Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M370X

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 M370X 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 M370X: 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

✅Costs $151 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 101% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 M370X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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.

Radeon R9 M370X

2015

Why buy it

✅29.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 150W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2015 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$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.2 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 M370X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 29.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.2% in PassMark G3D (1,570 vs 1,567), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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 101% (10.5 vs 5.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 M370X still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon R9 M370X 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 M370X

The Radeon R9 M370X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 19 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,570 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the Radeon R9 M370X reaches 1,570 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6790 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R9 M370X uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 640 (Radeon R9 M370X).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
G3D Mark Score	1,567	1,570
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	800+25%	640
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
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 M370X carries 4 GB. Radeon R9 M370X 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 M370X.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	4 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790) vs 12 (FL 11_1) (Radeon R9 M370X). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
DirectX	11.2 (11_0)	12 (FL 11_1)+7%
Vulkan	N/A	1.2
OpenGL	4.4	4.6+5%
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6790) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M370X). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R9 M370X).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
Encoder	None	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 3.0	UVD 4.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6790 draws 150W versus the Radeon R9 M370X's 75W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon R9 M370X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M370X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
TDP	150W	75W-50%
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	Mobile
Length	240mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	10.4	20.9+101%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6790 came in at $149, while the Radeon R9 M370X 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 5.2 (Radeon R9 M370X) — the Radeon HD 6790 offers 101.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M370X (2015 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon R9 M370X
MSRP	$149-50%	$300
Performance per Dollar	10.5+102%	5.2
Codename	Barts	Cape Verde
Release	April 4 2011	May 19 2015
Ranking	#759	#758

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