Final thoughts and rating
... benchmark numbers indicate solid 1080-resolution performance that, while good for the type of card, still fall well short of Radeon HD 7850 levels.AMD's introduction of the HD 7790 is a straightforward attempt at enticing mainstream users to upgrade to Radeon graphics cards... at the direct expense of NVIDIA.
This new Radeon HD 7790 slots in well between the large pricing and performance gap that exists between HD 7750 and HD 7850 GPUs, bringing wholesome performance at a 1080p resolution in today's latest games. What's more, designed from the grounds-up and using a die that's peculiar to this GPU alone, AMD strikes a reasonable balance between the competing factors of cost, power and performance.
Priced from £120, HD 7790's biggest current competitor is the GeForce GTX 650 Ti. Our performance numbers indicate that both GPUs perform at similar levels, are priced equivalently, and operate within the same thermal envelope. Understanding the competitive landscape and taking the £125-plus Radeon HD 7850 into due account, the latest GPU from AMD is a decent, if not outstanding, introduction to the fold. Pricing needs to drop, and fast, by at least £15 for it to make utmost sense.
Sapphire is one of the first out of the blocks with a retail Radeon HD 7790. Equipped with a quality cooler and clocked in comfortably higher than reference speeds, benchmark numbers indicate solid 1080-resolution performance that, while good for the type of card, still falls well short of Radeon HD 7850 levels.
We believe the £120 Radeon HD 7790 GPU is a welcome introduction that plugs the rather large gap previously present between the HD 7770 GHz and HD 7850 GPUs. Pricing needs to gravitate closer to £100 before it becomes a clear winner in its class, mind. AMD perhaps knows this and is offering a BioShock Infinite sweetener as part of the package, redeemable when bought at selected retailers.
The Good
Solid 1080p performance
Good power-draw figures
FleX enables multi-GPU; GTX 650 Ti does not
Sapphire card is very quietThe Bad
Radeon HD 7850 can be much faster
Too expensive... for nowHEXUS rating
Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 Dual-X OC
HEXUS Where2Buy
TBC.
HEXUS Right2Reply
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