
Radeon HD 8490 vs GeForce Go 7900 GTX

Radeon HD 8490
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GeForce Go 7900 GTX
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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. The Radeon HD 8490 is positioned at rank 294 and the GeForce Go 7900 GTX is on rank 218, so the GeForce Go 7900 GTX offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 8490
Performance Per Dollar GeForce Go 7900 GTX
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
⚠️ Generational Difference
The GeForce Go 7900 GTX is significantly newer (2015 vs 2009). The GeForce Go 7900 GTX likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon HD 8490 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce Go 7900 GTX is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 2.7% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 8490 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-2.7%) | ✅Leading raw performance (+2.7%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale (2005−2013)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2015 / Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ✅ More VRAM (+300%) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption |
| Case Fit | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the GeForce Go 7900 GTX 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 8490 and GeForce Go 7900 GTX

Radeon HD 8490
The Radeon HD 8490 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 263 points. Launch price was $249.

GeForce Go 7900 GTX
The GeForce Go 7900 GTX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 2 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1075 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 270 points. Launch price was $649.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 8490 scores 263 and the GeForce Go 7900 GTX reaches 270 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8490 is built on TeraScale while the GeForce Go 7900 GTX uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 8490) vs 2,816 (GeForce Go 7900 GTX). Raw compute: 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490) vs 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce Go 7900 GTX).
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 263 | 270+3% |
| Architecture | TeraScale | Maxwell 2.0 |
| Process Node | 55 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 800 | 2816+252% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 1.36 TFLOPS | 6.06 TFLOPS+346% |
| ROPs | 16 | 96+500% |
| TMUs | 40 | 176+340% |
| L1 Cache | 0.16 MB | 1 MB+525% |
| L2 Cache | 0.25 MB | 3 MB+1100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 2.1 (Compatible) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | FSR 3 (Compatible) |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | AMD Anti-Lag | Standard |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The Radeon HD 8490 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce Go 7900 GTX has 256 MB. The Radeon HD 8490 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8490) vs 3 MB (GeForce Go 7900 GTX) — the GeForce Go 7900 GTX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 1 GB+300% | 0.25 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 64-bit | 128-bit+100% |
| L2 Cache | 0.25 MB | 3 MB+1100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 8490) vs 9.0c (GeForce Go 7900 GTX). OpenGL: 4.4 vs 2.1. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.2+24% | 9.0c |
| OpenGL | 4.4+110% | 2.1 |
| Max Displays | 2 | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 8490) vs No (GeForce Go 7900 GTX). Decoder: UVD 3.1 vs PureVideo. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8490) vs MPEG-2,WMV9,H.264 (GeForce Go 7900 GTX).
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | UVD 3.1 | No |
| Decoder | UVD 3.1 | PureVideo |
| Codecs | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 | MPEG-2,WMV9,H.264 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 8490 draws 190W versus the GeForce Go 7900 GTX's 250W — a 27.3% difference. The Radeon HD 8490 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8490) vs 350W (GeForce Go 7900 GTX). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 190W-24% | 250W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 350W |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 168mm | 0mm |
| Height | — | 0mm |
| Slots | 1 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | — | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 1.4+27% | 1.1 |
Value Analysis
The GeForce Go 7900 GTX is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2009).
| Feature | Radeon HD 8490 | GeForce Go 7900 GTX |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $99 | — |
| Avg Price (30d) | $35 | — |
| Codename | RV790 | GM200 |
| Release | April 2 2009 | June 2 2015 |
| Ranking | #762 | #179 |
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