Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 5450

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.

Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 5450 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.

Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 5450: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5450 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌25.8% higher power demand at 190W vs 151W.

Radeon HD 5450

2009

Why buy it

✅4.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 151W instead of 190W, a 39W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5450 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 4290 instead at 141 vs 136, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 4290 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $60 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 3.7% (2.4 vs 2.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5450 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 5450 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 4290

The Radeon HD 4290 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: 141 points. Launch price was $249.

Radeon HD 5450

The Radeon HD 5450 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 136 points. Launch price was $299.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 4290 scores 141 and the Radeon HD 5450 reaches 136 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 4290 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon HD 5450 uses TeraScale 2, both on 55 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4290) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5450). Raw compute: 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5450).

Feature	Radeon HD 4290	Radeon HD 5450
G3D Mark Score	141+4%	136
Architecture	TeraScale	TeraScale 2
Process Node	55 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	800	1440+80%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.36 TFLOPS	2.088 TFLOPS+54%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	72+80%
L1 Cache	160 KB+11%	144 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 4290	Radeon HD 5450
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 4290 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5450 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5450 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5450. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 4290) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5450) — the Radeon HD 5450 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 4290	Radeon HD 5450
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	2 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4290 draws 190W versus the Radeon HD 5450's 151W — a 22.9% difference. The Radeon HD 5450 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 4290) vs 350W (Radeon HD 5450). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 4290	Radeon HD 5450
TDP	190W	151W-21%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	1mm	—
Slots	0	—
Perf/Watt	0.7	0.9+29%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 4290 came in at $60, while the Radeon HD 5450 launched at $60. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) vs 2.3 (Radeon HD 5450) — the Radeon HD 4290 offers 4.3% better value.

Feature	Radeon HD 4290	Radeon HD 5450
MSRP	$60	$60
Performance per Dollar	2.4+4%	2.3
Codename	RV790	Cypress
Release	April 2 2009	September 30 2009
Ranking	#762	#682

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