Radeon 740M vs Radeon HD 6990

AMD

Radeon 740M

2024Core: 800 MHzBoost: 2800 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6990

2011Core: 830 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon 740M vs Radeon HD 6990 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.

Radeon 740M vs Radeon HD 6990 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.

Radeon 740M vs Radeon HD 6990: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Radeon 740M

2024

Why buy it

  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 45W instead of 375W, a 330W reduction.
  • More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 4.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6990

2011

Why buy it

  • 51.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 733.3% higher power demand at 375W vs 45W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6990 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 51.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon 740M instead at 3,045 vs 3,014, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon 740M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 4nm process instead of 40nm, 4 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2011. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6990 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 6990 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 740M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 740M vs Radeon HD 6990 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon 740M

The Radeon 740M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 800 MHz to 2800 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 4 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,045 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 6990

The Radeon HD 6990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,014 points. Launch price was $699.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 740M scores 3,045 and the Radeon HD 6990 reaches 3,014 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 740M is built on RDNA 3.0 while the Radeon HD 6990 uses TeraScale 3, both on 4 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 256 (Radeon 740M) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6990). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon 740M) vs 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6990).

FeatureRadeon 740MRadeon HD 6990
G3D Mark Score
3,045+1%
3,014
Architecture
RDNA 3.0
TeraScale 3
Process Node
4 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
256
1536 ×2+500%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.867 TFLOPS+12%
2.55 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs
8
32 ×2+300%
TMUs
16
96 ×2+500%
L1 Cache
64 KB
384 KB+500%
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling + RSR
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 740MRadeon HD 6990
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 740M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6990. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 740M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6990) — the Radeon 740M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon 740MRadeon HD 6990
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
Shared
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
System
Unknown
Bus Width
System
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 740M draws 45W versus the Radeon HD 6990's 375W — a 157.1% difference. The Radeon 740M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 740M) vs 750W (Radeon HD 6990). Power connectors: None vs 2x 8-pin.

FeatureRadeon 740MRadeon HD 6990
TDP
45W-88%
375W
Recommended PSU
350W-53%
750W
Power Connector
None
2x 8-pin
Length
310mm
Height
115mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
85
Perf/Watt
67.7+746%
8.0
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 740M (2024 vs 2011).

FeatureRadeon 740MRadeon HD 6990
MSRP
$699
Codename
Phoenix2
Antilles
Release
January 31 2024
March 8 2011
Ranking
#581
#583

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