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AMD Radeon HD 6790 1 GB
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Chip | Barts | ||
| GPU frequency | 840 MHz | ||
| Memory quantity | 1 GB | ||
| Memory type | GDDR5 | ||
| Memory frequency | 1050 MHz | ||
 Show all specifications
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| Cooler | Double-decker |
| Connectors | 2x DVI + 2x mini-DP + 1x HDMI |
| Driver tested | Catalyst 11.4 |
 Hide specifications | |
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Test date: May 27, 2011
It's nice to see bitstream output of DTS HD MA and Dolby Digital True HD audio via the HDMI connection. Plus, you can extend the display over two, three or even four monitors for multi-monitor gaming as well as increase the overall resolution (Eyefinity technology).
Three-dimensional gaming has finally arrived thanks to AMD HD3D. This is a little tricky to set up though, as you'll first of all need to get hold of a kind of driver from one of AMD's partners (IZ3D or DDD, for example). This will set you back between $19.99 and $24.99 but it will make a wide range of games compatible with the system.
Users with a 3D monitor will also need to shell out for a pair of 3D glasses from Xpand, RealD or BitCauldron. These glasses aren't actually available yet but they're likely to sell for around £75.
Finally, users with a 3D TV won't need to buy any extra glasses as they can use the glasses supplied with their TV.
AMD has upgraded its mid-range graphics cards with the 6000 series. The Radeon HD 6790 is lined up to rival the GeForce GTX 550 Ti and GTX 560 in the crucial £100-£150 graphics card market, which sees higher product sales than entry-level or high-end ranges.
Size, Noise and Heat
This AMD reference card is actually identical in size and design to the Radeon HD 6870 reference card. The circuit board is 25 cm long and there's a fan that helps remove hot air from the inside the casing. It's therefore no surprise to see that the cards behave quite similarly, making just a slight noise while idle but cranking up the fan to make quite a bit of noise while gaming.
Power Consumption
Since the Radeon HD 6790 is cheaper than the HD 6870, it seems to be equipped with a less effective power stage. When idle, we measured a power consumption of 97 watts for our test computer, while the Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 only required 89 watts. The GeForce GTX 550 Ti runs on 90 watts.The same can be seen in games too, as the Radeon HD 6790 consumes almost as much power—that's 297 watts—as the Radeon HD 6850, which offers higher performances. It does, however, consume significantly less power than the GTX 550 Ti, which uses 330 watts.
Gaming Performance
We were really keen do see what the Radeon HD 6790 was made of when it comes to gaming performance. The average performances are 10% higher than the GeForce GTX 550 Ti and, all in all, it performs well enough to play games in decent conditions on an average-resolution screen (1680 x 1050 pixels, for example)..jpg)
Average general performances
Click on the image to see all our readings
and compare this graphics card with other models
For monitors with resolutions that are Full HD or over, performances will really depend on the game and you may sometimes need to turn down the graphics detail to keep things smooth.
All in all, AMD has certainly taken things a step further than the GeForce GTX 550 Ti, but differences between the cards in the AMD range are quite slight. We therefore recommend that before you invest in this model, you should keep an eye on the price of AMD's higher-end cards like the Radeon HD 6850, which is 20% faster but which can often be picked up for not much more than the HD 6790.
| Graphics Cards: Performance Index Tables |
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AMD Radeon HD 6790 1 GB
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Reasonably low power consumption
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Compatible with DirectX 11
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3D performances: graphics detail will need to be reduced in heavyweight games
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