GeForce GTX 470 vs Radeon HD 7790

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 470

2010Core: 607 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 7790

2013Core: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GTX 470 vs Radeon HD 7790 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 470

1.25 GB 215

3,145

+1.8%

GeForce GTX 650

GeForce GTX 670MX SLI

GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

Radeon HD 7790

2 GB 85

3,090

0.0%

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 GTX 470 vs Radeon HD 7790 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 GTX 470 vs Radeon HD 7790: 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 GTX 470

2010

Why buy it

✅53.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
❌
134.2% HIGHER MSRP
$349 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.0 vs 20.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌152.9% higher power demand at 215W vs 85W.

Radeon HD 7790

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Delivers 130.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.7 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅60% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 85W instead of 215W, a 130W reduction.
✅Measures 183mm instead of 241mm, a 58mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 470 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 470 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 53.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (3,145 vs 3,090), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 470 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?

Radeon HD 7790 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $200 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $349, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 130.1% (20.7 vs 9.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7790 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 470 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 470 vs Radeon HD 7790 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 470

The GeForce GTX 470 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 26 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 607 MHz. It has 448 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 215W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,145 points. Launch price was $349.

Radeon HD 7790

The Radeon HD 7790 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 22 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,090 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 470 scores 3,145 and the Radeon HD 7790 reaches 3,090 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 470 is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 7790 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 448 (GeForce GTX 470) vs 896 (Radeon HD 7790). Raw compute: 1.089 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 470) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7790).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
G3D Mark Score	3,145+2%	3,090
Architecture	Fermi	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	448	896+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.089 TFLOPS	1.792 TFLOPS+65%
ROPs	40+150%	16
TMUs	56	56
L1 Cache	896 KB+300%	224 KB
L2 Cache	640 KB+150%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 470 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7790 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
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 GTX 470 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7790 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 7790 gives you 60% 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 GTX 470 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7790. L2 Cache: 640 KB (GeForce GTX 470) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 7790) — the GeForce GTX 470 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
VRAM Capacity	1.25 GB	2 GB+60%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	96 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	640 KB+150%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GTX 470) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon HD 7790). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
DirectX	11.0	12 (12_0)+9%
Vulkan	N/A	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	2	5+150%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GTX 470) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 7790). Decoder: PureVideo VP4 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce GTX 470) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7790).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
Encoder	None	VCE 2.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP4	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 470 draws 215W versus the Radeon HD 7790's 85W — a 86.7% difference. The Radeon HD 7790 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 470) vs 400W (Radeon HD 7790). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 183mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 93 vs 70.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
TDP	215W	85W-60%
Recommended PSU	550W	400W-27%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	183mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	93	70-25%
Perf/Watt	14.6	36.4+149%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 470 came in at $349, while the Radeon HD 7790 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7790 was 57.3% cheaper ($200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.0 (GeForce GTX 470) vs 20.7 (Radeon HD 7790) — the Radeon HD 7790 offers 130% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7790 (2013 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470	Radeon HD 7790
MSRP	$349	$149-57%
Performance per Dollar	9.0	20.7+130%
Codename	GF100	Bonaire
Release	March 26 2010	March 22 2013
Ranking	#572	#579

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