Conclusion: Built From Winning Genes
Since 1680x1050 is the most prevalent resolution that these cards will handle, let’s consider the average performance:
With a near-identical results, the Radeon HD 6790 seems deliberately designed to compete with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460 768 MB. But isn’t the GeForce GTX 550 Ti replacing that card? This is where things get a little messy.
As we mentioned earlier, Nvidia already said its GeForce GTX 460 768 MB is on its way out. But it also said that “end market availability through e-tail can sometimes be found for months after such a transition.” As the benchmarks show, the new Radeon HD 6790 is a good reason for the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB to hang around for some time to come.
If the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB does disappear without a suitable replacement, the Radeon HD 6790 will only have the GeForce GTX 550 Ti with which to content. Despite the identical $149 MSRP, this GeForce is no match for the new 6790. Let’s face it, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti is Radeon HD 5770-competition.
MSRP aside, Nvidia’s card can already be found online for as low as $115 after rebates though, and if its price doesn’t permanently sink to Radeon HD 5770-territory it has a bleak future positioned up against AMD's Radeon HD 6790.
In the final analysis, AMD's Radeon HD 6790 brings 6000-series features like Blu-ray 3D acceleration and five-output Eyefinity support down to the $150 price point, with solid performance to boot. AMD’s new card looks like a real winner in a market where the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB may not exist to compete for very much longer.
