Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M275X / M375

AMD

Radeon HD 6790

2011Core: 840 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M275X / M375

2014Core: 900 MHzBoost: 925 MHz
Similar parts
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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.

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

2011

Why 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

2014

Why 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

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6790 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 31.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M275X / M375 instead at 1,575 vs 1,567, 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 HD 6790 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 6790 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $151 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 100.3% (10.5 vs 5.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M275X / M375 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

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).

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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)

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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.

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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.

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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.

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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.

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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).

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon 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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