GeForce RTX 4080 vs Radeon HD 8790M

Place in the ranking	733	3
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	29.01
Power efficiency	no data	19.25
Architecture	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)	Ada Lovelace (2022−2024)
GPU code name	Mars	AD103
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	1 April 2013 (11 years ago)	20 September 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$1,199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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	384	9728
Core clock speed	850 MHz	2205 MHz
Boost clock speed	900 MHz	2505 MHz
Number of transistors	950 million	45,900 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	unknown	320 Watt
Texture fill rate	21.60	761.5
Floating-point processing power	0.6912 TFLOPS	48.74 TFLOPS
ROPs	8	112
TMUs	24	304
Tensor Cores	no data	304
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	76

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 4.0 x16
Length	no data	310 mm
Width	no data	3-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 16-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	GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	16 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	1000 MHz	1400 MHz
Memory bandwidth	64 GB/s	716.8 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 HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (11_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	5.1	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	-	8.9

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 8790M 3.39

RTX 4080 89.84
+2550%

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 8790M 1305

RTX 4080 34617
+2553%

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 8790M 2187

RTX 4080 86267
+3845%

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 8790M 9835

RTX 4080 143194
+1356%

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 8790M 1727

RTX 4080 57903
+3253%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

HD 8790M 12049

RTX 4080 185431
+1439%

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	27 −785%	239 +785%
1440p	6−7 −2667%	166 +2667%
4K	4−5 −2600%	108 +2600%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	5.02
1440p	no data	7.22
4K	no data	11.10

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

6−7

−3750%

231
+3750%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10−11 −1730%	180−190 +1730%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −13000%	262 +13000%
Battlefield 5	7−8 −3386%	240−250 +3386%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −1400%	120−130 +1400%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −3750%	231 +3750%
Far Cry 5	7−8 −1586%	110−120 +1586%
Far Cry New Dawn	9−10 −2133%	200−210 +2133%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 −1305%	260−270 +1305%
Hitman 3	8−9 −1513%	120−130 +1513%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −1217%	300−350 +1217%
Metro Exodus	5−6 −3000%	150−160 +3000%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 −1450%	120−130 +1450%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 −3008%	400−450 +3008%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −285%	150−160 +285%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10−11 −1730%	180−190 +1730%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −10750%	217 +10750%
Battlefield 5	7−8 −3386%	240−250 +3386%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −1400%	120−130 +1400%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −3400%	210 +3400%
Far Cry 5	7−8 −1586%	110−120 +1586%
Far Cry New Dawn	9−10 −2133%	200−210 +2133%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 −1305%	260−270 +1305%
Hitman 3	8−9 −1513%	120−130 +1513%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −1217%	300−350 +1217%
Metro Exodus	5−6 −3000%	150−160 +3000%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 −1450%	120−130 +1450%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 −3838%	512 +3838%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	14−16 −1273%	200−210 +1273%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −285%	150−160 +285%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10−11 −1730%	180−190 +1730%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −9350%	189 +9350%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −1400%	120−130 +1400%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −3067%	190 +3067%
Far Cry 5	7−8 −1586%	110−120 +1586%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 −1305%	260−270 +1305%
Hitman 3	8−9 −1513%	120−130 +1513%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −1550%	396 +1550%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 −3592%	480 +3592%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	14−16 −1627%	259 +1627%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −310%	164 +310%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

8−9

−1450%

120−130
+1450%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	6−7 −2667%	160−170 +2667%
Far Cry New Dawn	5−6 −2140%	110−120 +2140%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	3−4 −3600%	110−120 +3600%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	2−3 −4000%	80−85 +4000%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 −6350%	129 +6350%
Far Cry 5	4−5 −2000%	80−85 +2000%
Forza Horizon 4	0−1	270−280
Hitman 3	8−9 −1538%	130−140 +1538%
Horizon Zero Dawn	8−9 −4050%	332 +4050%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	2−3 −9450%	191 +9450%
Watch Dogs: Legion	21−24 −1043%	240−250 +1043%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

7−8

−1743%

120−130
+1743%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	2−3 −4300%	85−90 +4300%
Far Cry New Dawn	2−3 −3350%	65−70 +3350%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	2−3 −3950%	80−85 +3950%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	1−2 −9900%	100 +9900%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	1−2 −5100%	50−55 +5100%
Cyberpunk 2077	0−1	63
Far Cry 5	2−3 −2400%	50−55 +2400%
Forza Horizon 4	1−2 −19800%	190−200 +19800%
Watch Dogs: Legion	1−2 −8600%	87 +8600%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

4−5

−2675%

110−120
+2675%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	153 +0%	153 +0%
Metro Exodus	149 +0%	149 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	390 +0%	390 +0%

4K
High Preset

Hitman 3	80−85 +0%	80−85 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	220−230 +0%	220−230 +0%
Metro Exodus	140−150 +0%	140−150 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	187 +0%	187 +0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

195

+0%

195

+0%

This is how HD 8790M and RTX 4080 compete in popular games:

RTX 4080 is 785% faster in 1080p
RTX 4080 is 2667% faster in 1440p
RTX 4080 is 2600% faster in 4K

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

in Forza Horizon 4, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 4080 is 19800% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RTX 4080 is ahead in 62 tests (89%)
there's a draw in 8 tests (11%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.39	89.84
Recency	1 April 2013	20 September 2022
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	16 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	5 nm

RTX 4080 has a 2550.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 9 years, a 700% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 460% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 4080 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 GeForce RTX 4080 is a desktop one.

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