G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $500 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 101.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 195W instead of 375W, a 180W reduction.
✅Measures 256mm instead of 305mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon HD 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅21.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
100.2% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 375W vs 195W.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Radeon HD 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $500 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 101.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 195W instead of 375W, a 180W reduction.
✅Measures 256mm instead of 305mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅21.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
100.2% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 375W vs 195W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon HD 7990 better than GeForce GTX 680?

Yes. Radeon HD 7990 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 21.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.8% higher PassMark G3D performance. It also comes from 2013 instead of 2012, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 680 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon HD 7990 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon HD 7990 is about 100.2% more expensive on MSRP at $999 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 21.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (5,566 vs 5,609). GeForce GTX 680 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 680 make more sense than Radeon HD 7990?

Yes. GeForce GTX 680 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is lower power draw (195W vs 375W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $499 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon HD 7990. The trade-off is that Radeon HD 7990 currently gives you a lower G3D Mark (5,566 vs 5,609) and 21.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. GeForce GTX 680 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 680 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7990 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	78 FPS	77 FPS
medium	66 FPS	63 FPS
high	53 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	65 FPS
medium	60 FPS	54 FPS
high	42 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	24 FPS
medium	23 FPS	23 FPS
high	15 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon HD 7990

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	116 FPS	143 FPS
medium	86 FPS	118 FPS
high	66 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	64 FPS	88 FPS
medium	44 FPS	66 FPS
high	32 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	37 FPS
medium	17 FPS	28 FPS
high	13 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	16 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon HD 7990

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	252 FPS	250 FPS
medium	202 FPS	200 FPS
high	168 FPS	167 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	125 FPS
1440p
low	189 FPS	188 FPS
medium	151 FPS	150 FPS
high	126 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	126 FPS	125 FPS
medium	101 FPS	100 FPS
high	84 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	63 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon HD 7990

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
1080p
low	126 FPS	145 FPS
medium	101 FPS	116 FPS
high	86 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	83 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	107 FPS
medium	78 FPS	87 FPS
high	67 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	57 FPS	63 FPS
medium	44 FPS	48 FPS
high	35 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon HD 7990

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon HD 7990

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

Radeon HD 7990

The Radeon HD 7990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,566 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 and the Radeon HD 7990 reaches 5,566 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7990 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7990). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7990). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
G3D Mark Score	5,609	5,566
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536	2048 ×2+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.25 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+26%
Boost Clock	1058 MHz+6%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	128	128 ×2
L1 Cache	128 KB	512 KB+300%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7990 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 680 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7990 has 3 GB. The GeForce GTX 680 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7990) — a 1399.5% advantage for the Radeon HD 7990. Bus width: 256-bit vs 384-bit x2. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7990) — the Radeon HD 7990 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192.2 GB/s	288 GB/s x2+50%
Bus Width	256-bit	384-bit x2+50%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7990). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
DirectX	12 (FL 11_0)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	5+25%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7990). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7990).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP5	UVD 3.2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the Radeon HD 7990's 375W — a 63.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 680 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 750W (Radeon HD 7990). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 256mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 85.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon HD 7990
TDP	195W-48%	375W
Recommended PSU	550W-27%	750W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	256mm	305mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	98°C	85-13%
Perf/Watt	28.8+95%	14.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 680 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 7990 launched at $999. The GeForce GTX 680 costs 50.1% less ($500 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7990) — the GeForce GTX 680 offers 100% better value. The Radeon HD 7990 is the newer GPU (2013 vs 2012).