Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U

AMD

Radeon HD 6790

2011Core: 840 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U

2020Core: 1327 MHzBoost: 1645 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U 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 Ryzen 3 5300U 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 Ryzen 3 5300U: 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 $101 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
  • Delivers 70.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 6.2 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 50% higher power demand at 150W vs 100W.

Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U

2020

Why buy it

  • 54.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Radeon HD 6790 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 100W instead of 150W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Older hardware, 512 MB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 67.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $250 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.2 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($250 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 54.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 6790 instead at 1,567 vs 1,546, 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 Ryzen 3 5300U is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6790 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $101 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $250, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 70.1% (10.5 vs 6.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6790 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U 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 Ryzen 3 5300U

The Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 28 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1327 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,546 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U 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 Ryzen 3 5300U uses RDNA 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1,408 (Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U). Raw compute: 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U).

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U
G3D Mark Score
1,567+1%
1,546
Architecture
TeraScale 2
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
800
1408+76%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.344 TFLOPS
4.632 TFLOPS+245%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
40
88+120%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1.5 MB+200%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U
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 Ryzen 3 5300U carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 6790 gives you 100% 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 System on the Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1.5 MB (Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U) — the Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U
VRAM Capacity
1 GB+100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
1.5 MB+200%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6790 draws 150W versus the Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U's 100W — a 40% difference. The Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None.

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U
TDP
150W
100W-33%
Recommended PSU
450W
350W-22%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
None
Length
240mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
80
Perf/Watt
10.4
15.5+49%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6790 came in at $149, while the Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U launched at $250. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6790 was 40.4% cheaper ($101 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 6.2 (Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U) — the Radeon HD 6790 offers 69.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U (2020 vs 2011).

FeatureRadeon HD 6790Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U
MSRP
$149-40%
$250
Performance per Dollar
10.5+69%
6.2
Codename
Barts
Navi 14
Release
April 4 2011
May 28 2020
Ranking
#759
#336

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