AMD Radeon HD 6790
AMD Radeon HD 6790 in 2025: Nostalgia or Practicality?
Analysis of an Obsolete GPU for Modern Tasks
Introduction
The AMD Radeon HD 6790, released in 2011, was once a worthy choice for budget gamers. But how does it stand against the technology of 2025? In this article, we will explore whether this GPU is worth considering today and who might still find it useful.
Architecture and Key Features
Barts Architecture: A Legacy of the Past
The HD 6790 is built on the Barts architecture using a 40nm manufacturing process — a standard from the early 2010s. It features 800 stream processors and supports DirectX 11, OpenGL 4.2, and Mantle. However, it lacks even the hint of modern features:
- Ray Tracing (RTX) is absent — the technology only appeared in competitor NVIDIA cards in 2018.
- AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is not supported — the card is incompatible with upscaling, which is critical for modern games.
- Hardware-accelerated AI (similar to DLSS) is also unavailable.
Conclusion: The HD 6790 is a relic from an era when ray tracing and AI optimization had yet to enter game development.
Memory: Limitations and Consequences
GDDR5 and Narrow Bus
The card is equipped with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 134 GB/s. For 2025, this is catastrophically insufficient:
- Modern games require at least 4–6 GB of VRAM even for 1080p.
- High-resolution textures and complex shaders simply won’t fit in the buffer.
Problem: In games like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty or Starfield, the card will face frequent FPS drops and crashes due to memory overflow.
Gaming Performance: Numbers and Realities
1080p — The Limit of Capabilities
In 2025, the HD 6790 is only suitable for older titles or indie games:
- CS2 (Counter-Strike 2): 40–50 FPS on low settings.
- GTA V: 30–35 FPS on medium settings.
- The Witcher 3: 20–25 FPS on minimum settings.
4K and 1440p: Even with FSR (if it were supported), the card wouldn’t perform — it lacks both power and memory.
Ray Tracing: Not supported. Attempts to run RT modes through software emulators (like Reshade) result in FPS drops below 10.
Professional Tasks: Weak Support
OpenCL 1.1 and Its Limitations
The HD 6790 supports OpenCL 1.1 — an outdated version of the API. In contrast, modern applications require OpenCL 3.0 or CUDA (NVIDIA technology).
- Video Editing: Rendering in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro will be extremely slow.
- 3D Modeling: Blender won’t efficiently utilize the GPU for Cycles.
- Scientific Calculations: The lack of FP64 support renders the card useless for serious tasks.
Advice: For professional work, it’s better to choose a GPU with at least 8 GB of memory and support for modern APIs.
Power Consumption and Heat Generation
TDP 150W: Inefficient but Tolerable
By 2025 standards, the HD 6790 is inefficient:
- Modern cards like the RTX 4050 (100W TDP) offer 5–7 times more performance.
- Cooling: Noisy fans are a typical issue. Replacement with a liquid cooling system or large heatsink is recommended, but upgrading is economically unfeasible.
- Case: Requires at least 2 expansion slots and good ventilation.
Comparison with Competitors
Against Modern Counterparts and Analogues
- NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti (2011): The HD 6790 is 15–20% faster, but in 2025, both cards are equivalently obsolete.
- AMD Radeon RX 6400 (2023): A modern entry-level model for $150 offers a 200% FPS increase and supports FSR 3.0.
- Intel Arc A380 (2022): Priced at $120, it offers 4 GB of GDDR6, hardware ray tracing, and XeSS.
Conclusion: Even budget GPUs from the 2020s surpass the HD 6790 in all aspects.
Practical Tips
For Those Who Decide to Proceed
- Power Supply: At least 450W with a 6-pin connector.
- Platform: Compatible with PCIe 2.0, but it’s better to use PCIe 3.0/4.0 (backward compatibility exists).
- Drivers: Official support ended in 2018. For Windows 10/11, modified community drivers can be used, but stability is not guaranteed.
Important: The card does not support UEFI Secure Boot — there may be boot issues on newer motherboards.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Low price (if you find a new one — around $50–$70).
- Suitable for reviving old PCs (e.g., Windows XP machines).
- Minimal power requirements compared to top GPUs from 2011.
Cons:
- Struggles with modern games and applications.
- No support for FSR, ray tracing, or new APIs.
- Limited compatibility with current software.
Final Conclusion: Who is the Radeon HD 6790 For?
This graphics card is a choice for:
1. Retro PC Enthusiasts: Building systems based on older operating systems (Windows 7/XP) or running classic games from the 2000s.
2. Temporary Solutions: If you need a cheap GPU for office applications or video playback.
3. Collectors: As an artifact from the pre-RTX and AI revolution era.
For everyone else: Even budget newcomers like the Radeon RX 6500 ($160) or Intel Arc A310 ($100) would be a better investment.
Conclusion
The AMD Radeon HD 6790 in 2025 is an example of how rapidly the industry evolves. It serves as a reminder of a time when 1 GB of memory was sufficient for gaming, and ray tracing seemed like a fantasy. Today, its role is to be a museum piece or a savior for retro computers. If you're not a collector, consider modern solutions — they are worth it.