GeForce 7900 GT vs GeForce GT 420

Speed and memory

The GeForce 7900 GT and the GeForce GT 420 are within a few percent of each other for gaming in our model, so you will not see a difference in play.

The GeForce 7900 GT has shared GB of video memory and the GeForce GT 420 has 1 GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Cyberpunk 2077 (3 against 1 fps), and the smallest is in Grand Theft Auto V Legacy (14 against 10 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce 7900 GT is rated at 48 W and the GeForce GT 420 at 50 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 450 W for the first and 450 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

We do not have launch prices for both cards, so we cannot compare value. Check current listings for both.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce 7900 GT if you want the faster card, and you can accept 0 GB of memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the GeForce GT 420 if the price gap matters more than the small speed difference, and you value the extra video memory. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.