010

Why buy it

✅17.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌112% higher power demand at 106W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8790M

2013

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 106W, a 56W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTS 450 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB 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 10.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTS 450 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 17.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.4% in PassMark G3D (1,337 vs 1,306), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTS 450 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTS 450 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTS 450 vs Radeon HD 8790M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTS 450

The GeForce GTS 450 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,337 points. Launch price was $129.

Radeon HD 8790M

The Radeon HD 8790M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,306 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 450 scores 1,337 and the Radeon HD 8790M reaches 1,306 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 450 is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 8790M uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 450) vs 384 (Radeon HD 8790M). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 450) vs 0.6912 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8790M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 8790M
G3D Mark Score	1,337+2%	1,306
Architecture	Fermi	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	192	384+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS	0.6912 TFLOPS+15%
ROPs	16+100%	8
TMUs	32+33%	24
L1 Cache	256 KB+167%	96 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 450 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8790M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 8790M
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 GTS 450 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8790M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 8790M 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 GTS 450 and System on the Radeon HD 8790M.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 8790M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

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Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTS 450) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 8790M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 8790M
Encoder	—	VCE 1.0
Decoder	—	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 450 draws 106W versus the Radeon HD 8790M's 50W — a 71.8% difference. The Radeon HD 8790M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTS 450) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8790M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 8790M
TDP	106W	50W-53%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	—	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	12.6	26.1+107%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 8790M (2013 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450	Radeon HD 8790M
MSRP	$129	—
Codename	GF106	Mars
Release	September 13 2010	April 1 2013
Ranking	#791	#797

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