GeForce 9800 GTX vs Radeon HD 8790M

When choosing between GeForce 9800 GTX and Radeon HD 8790M, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce 9800 GTX and Radeon HD 8790M.

Radeon HD 8790M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8790M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with Radeon HD 8790M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce 9800 GTX Radeon HD 8790M
Power consumption (TDP) 140 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 MXM-A (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin None
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 512 MB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • GeForce 9800 GTX is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 8790M uses MXM-A (3.0) interface.
  • GeForce 9800 GTX has 510 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 8790M.
  • GeForce 9800 GTX is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8790M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce 9800 GTX is build with Tesla architecture, and Radeon HD 8790M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce 9800 GTX is 838 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8790M.
  • GeForce 9800 GTX is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8790M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8790M is 3400 MHz higher, than GeForce 9800 GTX.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 3−4
ultra / 1080p 1−2
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 1−2 14−16
medium / 1080p 0−1 6−7
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8790M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 1400% more, than GeForce 9800 GTX.

Full Specs

  GeForce 9800 GTX Radeon HD 8790M
Architecture Tesla GCN
Code name G92 Mars XTX
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 28 March 2008 16 November 2012
Pipelines 128 384
Core clock speed 1688 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 754 million 950 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 43.2 billion/sec 21.60
Floating-point performance 432.1 gflops 691.2 gflops
Length 10.5" (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1100 MHz 4500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 70.4 GB/s 64 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 4.0 5.1
OpenGL 2.1 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A 1.2.131
CUDA +
CUDA cores 128
Bus support PCI-E 2.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support +
HDMI Via Adapter
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 80 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
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