GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 4200

NVIDIA

GeForce 9450

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 1020 MHz
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 4200

2009Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
·······

GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 4200 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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.

GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 4200 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 4200: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce 9450

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 75W instead of 190W, a 115W reduction.
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4200 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 100% HIGHER MSRP
    $100 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • 16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4200

2009

Why buy it

  • 44.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $50 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • Delivers 113.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.2 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 153.3% higher power demand at 190W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 4200 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 44.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 6.7% in PassMark G3D (112 vs 105), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9450 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 4200 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 113.3% (2.2 vs 1.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4200 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 9450 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 4200 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce 9450

The GeForce 9450 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 27 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 1020 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 105 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 4200

The Radeon HD 4200 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 112 points. Launch price was $249.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 9450 scores 105 versus the Radeon HD 4200's 112 — the Radeon HD 4200 leads by 6.7%. The GeForce 9450 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4200 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 9450) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4200). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 9450) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4200).

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
G3D Mark Score
105
112+7%
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale
Process Node
28 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
640
800+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.306 TFLOPS
1.36 TFLOPS+4%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40
40
L1 Cache
320 KB+100%
160 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9450 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4200 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 9450 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4200. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 9450) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4200) — the GeForce 9450 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9450) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4200). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)+10%
10.1
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No NVENC (Tesla) (GeForce 9450) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4200). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD 2.

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
Encoder
No NVENC (Tesla)
UVD 2
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
UVD 2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9450 draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 4200's 190W — a 86.8% difference. The GeForce 9450 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9450) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4200). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
TDP
75W-61%
190W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
1mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
1.4+133%
0.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9450 came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 4200 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4200 was 50% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.1 (GeForce 9450) vs 2.2 (Radeon HD 4200) — the Radeon HD 4200 offers 100% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 9450 (2015 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce 9450Radeon HD 4200
MSRP
$100
$50-50%
Performance per Dollar
1.1
2.2+100%
Codename
GM107
RV790
Release
October 27 2015
April 2 2009
Ranking
#671
#762

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.