Radeon Vega 9
VS
Radeon HD 6790

Radeon Vega 9 vs Radeon HD 6790

AMD

Radeon Vega 9

2021Core: 300 MHzBoost: 1900 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6790

2011Core: 840 MHz

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.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

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.

InsightRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
Performance
Leading raw performance (+1.3%)
Lower raw frame rates (-1.3%)
Longevity
GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) (7nm)
🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))
Ecosystem
Supports FSR Upscaling
Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM
❌ Less VRAM capacity
✅ More VRAM (+100+%)
Efficiency
💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
⚡ Higher Power Consumption
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 Vega 9 and Radeon HD 6790

AMD

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.

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.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon Vega 9 scores 1,588 and the Radeon HD 6790 reaches 1,567 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon Vega 9 is built on GCN 5.1 while the Radeon HD 6790 uses TeraScale 2, both on 7 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 448 (Radeon Vega 9) vs 800 (Radeon HD 6790). Raw compute: 1.702 TFLOPS (Radeon Vega 9) vs 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790).

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
G3D Mark Score
1,588+1%
1,567
Architecture
GCN 5.1
TeraScale 2
Process Node
7 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
448
800+79%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.702 TFLOPS+27%
1.344 TFLOPS
ROPs
8
16+100%
TMUs
28
40+43%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
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 Vega 9 comes with 0 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6790 has 1 GB. The Radeon HD 6790 offers 100+% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs 128-bit.

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
VRAM Capacity
Shared System RAM
1 GB
Memory Type
Shared
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
System
Unknown
Bus Width
System
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Radeon Vega 9) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
DirectX
12 (12_1)+7%
11.2 (11_0)
Vulkan
1.3
N/A
OpenGL
4.6+5%
4.4
Max Displays
3
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 4.0 (Radeon Vega 9) vs None (Radeon HD 6790). Decoder: UVD 7.0 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon Vega 9) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790).

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
Encoder
VCE 4.0
None
Decoder
UVD 7.0
UVD 3.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon Vega 9 draws 45W versus the Radeon HD 6790's 150W — a 107.7% difference. The Radeon Vega 9 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1W (Radeon Vega 9) vs 450W (Radeon HD 6790). Power connectors: Integrated vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 240mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80.

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
TDP
45W-70%
150W
Recommended PSU
1W-100%
450W
Power Connector
Integrated
2x 6-pin
Length
0mm
240mm
Height
0mm
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
75-6%
80
Perf/Watt
35.3+239%
10.4
💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon Vega 9 launched at $0 MSRP and currently averages $0, while the Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149 and now averages $149. The Radeon Vega 9 costs 100+% less ($149 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): Infinity (Radeon Vega 9) vs 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) — the Radeon Vega 9 offers Infinity% better value. The Radeon Vega 9 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2011).

FeatureRadeon Vega 9Radeon HD 6790
MSRP
$0-100%
$149
Avg Price (30d)
$0-100%
$149
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
10.5
Codename
Cezanne
Barts
Release
April 13 2021
April 4 2011
Ranking
#601
#759