GeForce GTX 690 vs Radeon HD 7990

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 690

2012Core: 915 MHzBoost: 1019 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 7990

2013Core: 950 MHzBoost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GTX 690 vs Radeon HD 7990 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 690

2 GB 300

5,536

0.0%

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 2060

GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile

RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 7990

3 GB 375

5,566

+0.5%

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 690 vs Radeon HD 7990 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 690 vs Radeon HD 7990: 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 690

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 300W instead of 375W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅21.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌25% higher power demand at 375W vs 300W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7990 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 21.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (5,566 vs 5,536), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 690 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 7990 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $999 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 0.5% (5.6 vs 5.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7990 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 690 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 690 vs Radeon HD 7990 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 690

The GeForce GTX 690 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 3 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 1019 MHz. It has 3072 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,536 points. Launch price was $999.

Radeon HD 7990

The Radeon HD 7990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,566 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 690 scores 5,536 and the Radeon HD 7990 reaches 5,566 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 690 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7990 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7990). Raw compute: 3.13 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7990). Boost clocks: 1019 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
G3D Mark Score	5,536	5,566
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3072 ×2+50%	2048 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.13 TFLOPS ×2	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+31%
Boost Clock	1019 MHz+2%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32 ×2	32 ×2
TMUs	128 ×2	128 ×2
L1 Cache	128 KB	512 KB+300%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 690 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7990 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
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 690 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7990 carries 3 GB. Radeon HD 7990 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s x2 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7990) — a 1399.3% advantage for the Radeon HD 7990. Memory bus width is 256-bit x2 on the GeForce GTX 690 and 384-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 7990. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 690) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7990) — the Radeon HD 7990 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	3 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192.2 GB/s x2	288 GB/s x2+50%
Bus Width	256-bit x2	384-bit x2+50%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7990). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
DirectX	12_0	12 (11_1)
Max Displays	4	5+25%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 690) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7990). Decoder: VP5 vs UVD 3.2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	VP5	UVD 3.2
Codecs	—	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 690 draws 300W versus the Radeon HD 7990's 375W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 690 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce GTX 690) vs 750W (Radeon HD 7990). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
TDP	300W-20%	375W
Recommended PSU	650W-13%	750W
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	279mm	305mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	18.5+25%	14.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 690 came in at $999, while the Radeon HD 7990 launched at $999. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.5 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7990) — the Radeon HD 7990 offers 1.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7990 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 690	Radeon HD 7990
MSRP	$999	$999
Performance per Dollar	5.5	5.6+2%
Codename	GK104	Malta
Release	May 3 2012	April 24 2013
Ranking	#414	#412

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