Radeon HD 6310 vs Radeon HD 7290M

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 HD 6310 vs Radeon HD 7290M 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 HD 6310 vs Radeon HD 7290M: 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 HD 6310

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌86% higher power demand at 186W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7290M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 186W, a 86W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB 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 2.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7290M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.8% in PassMark G3D (123 vs 122), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

Radeon HD 6310 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 6310 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 7290M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 6310 vs Radeon HD 7290M Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6310

The Radeon HD 6310 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 186W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 122 points. Launch price was $180.

Radeon HD 7290M

The Radeon HD 7290M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 123 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6310 scores 122 and the Radeon HD 7290M reaches 123 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6310 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon HD 7290M uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 6310) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7290M). Raw compute: 1.92 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6310) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7290M).

Feature	Radeon HD 6310	Radeon HD 7290M
G3D Mark Score	122	123
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.92 TFLOPS	2.176 TFLOPS+13%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80	80
L1 Cache	320 KB	320 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6310	Radeon HD 7290M
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 512 MB of video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6310 and System on the Radeon HD 7290M.

Feature	Radeon HD 6310	Radeon HD 7290M
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6310 draws 186W versus the Radeon HD 7290M's 100W — a 60.1% difference. The Radeon HD 7290M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6310) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6310	Radeon HD 7290M
TDP	186W	100W-46%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	75°C
Perf/Watt	0.7	1.2+71%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 7290M (2012 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6310	Radeon HD 7290M
MSRP	$50	—
Codename	Cayman	Wimbledon
Release	December 1 2011	April 24 2012
Ranking	#598	#531

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