GeForce GTX 860M vs Radeon HD 7790

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 860M 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 860M 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 860M

2014

Why buy it

✅2.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2014 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 20.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7790

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 860M 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 860M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.2% in PassMark G3D (3,095 vs 3,090), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 860M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7790 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 7790 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 860M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 860M vs Radeon HD 7790 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 860M

The GeForce GTX 860M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 13 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 797 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 1152 or 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,095 points.

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 860M scores 3,095 and the Radeon HD 7790 reaches 3,090 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 860M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 7790 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 896 (Radeon HD 7790). Raw compute: 1.389 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7790).

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon HD 7790
G3D Mark Score	3,095	3,090
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1152 or 640+29%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.389 TFLOPS	1.792 TFLOPS+29%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	56+40%
L1 Cache	320 KB+43%	224 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 860M 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 860M	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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 860M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7790. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 7790) — the GeForce GTX 860M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon HD 7790
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	96 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon HD 7790). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon HD 7790
DirectX	11.0	12 (12_0)+9%
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	1	5+400%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 860M) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 7790). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP,H.265 (GeForce GTX 860M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7790).

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon HD 7790
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP,H.265	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 860M draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 7790's 85W — a 12.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 860M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 400W (Radeon HD 7790). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 183mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 70.

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon HD 7790
TDP	75W-12%	85W
Recommended PSU	350W-13%	400W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	183mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	70-13%
Perf/Watt	41.3+13%	36.4

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 860M (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon HD 7790
MSRP	—	$149
Codename	GM107	Bonaire
Release	January 13 2014	March 22 2013
Ranking	#578	#579

Search GeForce GTX 860M on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 7790 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.