Radeon RX 6500 XT vs HD 6790

Place in the ranking	684	220
Place by popularity	not in top-100	83
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.86	58.69
Power efficiency	1.92	15.91
Architecture	TeraScale 2 (2009−2015)	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code name	Barts	Navi 24
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	4 April 2011 (13 years ago)	19 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$149	$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX 6500 XT has 6724% better value for money than HD 6790.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	800	1024
Core clock speed	840 MHz	2610 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	2815 MHz
Number of transistors	1,700 million	5,400 million
Manufacturing process technology	40 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	107 Watt
Texture fill rate	33.60	180.2
Floating-point processing power	1.344 TFLOPS	5.765 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	32
TMUs	40	64
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	16

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Interface	PCIe 2.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x4
Length	198 mm	no data
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	1 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	64 Bit
Memory clock speed	1050 MHz	2248 MHz
Memory bandwidth	134.4 GB/s	143.9 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort	1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	+	+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	11.2 (11_0)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	5.0	6.6
OpenGL	4.4	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	2.2
Vulkan	N/A	1.3

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

HD 6790 4.20

RX 6500 XT 24.83
+491%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

HD 6790 1618

RX 6500 XT 9568
+491%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

HD 6790 2887

RX 6500 XT 22954
+695%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

HD 6790 13637

RX 6500 XT 76445
+461%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

HD 6790 2150

RX 6500 XT 15712
+631%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p	52 −477%	300−350 +477%
Full HD	60 −3.3%	62 +3.3%
1440p	4−5 −600%	28 +600%
4K	2−3 −700%	16 +700%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	2.48	3.21
1440p	37.25	7.11
4K	74.50	12.44

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

7−8

−929%

72
+929%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	12−14 −350%	50−55 +350%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	3−4 −1600%	51 +1600%
Battlefield 5	10−11 −710%	80−85 +710%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 −456%	50−55 +456%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 −671%	54 +671%
Far Cry 5	9−10 −533%	55−60 +533%
Far Cry New Dawn	12−14 −442%	65−70 +442%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 −480%	140−150 +480%
Hitman 3	10−11 −400%	50−55 +400%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 −307%	110−120 +307%
Metro Exodus	8−9 −963%	85−90 +963%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−12 −482%	60−65 +482%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	16−18 −425%	80−85 +425%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −140%	100−110 +140%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	12−14 −350%	50−55 +350%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	3−4 −1333%	43 +1333%
Battlefield 5	10−11 −710%	80−85 +710%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 −456%	50−55 +456%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 −386%	34 +386%
Far Cry 5	9−10 −533%	55−60 +533%
Far Cry New Dawn	12−14 −442%	65−70 +442%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 −480%	140−150 +480%
Hitman 3	10−11 −400%	50−55 +400%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 −307%	110−120 +307%
Metro Exodus	8−9 −963%	85−90 +963%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−12 −482%	60−65 +482%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	16−18 −569%	107 +569%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	16−18 −231%	50−55 +231%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −140%	100−110 +140%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	12−14 −350%	50−55 +350%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	3−4 −933%	31 +933%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 −456%	50−55 +456%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 −329%	30 +329%
Far Cry 5	9−10 −533%	55−60 +533%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 −480%	140−150 +480%
Hitman 3	10−11 −400%	50−55 +400%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 −229%	92 +229%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	16−18 −419%	83 +419%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	16−18 −238%	54 +238%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 +72%	25 −72%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

10−12

−482%

60−65
+482%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	8−9 −488%	45−50 +488%
Far Cry New Dawn	6−7 −533%	35−40 +533%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	4−5 −550%	24−27 +550%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	3−4 −833%	27−30 +833%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 −750%	17 +750%
Far Cry 5	5−6 −460%	27−30 +460%
Forza Horizon 4	6−7 −2250%	140−150 +2250%
Hitman 3	9−10 −222%	27−30 +222%
Horizon Zero Dawn	10−11 −560%	66 +560%
Metro Exodus	0−1	57
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	3−4 −900%	30−33 +900%
Watch Dogs: Legion	24−27 −438%	140−150 +438%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

8−9

−413%

40−45
+413%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	3−4 −700%	24−27 +700%
Far Cry New Dawn	3−4 −533%	18−20 +533%
Hitman 3	0−1	10
Horizon Zero Dawn	1−2 −12600%	120−130 +12600%
Metro Exodus	1−2 −2700%	27−30 +2700%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	3−4 −400%	14−16 +400%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −200%	6 +200%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	2−3 −600%	14−16 +600%
Cyberpunk 2077	0−1	4
Far Cry 5	2−3 −600%	14−16 +600%
Forza Horizon 4	3−4 −1033%	30−35 +1033%
Watch Dogs: Legion	1−2 −900%	10 +900%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

5−6

−320%

21−24
+320%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	23 +0%	23 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	56 +0%	56 +0%

4K
High Preset

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

+0%

This is how HD 6790 and RX 6500 XT compete in popular games:

RX 6500 XT is 477% faster in 900p
RX 6500 XT is 3% faster in 1080p
RX 6500 XT is 600% faster in 1440p
RX 6500 XT is 700% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 6790 is 72% faster.
in Horizon Zero Dawn, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the RX 6500 XT is 12600% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

HD 6790 is ahead in 1 test (1%)
RX 6500 XT is ahead in 64 tests (93%)
there's a draw in 4 tests (6%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	4.20	24.83
Recency	4 April 2011	19 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	1 GB	8 GB
Chip lithography	40 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	107 Watt

RX 6500 XT has a 491.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, a 700% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 566.7% more advanced lithography process, and 40.2% lower power consumption.

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6790 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.