Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon HD 4890

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 1.4% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 4890 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+1.4%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.4%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale (2005−2013))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+100%)
Efficiency	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt	⚡ Higher Power Consumption
Case Fit	📏 Compact / SFF Friendly	—

💎 Value Proposition

The Radeon HD 4890 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Radeon HD 4890 holds the technical lead. Priced at $25 (vs $149), it costs 83% less, resulting in a 488% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
Cost Efficiency	❌Lower cost efficiency	✅Better overall value (+488%)
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

Radeon HD 4890 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 6790 and Radeon HD 4890

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.

Radeon HD 4890

The Radeon HD 4890 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,546 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the Radeon HD 4890 reaches 1,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6790 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 4890 uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4890). Raw compute: 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4890).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
G3D Mark Score	1,567+1%	1,546
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale
Process Node	40 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	800	800
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.344 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+1%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	160 KB	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 6790 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4890 has 2 GB. The Radeon HD 4890 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6790) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 4890) — the Radeon HD 6790 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 4890).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
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 Radeon HD 4890's 190W — a 23.5% difference. The Radeon HD 6790 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 500W (Radeon HD 4890). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 4890
TDP	150W-21%	190W
Recommended PSU	450W-10%	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	240mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	10.4+28%	8.1

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149 MSRP and currently averages $149, while the Radeon HD 4890 launched at $249 and now averages $25. The Radeon HD 4890 costs 83.2% less ($124 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 61.8 (Radeon HD 4890) — the Radeon HD 4890 offers 488.6% better value. The Radeon HD 6790 is the newer GPU (2011 vs 2009).