GeForce GTX 550 Ti vs Radeon HD 6790

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 550 Ti vs Radeon HD 6790 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 550 Ti vs Radeon HD 6790: 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 550 Ti

2011

Why buy it

✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 116W instead of 150W, a 34W reduction.
✅More future proof: Fermi 2.0 (2010−2014) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6790 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2011 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Why buy it

✅39.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌29.3% higher power demand at 150W vs 116W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6790 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 39.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (1,567 vs 1,558), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 550 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 3 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6790 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $149 vs $149, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 0.6% (10.5 vs 10.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6790 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 550 Ti has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 550 Ti vs Radeon HD 6790 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 550 Ti

The GeForce GTX 550 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 116W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,558 points. Launch price was $149.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 1,558 and the Radeon HD 6790 reaches 1,567 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Radeon HD 6790 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) vs 800 (Radeon HD 6790). Raw compute: 0.6912 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) vs 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790).

Feature	GeForce GTX 550 Ti	Radeon HD 6790
G3D Mark Score	1,558	1,567
Architecture	Fermi 2.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	192	800+317%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6912 TFLOPS	1.344 TFLOPS+94%
ROPs	24+50%	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	256 KB+60%	160 KB
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 550 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6790 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 550 Ti	Radeon HD 6790
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 GTX 550 Ti has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6790 carries 1 GB. GeForce GTX 550 Ti gives you 200% 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 550 Ti and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6790. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6790) — the Radeon HD 6790 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 550 Ti	Radeon HD 6790
VRAM Capacity	3 GB+200%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790).

Feature	GeForce GTX 550 Ti	Radeon HD 6790
Encoder	—	None
Decoder	—	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 550 Ti draws 116W versus the Radeon HD 6790's 150W — a 25.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) vs 450W (Radeon HD 6790). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 550 Ti	Radeon HD 6790
TDP	116W-23%	150W
Recommended PSU	400W-11%	450W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	—	240mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	13.4+29%	10.4

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti came in at $149, while the Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.5 (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) vs 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) — the Radeon HD 6790 offers 0% better value.

Feature	GeForce GTX 550 Ti	Radeon HD 6790
MSRP	$149	$149
Performance per Dollar	10.5	10.5
Codename	GF116	Barts
Release	March 15 2011	April 4 2011
Ranking	#761	#759

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