GeForce RTX 2060
Radeon HD 8790M
GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 8790M Performance Spectrum
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 RTX 2060 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060
2019Why buy it
- ✅976.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌220% higher power demand at 160W vs 50W.
Radeon HD 8790M
2013Why buy it
- ✅Draws 50W instead of 160W, a 110W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
Quick Answers
Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 8790M Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 2060
The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.
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.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon HD 8790M's 1,306 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 980.7%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 8790M uses GCN 1.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 384 (Radeon HD 8790M). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.6912 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8790M). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 900 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 14,114+981% | 1,306 |
| Architecture | Turing | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1920+400% | 384 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 6.451 TFLOPS+833% | 0.6912 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1680 MHz+87% | 900 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+500% | 8 |
| TMUs | 120+400% | 24 |
| L1 Cache | 1.9 MB+2011% | 0.09 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+1100% | 0.25 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | DLSS 2 Super Resolution | 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 RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8790M carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and System on the Radeon HD 8790M. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8790M) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+200% | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | System |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | System |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+1100% | 0.25 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 11.1 (11_1) (Radeon HD 8790M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2)+8% | 11.1 (11_1) |
| Vulkan | 1.3+8% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 8790M). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 8790M).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Turing) | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Turing) | UVD 3.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 8790M's 50W — a 104.8% difference. The Radeon HD 8790M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8790M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 75.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 160W | 50W-69% |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 350W-30% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 229mm | 0mm |
| Height | 113mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 72-4% | 75 |
| Perf/Watt | 88.2+238% | 26.1 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon HD 8790M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $349 | — |
| Codename | TU106 | Mars |
| Release | January 7 2019 | April 1 2013 |
| Ranking | #168 | #797 |
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.
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on GeForce RTX 2060 and Radeon HD 8790M
