VisionTek Radeon HD 4550 - graphics adapter - Radeon HD 4550 - 512 MB

• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 3 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 8 stars

  Good card. Great for power supply in older systems.

  by on June 25, 2009

  Pros: I have an HP that 2 yrs old. I wanted an upgrade from the on board graphics. This was a good choice. No where near top of the line, but great price for 512mb DDR3. It was very difficult to find a card that requires less than 300W. This fit the bill.

  Cons: Not for the hardcore gamer. More for those who like MS Flight Simulator. As was mentioned by someone else, Catalyst was very difficult to install. It took me 5 installation attempts before it took, even though each attempt was said to be successful.

  Summary: You will read many reviews stating that this is a lousy card, and that there are so many better choices out there. I have come across quite a few user ...

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  Summary: You will read many reviews stating that this is a lousy card, and that there are so many better choices out there. I have come across quite a few user reviews on other sites that don't speak highly of this card. If you read further, you will realize that most of them play top of the line games with top of the line video cards, or at least cards on the upper end. That would be great if you had the money to not only buy a top of the line card, but upgrade your power supply to anywhere from 425w to above. Though there will always be people unhappy with a product, and I am sure some have actually tried the card, Yet you will also get people who review the video card on its specifications alone, without even purchasing the card. These are the people that wouldn't purchase anything below 1024mb DDR3. It happens with various products, including those that haven't even been released yet.
  
  I have only owned this card for two days, but believe me, it was a tiring search trying to find a decent card that runs on a 300w or less power supply, which many older systems do. I am sure I missed out on something that would qualify, but as far as my local retailers, this was the best choice, especially with the fact that it required less than 300W. If anything, it is a huge improvement over systems with integrated graphics. The most graphic intensive game I play is Microsoft Flight Simulator. I went from running it with the settings very low and sparse, to running it at almost full graphic settings, with no jerking motion. The only issue I had, as I mentioned before, was installing the software that came with the card, called Catalyst. I installed 5 separate times. Each time, it said it detected the card, and all files were loaded, only to find in Explorer that only the folder were present. On the 6th try, it finally took. It was very frustrating, and almost warranted a call to tech support. It appears, with a little patience, it will be successful, though this shouldn't be an issue with any product, no matter what the price.
  
  All in all, a great card for the price, and I am very happy with it.

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• 8 stars

  Good Performance for the Price - Low Power Consumption

  by London53 on March 2, 2009

  Pros: Easy to install on a basic low-end Compaq desktop. Big improvement over the built-in graphics cability on the mother board. Low power consumption is a definite plus. No complaints and for the price, an excellent buy.

  Cons: Not the most powerful video card, but then it's not designed to be. Don't expect it to match the higher end cards, because it simply doesn't have the hardware.

  Summary: If you want to upgrade off of integrated graphics and don't want to worry about straining the stock power supply that came with your desktop, this card is a ...

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  Summary: If you want to upgrade off of integrated graphics and don't want to worry about straining the stock power supply that came with your desktop, this card is a winner. Again modest price for modest performance, but at least you can upgrade a basic desktop for a minimum investment. Worth the hunt to find.

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• 9 stars

  Great, easy to install card, with all the features!

  by HawkeyeNTexas on November 21, 2008

  Pros: Easy install. took me 5 minutes. Only requires a min 250W power source. DDR3 is a plus. Run quiet. Able to run games on maximum settings. Vista and DirextX 10 compitable. Able to play HD and Blueray movies.

  Cons: having trouble being able to get the Catalyst Control Center to load.

  Summary: I recently upgraded my Dell Dimension E510 video card from an ATI Radeon X1600 with 512 MB DDR2 to this card. I have been pretty satisfied with that card and ...

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  Summary: I recently upgraded my Dell Dimension E510 video card from an ATI Radeon X1600 with 512 MB DDR2 to this card. I have been pretty satisfied with that card and wanted to stick with an ATI. I tested this new card with Far Cry 2, COD: World at War, and NBA 2K9. So far, the results have been great. I am able to run each game at the maximum settings without much if any slow down. I am disapointed with the load times on COD, but I think that is just part of the game. I strongly suggest this card to everyone, and at a price of $99, you can't beat it.
  
  I've searched for about a month for a video card. I've checked every store online and retail. Due to my computer being 2 years old, I had to pick a card that would run with a 300W power source, windows XP, and PCI express. I wanted a card that would work, but also had today's latest features. This card was it, and I am completely satisfied.

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