Radeon HD 6790 vs Radeon Vega 9
Radeon HD 6790
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Radeon Vega 9
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Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar
Performance Per Dollar
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
⚠️ Generational Difference
The Radeon Vega 9 is significantly newer (2021 vs 2011). The Radeon Vega 9 likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon HD 6790 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon Vega 9 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 1.3% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 6790 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.3%) | ✅Leading raw performance (+1.3%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)) | GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) (7nm) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ✅ More VRAM (+100+%) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt |
| Case Fit | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon Vega 9 remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
Performance Check
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 7800X3D 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.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 6790 and Radeon Vega 9
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 9
The Radeon Vega 9 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 13 2021. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 300 MHz to 1900 MHz. It has 448 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,588 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 6790 scores 1,567 and the Radeon Vega 9 reaches 1,588 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6790 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon Vega 9 uses GCN 5.1, both on 40 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 6790) vs 448 (Radeon Vega 9). Raw compute: 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1.702 TFLOPS (Radeon Vega 9).
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 1,567 | 1,588+1% |
| Architecture | TeraScale 2 | GCN 5.1 |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 800+79% | 448 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 1.344 TFLOPS | 1.702 TFLOPS+27% |
| ROPs | 16+100% | 8 |
| TMUs | 40+43% | 28 |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| 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 9 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 9 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 1 GB | Shared System RAM |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | System |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | System |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790) vs 12 (12_1) (Radeon Vega 9). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.2 (11_0) | 12 (12_1)+7% |
| Vulkan | N/A | 1.3 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.6+5% |
| Max Displays | 3 | 3 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6790) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Vega 9). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon Vega 9).
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | VCE 4.0 |
| Decoder | UVD 3.0 | UVD 7.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 | H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 6790 draws 150W versus the Radeon Vega 9's 45W — a 107.7% difference. The Radeon Vega 9 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 6790) vs 1W (Radeon Vega 9). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 240mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 75.
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 150W | 45W-70% |
| Recommended PSU | 450W | 1W-100% |
| Power Connector | 2x 6-pin | Integrated |
| Length | 240mm | 0mm |
| Height | 111mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 80 | 75-6% |
| Perf/Watt | 10.4 | 35.3+239% |
Value Analysis
The Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149 MSRP and currently averages $149, while the Radeon Vega 9 launched at $0 and now averages $0. The Radeon Vega 9 costs 100+% less ($149 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) vs Infinity (Radeon Vega 9) — the Radeon Vega 9 offers Infinity% better value. The Radeon Vega 9 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2011).
| Feature | Radeon HD 6790 | Radeon Vega 9 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $149 | $0-100% |
| Avg Price (30d) | $149 | $0-100% |
| Performance per Dollar | 10.5 | Infinity |
| Codename | Barts | Cezanne |
| Release | April 4 2011 | April 13 2021 |
| Ranking | #759 | #601 |
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