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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $350 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 246.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 3.0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs Unknown).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon Vega 10: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon Vega 10 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1400% higher power demand at 150W vs 10W.

Radeon Vega 10

2019

Why buy it

✅Draws 10W instead of 150W, a 140W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2019-era hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
234.9% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.0 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Radeon Vega 10

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $350 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 246.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 3.0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs Unknown).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon Vega 10: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon Vega 10 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅Draws 10W instead of 150W, a 140W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1400% higher power demand at 150W vs 10W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2019-era hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
234.9% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.0 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon HD 6790 better than Radeon Vega 10?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 1,567 vs 1,515 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon HD 6790 is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 6790 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 1 GB instead of Unknown. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon HD 6790 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $149 MSRP. Radeon HD 6790 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon HD 6790 is about $350 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 3.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon Vega 10 is the newer 2019 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and lower power draw (10W vs 150W) than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon Vega 10 make more sense than Radeon HD 6790?

Yes. Radeon Vega 10 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still fine for 1080p, but 1440p and especially 4K require more compromise. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (10W vs 150W), and staying closer to $499 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon HD 6790. The trade-off is that Radeon HD 6790 currently gives you 3.4% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 246.4%.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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 Vega 10 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
1080p
low	29 FPS	34 FPS
medium	17 FPS	24 FPS
high	10 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	9 FPS
1440p
low	14 FPS	28 FPS
medium	7 FPS	17 FPS
high	3 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	5 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	10 FPS
medium	3 FPS	6 FPS
high	2 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	3 FPS

Open Radeon HD 6790 Open Radeon Vega 10

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
1080p
low	70 FPS	68 FPS
medium	40 FPS	48 FPS
high	28 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	22 FPS
1440p
low	31 FPS	50 FPS
medium	19 FPS	28 FPS
high	12 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	15 FPS
4K
low	9 FPS	23 FPS
medium	6 FPS	15 FPS
high	5 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	9 FPS

Open Radeon HD 6790 Open Radeon Vega 10

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
1080p
low	71 FPS	68 FPS
medium	56 FPS	55 FPS
high	47 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	53 FPS	51 FPS
medium	42 FPS	41 FPS
high	35 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	35 FPS	34 FPS
medium	28 FPS	27 FPS
high	24 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	17 FPS

Open Radeon HD 6790 Open Radeon Vega 10

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
1080p
low	71 FPS	68 FPS
medium	56 FPS	55 FPS
high	47 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	53 FPS	51 FPS
medium	42 FPS	41 FPS
high	35 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	35 FPS	34 FPS
medium	28 FPS	27 FPS
high	24 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	17 FPS

Open Radeon HD 6790 Open Radeon Vega 10

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 6790 and Radeon Vega 10

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 Vega 10

The Radeon Vega 10 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 8 2019. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 300 MHz to 1301 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 10W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,515 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the Radeon Vega 10 reaches 1,515 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6790 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon Vega 10 uses GCN 5.0, both on 40 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 640 (Radeon Vega 10). Raw compute: 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1.665 TFLOPS (Radeon Vega 10).

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
G3D Mark Score	1,567+3%	1,515
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 5.0
Process Node	40 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	800+25%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.344 TFLOPS	1.665 TFLOPS+24%
ROPs	16+100%	8
TMUs	40	40
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
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 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Vega 10 has 0 MB. The Radeon HD 6790 offers 100+% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs System.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	Shared System RAM
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6790 draws 150W versus the Radeon Vega 10's 10W — a 175% difference. The Radeon Vega 10 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1W (Radeon Vega 10). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Integrated.

Feature	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon Vega 10
TDP	150W	10W-93%
Recommended PSU	450W	1W-100%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	Integrated
Length	240mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	10.4	151.5+1357%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Radeon Vega 10 launched at $499. The Radeon HD 6790 costs 70.1% less ($350 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 3.0 (Radeon Vega 10) — the Radeon HD 6790 offers 250% better value. The Radeon Vega 10 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2011).