
Radeon HD 6790

Radeon R9 M275X / M375
Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M275X / M375 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 HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M275X / M375 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
Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M275X / M375: 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 6790
2011Why buy it
- ✅31.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $151 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 100.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 5.3 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌100% higher power demand at 150W vs 75W.
- ❌23900% longer card at 240mm vs 1mm.
Radeon R9 M275X / M375
2014Why buy it
- ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 1 GB).
- ✅Draws 75W instead of 150W, a 75W reduction.
- ✅Measures 1mm instead of 240mm, a 239mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6790 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌101.3% HIGHER MSRP$300 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.3 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M275X / M375 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 R9 M275X / M375
The Radeon R9 M275X / M375 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 28 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,575 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the Radeon R9 M275X / M375 reaches 1,575 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6790 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R9 M275X / M375 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 640 (Radeon R9 M275X / M375). Raw compute: 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1.184 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M275X / M375).
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 1,567 | 1,575 |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 800+25% | 640 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 1.344 TFLOPS+14% | 1.184 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 16 | 16 |
| TMUs | 40 | 40 |
| L1 Cache | 160 KB | 160 KB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB+100% | 256 KB |
| Frame Generation | FSR upscaling | FSR upscaling |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
The Radeon HD 6790 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M275X / M375 carries 4 GB. Radeon R9 M275X / M375 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6790 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M275X / M375. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6790) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M275X / M375) — the Radeon HD 6790 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 1 GB | 4 GB+300% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB+100% | 256 KB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790) vs 12_0 (Radeon R9 M275X / M375). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 0.
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.2 (11_0) | 12_0+7% |
| Max Displays | 3 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6790) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 M275X / M375). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 4.2.
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | UVD 3.0 | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 | — |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 6790 draws 150W versus the Radeon R9 M275X / M375's 75W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon R9 M275X / M375 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M275X / M375). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 240mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 150W | 75W-50% |
| Recommended PSU | 450W | 350W-22% |
| Power Connector | 2x 6-pin | Mobile |
| Length | 240mm | 1mm |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 80 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 10.4 | 21.0+102% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the Radeon HD 6790 came in at $149, while the Radeon R9 M275X / M375 launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6790 was 50.3% cheaper ($151 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 5.3 (Radeon R9 M275X / M375) — the Radeon HD 6790 offers 98.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M275X / M375 (2014 vs 2011).
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon R9 M275X / M375 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $149-50% | $300 |
| Performance per Dollar | 10.5+98% | 5.3 |
| Codename | Barts | Venus |
| Release | April 4 2011 | January 28 2014 |
| Ranking | #759 | #746 |
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