Radeon HD 6790 vs GeForce GTX 550 Ti

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 6790 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.6% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+0.6%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.6%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / Fermi 2.0 (2010−2014))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+200%)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	📏 Compact / SFF Friendly	—

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce GTX 550 Ti offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti holds the technical lead. Priced at $25 (vs $149), it costs 83% less, resulting in a 492.6% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Cost Efficiency	❌Lower cost efficiency	✅Better overall value (+492.6%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($149)	✅More affordable ($25)

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon HD 6790 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 550 Ti Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 6790 and GeForce GTX 550 Ti

Radeon HD 6790

The Radeon HD 6790 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 840 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,567 points. Launch price was $149.

GeForce GTX 550 Ti

The GeForce GTX 550 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 116W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,558 points. Launch price was $149.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the GeForce GTX 550 Ti reaches 1,558 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6790 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GTX 550 Ti uses Fermi 2.0, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 192 (GeForce GTX 550 Ti). Raw compute: 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790) vs 0.6912 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 550 Ti).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
G3D Mark Score	1,567	1,558
Architecture	TeraScale 2	Fermi 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	800+317%	192
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.344 TFLOPS+94%	0.6912 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	24+50%
TMUs	40+25%	32
L1 Cache	160 KB	256 KB+60%
L2 Cache	512 KB+33%	384 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 2.1 (Compatible)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR 3 (Compatible)
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 6790 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 550 Ti has 3 GB. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6790) vs 384 KB (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) — the Radeon HD 6790 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	3 GB+200%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+33%	384 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790) vs H.264 (GeForce GTX 550 Ti).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Encoder	None	—
Decoder	UVD 3.0	—
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6790 draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 550 Ti's 116W — a 25.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 550 Ti). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
TDP	150W	116W-23%
Recommended PSU	450W	400W-11%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	240mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	10.4	13.4+29%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149 MSRP and currently averages $149, while the GeForce GTX 550 Ti launched at $149 and now averages $25. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti costs 83.2% less ($124 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 62.3 (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) — the GeForce GTX 550 Ti offers 493.3% better value.