MSI Radeon HD 7790 OC Edition: Mid-Range Graphics

Heat is always something to keep in mind when you’re adding components to a new or existing gaming rig, so we monitored the heat of our review graphics cards at both idle and heavy load states. We also measured power consumption to give you an idea of the card’s power draw. Because we monitor at the outlet, our readings show the entire system’s power draw. Use the data to compare power consumption among the card and its competitors.

Total System Power Consumption
Tested at the Outlet






The MSI Radeon HD 7790 starting taking some top spots when we ran the power consumption and temperature tests. The card handled itself just fine when the system was idle, but when we put the system under heavy load, the card remained cooler and drew less power than its competitors. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re planning a build that involves a Mini-ITX chassis or if you’re keeping a close eye on power draw. As for acoustics, the card is extremely quiet overall and more than suitable for consideration in a "quiet computing" build.

Joshua Gulick

Joshua Gulick

Josh cut his teeth (and hands) on his first PC upgrade in 2000 and was instantly hooked on all things tech. He took a degree in English and tech writing with him to Computer Power User Magazine and spent years reviewing high-end workstations and gaming systems, processors, motherboards, memory and video cards. His enthusiasm for PC hardware also made him a natural fit for covering the burgeoning modding community, and he wrote CPU’s “Mad Reader Mod” cover stories from the series’ inception until becoming the publication editor for Smart Computing Magazine.  A few years ago, he returned to his first love, reviewing smoking-hot PCs and components, for HotHardware. When he’s not agonizing over benchmark scores, Josh is either running (very slowly) or spending time with family. 

Related content