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.

 

[Guest]

mm well depends if you have 2gbs or more ram go for the Hd 5450
but if your below 2gb then go for day X1950 pro decent card IMO plus i'm a tad worried about the bottlenecking of the HD 5450 it can acually slow down your computer by sucking your cpu dry so like i said 2gb ram go for da HD if below go for da 1950pro

 

[Guest]

mm well depends if you have 2gbs or more ram go for the Hd 5450
but if your below 2gb then go for day X1950 pro decent card IMO plus i'm a tad worried about the bottlenecking of the HD 5450 it can acually slow down your computer by sucking your cpu dry so like i said 2gb ram go for da HD if below go for da 1950pro

The OP says IE, Word, Outlook, Excel and no gaming

1950 = excessive power draw for desktop use, 5450 = correct card!

 

[nforce4max]

Just 2D use OOONNNLLLYYY then get the 5450. If you are doing gaming any higher than 1024x768 then you need to get the 1950. However you need to give your self options ware are you getting these cards? What is your budget?

 

[Denis54]

My computer is configured as follows ASUS P5B Plus, C2D E4300 overclocked to 3.0 Ghz, 2 GB Corsair RAM, ATI X1650 Pro, 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.

Power draw is not a priority. My PSU is plenty powerfull for my needs.

 

[sabot00]

If you do any gaming or electricity is cheap enough then use the X1950XT, the 5450 for everything else.

 

[nforce4max]

If you do any gaming or electricity is cheap enough then use the X1950XT, the 5450 for everything else.

Simple as that if not flip a coin.

 

[jaguarskx]

No need to buy a former power hungry performance video card which is no longer under warranty over a newer HD 5450 which draws less power (generating less heat) and comes with warranty.

 

[nrnx]

Agreed, get the 5450 The video display capabilities are current technology, it will support your two monitors well. It also consumes about 90W less power then the other card you mentioned. Plus it supports DirectX 11 so if you ever think about upgradin to windows 7 (or if you already have it) it is a HUGE benefit.

 

[Denis54]

What are the advantages of the HD5450 for Win 7?

I use Win 7 Home Premium.

 

[jaguarskx]

^^^

Nothing really. It is a DX11 card and Win 7 has DX11 by default. However, DX11 is mostly for games.

The HD 5xxx series has bit-audio streaming which means DTS and Dolby Digital can be directly passed through to a reciever in a Home Theater system.

 

[nrnx]

As Jag Said, the 5450 comes with built in HDMI out with audio streaming. DD DTS and 7.1 audio. It's compatible with DX11 which though many believe to be primarily suited for gaming, performs ALOT of functions for Windows 7 including your display setup. (Aero or whatever they call it now). Plus it includes support for Blu-ray decoding, HD Signal decoding and more. It is very much a better non-gaming card than the X1950 which is nearing its 8th or 9th year in existence I believe.

 

[jesmoke]

You are definitely better off with the 5450 for lower power consumption and for more features.

 

[sabot00]

Actually the 5450 does not have HDMI all the time, depends on AIB preferences, so sometimes it's a DisplayPort instead.
I would actually get the 1950 Pro because I game & electricity is dirt-cheap in the US.
However if you do not game then the 5450 is perfect.

 

[jaguarskx]

Electricity is cheap depending on where you are in the US. I'm paying about $0.20 - $0.22 per KWH.

 

[sabot00]

Well in my apartment the college pays for internet/cable/electricity.

 

[rivet]

I did not see any reason to buy a power hungry, hot and maybe noisy old generation card for non-gaming purpose, even electricity is cheap, but why waste it. As sb. else summarized, 5450 is much better, it has dx11, use less power, it is silent, the x1950 does not even have full HD decoding capability which is important if you want to watch 1080p high rate movies, go green.

 

[nforce4max]

Electricity is cheap depending on where you are in the US. I'm paying about $0.20 - $0.22 per KWH.

That is double of what I pay in Texas, at least we don't have as many big government banking leaches as some states.

 

[sabot00]

I did not see any reason to buy a power hungry, hot and maybe noisy old generation card for non-gaming purpose, even electricity is cheap, but why waste it. As sb. else summarized, 5450 is much better, it has dx11, use less power, it is silent, the x1950 does not even have full HD decoding capability which is important if you want to watch 1080p high rate movies, go green.

That's why I said gaming.

 

[jyjjy]

For non-gaming the HD5450 is the obvious choice.