Should I get a X1950 Pro or an HD5450?

[Denis54]

I will spare you the details, but I can get either a X1950 Pro or an HD5450 for free?

Which one should I get?

I am not a gamer. I only use my computer (Pentium Dual Core E5400) to run Internet Explorer, Outlook, Word and Excel.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The question is which uses less watts at idle.

Personally I'd go for the 5450

 

[happy medium]

The question is which uses less watts at idle.

Personally I'd go for the 5450

+1

 

[Denis54]

Power consumption is not a priority.

The HD5450 supports Directx 11. This seems to be its main advantage.

The X1950 Pro is probably faster for gaming. My son uses my computer for some gaming when is sometimes at home on weekend. Gaming performance is absolutely not a priority but would be an advantage if everything else is equal.

 

[tweakboy]

Get the X1950 board its a good amount faster. Im guessing AGP ? Can you tell us your rig we can help more... gl

 

[Denis54]

My computer is configured as follows ASUS P5B Plus, C2D E4300 overclocked to 3.0 Ghz, 2 GB Corsair RAM, ATI X1650 Pro (PCI-E), and Corsair 520 watts PSU. I also have 2 monitors at 1600 X 1200.

I will move my X1650 to my daugter's computer and my brother-in-law will give me a X1950 Pro or an HD5450. I just need to tell him which one I choose.

 

[evolucion8]

Get the X1950 board its a good amount faster. Im guessing AGP ? Can you tell us your rig we can help more... gl

I've never seen a HD 5450 on AGP.

Denis54. Since you don't care for gaming, just get the HD 5450, it should be barely slower than the X1950PRO, which was considerably faster than the HD 2600PRO when it was released, but with games running toward heavy shaders, the gap has closed so much, that I can tell you that the HD 2600PRO provides smoother gameplay compared to the X1950PRO which my gf has. But for the sake of power consumption, better video features/quality and longetivity, just get the HD 5450. Both in terms of gaming performance, are too slow to make a difference, what is not playable with an X1950PRO will not be playable with the HD 5450.

 

[CurseTheSky]

On this chart, the X1950 Pro is slightly beaten by the GT 220 and HD 4670, but beats the HD 4350 and 4550 by a long shot. Now you just need to see where the HD 5450 compares to the cards I mentioned and you'll be able to determine it's performance compared to the X1950 Pro.

My guess is the X1950 Pro will still be a better gaming card. It is older gen technology and will most likely consume quite a bit more power, though.

 

[nemesismk2]

The 1950 Pro would be better for games (I used to have a Sapphire 1950 Pro 512MB which was even powerful enough to play a demanding game like Supreme Commander) and the 5450 would be okay for anything non gaming. My brother has the AGP version of the Sapphire 1950 Pro and plays games fine using his Athlon XP 2500 processor.

 

[kalrith]

The 1950 Pro would be better for games (I used to have a Sapphire 1950 Pro 512MB which was even powerful enough to play a demanding game like Supreme Commander) and the 5450 would be okay for anything non gaming.

This. And since the OP doesn't game, he should definitely get the 5450.

 

[crisium]

Right. It's pretty obvious the 1950 Pro is the better gaming card, but since the OP does not care he should get the 5450 since it will save him money (power consumption).

 

[ss284]

Definitely 5450

 

[Face2Face]

If you are not a gamer then get the 5450. If you do game or want to game the X1950 Pro is better. I used to have a X1900 GT and it was about as fast as my 7900 GT and a little faster than my 7800 GT.

 

[nemesismk2]

If you are not a gamer then get the 5450. If you do game or want to game the X1950 Pro is better. I used to have a X1900 GT and it was about as fast as my 7900 GT and a little faster than my 7800 GT.

I had a XFX 7900 GT in a spare computer, good video card.

Even tried it with Supreme Commander and it was playable which surprised me because Supreme Commander is a very demanding game.

 

[Chiropteran]

Power consumption is not a priority.

The HD5450 supports Directx 11. This seems to be its main advantage.

The X1950 Pro is probably faster for gaming. My son uses my computer for some gaming when is sometimes at home on weekend. Gaming performance is absolutely not a priority but would be an advantage if everything else is equal.

5450. Power consumption might not be a priority in itself, but power leads to heat which leads to noisy fans. Also, the 5450 being a newer card will be supported with new drivers longer. This might be important later.