Radeon RX 550X vs HD 8790M
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 8790M with Radeon RX 550X, including specs and performance data.
RX 550X outperforms HD 8790M by an impressive 75% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 731 | 585 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Architecture | GCN (2011−2017) | GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) |
| GPU code name | Mars XTX | Lexa |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 16 November 2012 (11 years ago) | 16 December 2018 (5 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 384 | 512 |
| Core clock speed | 850 MHz | 1100 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1183 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 950 million | 2,200 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | unknown | 50 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 21.60 | 37.86 |
| Floating-point performance | 0.6912 gflops | 1.211 gflops |
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).
| Laptop size | medium sized | no data |
| Interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x8 |
| Length | no data | 145 mm |
| Width | no data | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | None |
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 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 4500 MHz | 6000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 64 GB/s | 96 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 | No outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort |
| HDMI | - | + |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_0) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 6.4 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2.131 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance 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.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.
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:
| Full HD | 32
−71.9%
| 55−60
+71.9%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 9−10
−55.6%
|
14−16
+55.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
−57.9%
|
30−33
+57.9%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
−66.7%
|
40−45
+66.7%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
−61.5%
|
21−24
+61.5%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 40−45
−62.5%
|
65−70
+62.5%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 9−10
−55.6%
|
14−16
+55.6%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
−57.9%
|
30−33
+57.9%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
−66.7%
|
40−45
+66.7%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
−61.5%
|
21−24
+61.5%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 14−16
−60%
|
24−27
+60%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 40−45
−62.5%
|
65−70
+62.5%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
−60%
|
16−18
+60%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
−57.9%
|
30−33
+57.9%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
−66.7%
|
40−45
+66.7%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
−61.5%
|
21−24
+61.5%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 14−16
−60%
|
24−27
+60%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 40−45
−62.5%
|
65−70
+62.5%
|
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 6−7
−66.7%
|
10−11
+66.7%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 3−4
−66.7%
|
5−6
+66.7%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 21−24
−66.7%
|
35−40
+66.7%
|
1440p
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 7−8
−71.4%
|
12−14
+71.4%
|
4K
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Far Cry 5 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
4K
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
This is how HD 8790M and RX 550X compete in popular games:
- RX 550X is 72% faster in 1080p
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.38 | 5.91 |
| Recency | 16 November 2012 | 16 December 2018 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 14 nm |
RX 550X has a 74.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.
The Radeon RX 550X is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 8790M in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 8790M is a notebook card while Radeon RX 550X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
